Why is My Refrigerator Ice Maker Not Working?

Sterling Heights Appliance Repair HQ offers refrigerator repair in Sterling Heights, including professional services to repair ice makers that are not working. Learn about some common ice maker problems below:

Ice makers are possibly one of the most convenient inventions ever. This is a little luxury many people might take for granted. Ice makers are relatively simple machines that do not have a lot of complex components that might cause issues.

As with any repair, there are a few basic things that need to be looked at before assuming the worst. And, it’s nice to know, if needed, you can replace an ice maker without replacing the entire refrigerator, dependent on the model. First, let’s take a look at some of the reasons for an ice maker failure.

When an ice maker is making ice but it isn’t ejecting the ice it is usually means there is a mechanical failure opposed to an electrical problem. This can occur when reorganizing food around in the freezer, you could accidentally push or pull the control arm up or down. Often the ice maker will get jammed with something else, possibly a chunk of ice. So, check to see if there is something blocking this from operating properly.

Before beginning the steps of clearing out the freezer, check that the ice maker is turned on. This can be done by flipping the metal control arm down. From time to time, moving things around in the freezer can put the control into the off position. If the the switch is free, then there may be food or ice stuck inside the ice maker or it is not getting a good connection.

Check the Control Arm

If the control is down and there is ice but it’s not dispensing it, there might be an electrical or mechanical failure. This will need some more diagnosing. Ready to begin? First, we have to inspect the electrical connection. This could be unplugged from the back of the freezer when shifting or moving the freezer contents.

To check this, unplug the refrigerator and slide away from the wall. Turn off the freezer’s water supply. Locate the connection on the back of the inside of the freezer unit. Essentially this is what connects the ice maker into the freezer unit. Be sure that it is actually plugged in the right way.

Then, remove all of the ice that’s inside of the ice maker itself. This can be done by pouring in a little water to help get the ice that’s in there out.

Once done, restore power to the fridge and then turn on the ice maker. It might take the solenoid component a couple of seconds to react and fill the mold. After the mold is 100% full, wait 4-5 hours or so to see if you have solved the problem.

Check for Frozen Lines

More ice maker failures that will cause your ice maker to not produce any ice are frozen water lines. The water lines might be clogged with frost. This is a pretty simple issue to fix.

First, unplug the fridge and find the water shut off valve. Turn the water off and get a hair dryer to warm the line or just let the refrigerator sit turned off for a few hours until the line is thawed.

There are some brands and models that have a water filter that can freeze or ice over. For these cases, locating the filter is the first step. Then repeat what was done for the iced line.

If your ice maker is not making big enough cubes of ice, there is a problem with the ice maker settings. To adjust the settings, take the top part of the cover of the ice maker off and find a basic knob that displays plus and a minus symbols. For this process, you could need a flat head screwdriver.

ADDITIONAL REFRIGERATOR RESOURCES

• Refrigerator Noisy
• Refrigerator Water Dispenser Not Working
• Refrigerator Not Cooling
• How Does a Refrigerator Work?