Why is My Refrigerator Ice Maker Not Working?

Appliance Repair Force provides refrigerator repair service in South and North Carolina, including services to fix broken ice makers. Learn about common ice maker issues below:

Refrigerator ice makers are possibly one of the best inventions ever. An ice maker is a little luxury many people might take for granted. Refrigerator ice makers are relatively simple machines that do not feature a lot of complex parts that could go wrong with them.

Like with any appliance repair, there are basic things that need to be reviewed before thinking the worst. And, it’s good to know, if needed, you are able to replace your ice maker without replacing the entire fridge, dependent on the model. First, let’s review some of the causes for an ice maker breaking.

If an ice maker is making ice but it is not ejecting the ice cubes it is usually means there’s a mechanical failure versus an electrical failure. This happens when moving things around in the freezer unit, you could accidentally jam the control lever up or down. Often the ice maker will get jammed with something, including a chunk of ice. So, look to see if there’s ice or food blocking this from operating correctly.

Before beginning the steps of clearing out the freezer, be sure your ice maker is turned on. This is done by flipping the metal control arm in the down position. Sometimes, moving things around in the freezer may put the control into the off position. If the control arm is free, then there may be food stuck inside the ice maker or it is not receiving a good connection.

Check the Control Arm

If the control arm is down and there’s ice but it is not ejecting it, this could be a mechanical or electrical failure. This is going to need a bit more troubleshooting. Ready to proceed? First, we must inspect the electrical connection. This could be unplugged from the back of the freezer or refrigerator when moving or shifting the freezer contents.

To check this, unplug the freezer and slide it out away from the kitchen wall. Then, turn off the water supply valve. Locate the connection on the rear of the inside of the freezer. Essentially this is what plugs the ice maker into the freezer unit. Be sure that it is plugged in correctly.

After that, remove any ice that’s in the ice maker. This can be completed by pouring in a bit of water to help to get ice that’s inside of there out.

Once complete, turn on the power to the refrigerator and then turn on the ice maker. It may take the solenoid component a few seconds to react and fill the mold. After the mold is 100% full, wait around 4-5 hours to see if you have cleared the problem.

Check for Frozen Lines

Other ice maker failures that may cause your ice maker to not produce ice are frozen water lines. The water lines could be clogged with frost. This is a pretty simple issue to fix.

Unplug the refrigerator and locate the water shut off valve. Turn the water off and then grab a hair dryer to warm the water line or let the fridge sit shut off for a couple of hours until the line is thawed.

Some models that feature a water filter that can freeze or ice up. For these situations, locating the filter is the first step. Then repeat the same process that was done for the frozen line.

When your ice maker isn’t making large enough pieces of ice, there’s an issue with the ice maker settings. To adjust the the ice maker settings, take the top part of the cover off and locate a basic control that displays plus and a minus symbols. To do this, you might need a flat head screwdriver.

ADDITIONAL REFRIGERATOR RESOURCES

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