Why is My Refrigerator Ice Maker Not Working?

Freedom Appliance Repair provides refrigerator repair in Fontana, including professional services to fix broken ice makers. Learn about common ice maker failures below:

Ice makers are possibly one of the greatest inventions of all time. This is a small luxury most people might take for granted. Refrigerator ice makers are simple machines that do not feature a lot of complex parts that might have issues.

As with any repair, there are a few basic things that should be looked at before thinking the worst. And, remember, if needed, you are able to replace an ice maker without replacing an entire fridge, depending on the brand and model. First, let’s discuss a couple of the reasons for an ice maker failure.

If an ice maker is making ice but it isn’t ejecting the ice cubes it is usually means there’s a mechanical failure versus an electrical problem. This can occur when moving food around in the freezer unit, you accidentally push or pull the control arm up or down. A lot of the time the ice maker might be jammed with something else, possibly a piece of ice. First, look to see if there’s anything blocking this part from operating correctly.

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

Check the Control Arm

If the switch is down and there is ice but it is not ejecting it, this could be a mechanical or electrical failure. This will need some more troubleshooting. Ready to get started? First, we have to check the electrical connection. This could become unplugged from behind the freezer when moving or shifting the food in the freezer.

To inspect this, unplug the refrigerator and move from the wall. Turn off the freezer’s water supply valve. Locate the valve on the back of the inside of the freezer unit. Essentially this is what connects the ice maker into the freezer. Be sure that it is actually plugged in correctly.

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

Once done, restore power to the fridge and turn on the ice maker. It could take the solenoid component a couple of seconds to engage and fill the mold. When the mold is full, wait around 4-5 hours or so to see if you’ve solved the problem.

Check for Frozen Lines

Other ice maker failures that could cause your ice maker to not make any ice are frozen water lines. The water lines have been clogged with frost. This is an easy fix.

Unplug the fridge and find the shut off valve. Shut the water off and grab a hair dryer to heat up the line or let the refrigerator sit shut off for a couple of hours until the water line is thawed.

Some models that feature a water filter that can clog or ice up. In these cases, finding the filter is the first step. Then repeat what was done for the iced line.

If your ice maker is not making large enough pieces of ice, there is an issue with the settings. To adjust the settings, take the top part of the cover off and locate a standard control that displays plus and a minus signs. 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?