Why is My Refrigerator Ice Maker Not Working?

broken refrigerator ice maker

Gold Appliance Repair offers refrigerator repair in Pearland, including professional services to fix broken ice makers. Learn about common ice maker issues below:

Ice makers are possibly one of the greatest inventions of all time. This is a small luxury a lot of people might take for granted. Ice makers are relatively simple machines that do not feature a lot of components that will cause problems.

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

When the ice maker is making ice but it is not dispensing the ice it is usually a mechanical failure vs. an electrical issue. This happens when moving things around in the freezer, you might accidentally shift the control arm up or down. Often the ice maker will be jammed with something else, including a piece of ice. So, look to see if there is anything blocking this from operating correctly.

Before beginning the process of clearing out the freezer, check that the ice maker is on. This is done by moving the metal control arm down. From time to time, moving food around in the freezer unit might put it into the off position. If the the switch is free, then there might be food jammed inside of the ice maker or it’s not getting a good connection.

Check the Control Arm

When the control is down and there is ice but it is not ejecting it, there could be an electrical or mechanical failure. This is going to need a bit more troubleshooting. Ready to begin? First, we must inspect the electrical connection. This can become unplugged from the rear of the freezer or refrigerator when moving or shifting the freezer contents.

To check this, first unplug the fridge and slide it out from the wall. Turn off the water supply. Locate the valve on the back of the inside of the freezer. Essentially this is what plugs the ice maker into the freezer. Ensure that it’s plugged in correctly.

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

Once done, restore power to the refrigerator and then turn on the ice maker. It might take the solenoid component a few seconds to engage and fill the mold. Once the mold is 100% full, wait 4-5 hours or so to see if you’ve solved the issue.

Check for Frozen Lines

More ice maker problems that will 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 problem to fix.

First, unplug the freezer and locate the water shut off valve. Shut the water off and then grab a hair dryer to warm the line or just let the refrigerator sit without being on for a few hours and wait until the line is thawed.

There are some brands and models that feature a water filter that can clog or ice up. For these situations, finding the water filter is the first step. Then repeat what was done for the frozen line.

If an ice maker is not making big enough cubes of ice, there is an issue with the settings. To adjust the settings, take the top part of the cover of the ice maker off and find a standard dial that has plus and a minus signs. To do this, you may need a flat head screwdriver.

ADDITIONAL REFRIGERATOR RESOURCES

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