Why is My Refrigerator Ice Maker Not Working?

E&L Coral Gables Appliance Repair offers refrigerator repair service in Florida, including services to repair broken ice makers. Learn about some common ice maker failures below:

Ice makers are perhaps one of the best inventions of all time. An ice maker is a little luxury most people might take for granted. Refrigerator ice makers are relatively simple machines that do not have a lot of complicated parts that will cause problems.

As with any repair, there are some basic things that should be reviewed before assuming the worst. And, remember, if needed, you can replace the ice maker without replacing the entire fridge, depending on the brand and model. First, let’s take a look at a few of the reasons for an ice maker breaking.

If an ice maker is making ice but it is not ejecting it it is usually means there is a mechanical issue opposed to an electrical problem. This can happen when moving things around in the freezer, you might accidentally jam the control lever up or down. Often the ice maker can be jammed with something, even another chunk of ice. So, check to see if there’s something blocking this part from working properly.

Before starting the steps of clearing out the freezer, check that your ice maker is turned on. This is done by flipping the control arm in the down position. From time to time, moving things around in the freezer might put the switch into the off position. If the control arm is clear, then there could be ice jammed inside 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 will require a bit more troubleshooting. Ready to proceed? First, we must check the electrical connection. This could be unplugged from the rear of the freezer when shifting or moving the food in the freezer.

To inspect this, first unplug the fridge and pull it out away from the wall. Then, turn off the freezer’s water supply. Locate the valve on the back of the inside of the freezer. Basically this is what connects the ice maker into the freezer. Ensure that it is plugged in properly.

Next, remove any ice that is in the ice maker itself. This can be accomplished by adding a little water to help to get any ice that’s inside of there out.

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

Check for Frozen Lines

Other ice maker failures that will cause your ice maker to not make any ice are frozen lines. The water lines have been blocked with frost. This is a pretty simple fix.

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

There are some brands and models that feature a water filter that can freeze or ice up. In these cases, finding the water filter is the first step. Then repeat what was done for the iced line.

When your ice maker is not making large enough pieces of ice, there is an issue with the ice maker settings. To adjust the the ice maker settings, take the top part of the cover of the ice maker off and find a basic dial that displays plus and a minus signs. For this process, 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?