Why is My Refrigerator Ice Maker Not Working?

Owens Appliance Repair provides refrigerator repair service, including services to fix broken ice makers. Learn about some common ice maker problems below:

Refrigerator ice makers are perhaps one of the greatest inventions of all time. This is a small luxury most people might take for granted. Refrigerator ice makers are relatively simple machines that do not have a lot of parts that can go wrong with them.

Like with any appliance repair, there are a few basic things that should be reviewed before assuming the worst. And, remember, if necessary, you are able to replace your ice maker without replacing the entire refrigerator, dependent on the brand and model. First, let’s discuss some of the reasons for an ice maker breaking.

If an ice maker is making ice but it is not dispensing it it is usually a mechanical failure opposed to an electrical issue. This can happen when moving food around in the freezer, you might shift the control arm up or down. Often the ice maker might get jammed with something else, even another piece of ice. First, check to see if there is something blocking this part from operating the right way.

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

Check the Control Arm

When the control is down and there’s ice but it’s not dispensing it, this could be an electrical or mechanical issue. This is going to require some more troubleshooting. Ready to proceed? First, we must check the electrical connection. This can be unplugged from the rear of the freezer or refrigerator when moving or shifting the food in the freezer.

To check this, unplug the freezer and pull away from the kitchen wall. Turn off the water supply. Locate the valve 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.

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

Once this is done, turn on the power to the fridge and turn on the ice maker. It might take the solenoid component a couple of seconds to react and fill the mold. Once the mold is 100% full, wait around 4-5 hours to see if you have cleared the issue.

Check for Frozen Lines

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

Unplug the fridge and find the shut off valve. Turn the water off and then get a hair dryer to heat up the line or let the freezer sit without being on for a couple of hours and wait until the line is thawed.

Some models that have a water filter that can clog or ice up. For these situations, locating the water filter is the first step. Then repeat what was done for the iced line.

If an ice maker is not making large enough cubes of ice, there is an issue with the ice maker settings. To adjust the settings, take the top part of the cover off and find a simple control that has plus and a minus symbols. 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?