Why is My Refrigerator Ice Maker Not Working?

Elite Euless Appliance Repair provides refrigerator repair in Euless, including services to repair ice makers that aren’t working. Learn about some common ice maker failures below:

Refrigerator ice makers are one of the greatest inventions of all time. An ice maker is a little luxury a lot of people certainly take for granted. Refrigerator ice makers are relatively simple machines that don’t feature a lot of complicated components that might go wrong with them.

As with any repair, there are a few basic things that need to be looked at before assuming the worst. And, it’s good to know, if necessary, you are able to replace your ice maker without replacing the entire fridge, dependent on the model. First, let’s review some of the reasons for an ice maker failure.

If the 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 happens when moving things around in the freezer unit, you shift the control arm up or down. Often the ice maker might get jammed with something else, possibly a piece of ice. First, look to see if there’s something blocking this from operating properly.

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

Check the Control Arm

If the switch is down and there is ice but it’s not ejecting it, this might be an electrical or mechanical failure. This will need some more troubleshooting. Ready to proceed? First, we must inspect 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 inspect this, unplug the fridge and pull from the kitchen wall. Turn off the water supply valve. Locate the connection on the back of the inside of the freezer. Basically this is what plugs the ice maker into the freezer. Ensure that it’s plugged in correctly.

Next, remove all of the ice that is in the ice maker. This can be completed by adding a little water to help get the ice that is inside of there out.

Once complete, restore power to the refrigerator and turn on the ice maker. It might take the solenoid component a couple of seconds to react and fill the mold. When the mold is completely full, wait 4-5 hours or so to see if you’ve solved the issue.

Check for Frozen Lines

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

First, unplug the refrigerator and locate the shut off valve. Shut the water off and grab a hair dryer to warm the line or let the freezer sit shut off for a few hours and wait until the line is thawed.

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

If your ice maker is not making big enough cubes of ice, there’s a problem with the settings. To adjust the the ice maker settings, take the upper part of the cover off and locate a basic control that has 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?