Why is My Refrigerator Ice Maker Not Working?

Accolade Appliance Repair provides refrigerator repair service, including services to repair ice makers that aren’t working. Learn about some common ice maker problems below:

Ice makers are perhaps one of the most convenient inventions of all time. This is a little luxury many people certainly take for granted. Refrigerator ice makers are relatively simple machines that do not have 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 reviewed before assuming the worst. And, remember, if needed, you can replace an ice maker without replacing the entire fridge, depending on the model. First, let’s review a few of the reasons for an ice maker failure.

If your ice maker is making ice but it isn’t dispensing it it is usually a mechanical failure vs. an electrical problem. This happens when reorganizing things around in the freezer, you could accidentally push or pull the control lever up or down. Often the ice maker might be jammed with something else, including a chunk of ice. So, check to see if there is ice or food blocking this from operating correctly.

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

Check the Control Arm

When the switch is down and there’s ice but it’s not ejecting it, this could be a mechanical or electrical failure. This is going to need some more diagnosing. Ready to begin? First, we must check the electrical connection. This could be unplugged from the back of the freezer when shifting or moving the food in the freezer.

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

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

Once complete, turn on the power to the refrigerator and then turn on the ice maker. It may take the solenoid a few seconds to react and fill the mold. After the mold is completely full, wait 4-5 hours or so to see if you have solved the issue.

Check for Frozen Lines

Other ice maker issues that could cause your ice maker to not make ice are frozen water lines. The water lines could be blocked with frost. This is an easy issue to fix.

First, 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 just let the refrigerator sit shut off for a few hours until the water line is thawed.

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

When an ice maker is not making large enough pieces 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 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?