Why is My Refrigerator Ice Maker Not Working?

Elizabeth Appliance Repair performs refrigerator repair in Elizabeth, including services to fix ice makers that aren’t working. Learn about some common ice maker issues below:

Refrigerator ice makers are one of the greatest inventions ever. An ice maker is a small luxury most people might take for granted. Refrigerator ice makers are relatively simple machines that do not feature a lot of complex parts that can go wrong with them.

As with any repair, there are some basic things that should be looked at before thinking the worst. And, it’s nice to know, if needed, you can replace the ice maker without replacing the entire fridge, depending on the model. First, let’s discuss some of the reasons for an ice maker failure.

When your ice maker is making ice but it isn’t ejecting it it is usually means there is a mechanical problem vs. an electrical problem. This can occur when shifting food around in the freezer unit, you could jam the control lever up or down. A lot of the time the ice maker can get blocked with something else, possibly a chunk of ice. So, check to see if there’s something blocking this part from working correctly.

Before beginning the process of clearing out the freezer, ensure the ice maker is turned on. This is done by flipping the metal control arm in the down position. Sometimes, moving things around in the freezer unit might put it in the off position. If the control arm is free, then there could be food or ice stuck inside of the ice maker or it’s not receiving a good connection.

Check the Control Arm

If the control arm is down and there’s ice but it is not ejecting it, this could be a mechanical or electrical failure. This will need some more diagnosing. Ready to get started? First, we must check the electrical connection. This can be unplugged from the back of the freezer when moving or shifting the freezer contents.

To check this, unplug the freezer and slide away from the wall. Turn off the water supply valve. Locate the connection on the rear of the inside of the freezer. Essentially this is what plugs the ice maker into the freezer unit. Ensure that it’s plugged in properly.

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

Once complete, turn on the power to the refrigerator and then turn on the ice maker. It might take the solenoid component a few seconds to react and fill the mold. After the mold is 100% full, wait 4-5 hours to see if you’ve cleared the issue.

Check for Frozen Lines

Other ice maker problems that may cause your ice maker to not make ice are frozen water lines. The water lines have been 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 get a hair dryer to heat up the water line or let the fridge sit shut off for a few hours until the line is thawed.

There are some models that feature a water filter that can freeze or ice over. In these situations, finding the water filter is the first step. Then repeat the same process that was done for the frozen line.

If your ice maker is not making big enough cubes of ice, there is a problem with the settings. To adjust the settings, take the top part of the cover of the ice maker off and locate a simple dial that displays plus and a minus symbols. To do this, you could need a flat head screwdriver.

ADDITIONAL REFRIGERATOR RESOURCES

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