Why is My Refrigerator Ice Maker Not Working?

Blair Appliance Repair is experienced in refrigerator repair service, including professional services to repair ice makers that are not working. Learn about common ice maker issues below:

Ice makers are perhaps one of the greatest inventions ever. This is a small 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 could go wrong with them.

As with any appliance repair, there are a few basic things that should be reviewed before assuming the worst. And, it’s nice to know, if needed, you are able to replace the ice maker without replacing an entire refrigerator, dependent on the brand and model. First, let’s discuss a few of the reasons for an ice maker failure.

If the ice maker is making ice but it is not dispensing it it is usually means there’s a mechanical issue opposed to an electrical failure. This can occur when reorganizing things around in the freezer, you might accidentally jam the control lever up or down. Often the ice maker will get blocked with something, including a chunk of ice. First, look to see if there is anything blocking this part from operating correctly.

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

Check the Control Arm

If the switch is down and there’s ice but it’s not dispensing it, there might be a mechanical or electrical failure. This is going to require a bit more troubleshooting. Ready to proceed? First, we must check the electrical connection. This could become unplugged from the back of the freezer when shifting or moving the freezer contents.

To check this, first unplug the refrigerator and pull it out away from the kitchen wall. Turn off the freezer’s water supply valve. Locate the valve on the back of the inside of the freezer. Essentially this is what plugs the ice maker into the freezer unit. Ensure that it is plugged in the right way.

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

Once this is done, restore power to the refrigerator and turn on the ice maker. It might take the solenoid a few seconds to engage and fill the mold. After the mold is full, wait around 4-5 hours or so to see if you have solved the problem.

Check for Frozen Lines

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

Unplug the refrigerator and locate the shut off valve. Turn the water off and then grab a hair dryer to warm the water line or just let the fridge sit shut off for a few hours until the water line is thawed.

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

When an ice maker isn’t making large enough pieces of ice, there’s a problem 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 locate a standard control that displays plus and a minus signs. For this process, 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?