Why is My Refrigerator Ice Maker Not Working?

Express Irvine Appliance Repair offers refrigerator repair in Irvine, including professional services to repair ice makers that are not working. Learn about some common ice maker failures below:

Ice makers are perhaps one of the best inventions of all time. An ice maker is a small luxury most people certainly take for granted. Ice makers are simple machines that don’t have a lot of complex components that might have issues.

Like with any appliance repair, there are basic things that should be looked at before assuming the worst. And, remember, if needed, you can replace your ice maker without replacing an entire fridge, depending on the model. First, let’s review some of the reasons for an ice maker not working.

If the ice maker is making ice but it is not dispensing it it is usually means there’s a mechanical problem vs. an electrical problem. This can happen when moving food around in the freezer unit, you could jam the control lever up or down. Often the ice maker can get blocked with something, possibly a piece of ice. First, check to see if there’s anything blocking this part from operating the right way.

Before beginning the process of clearing out the freezer, ensure the ice maker is turned on. This can be done by pulling the control arm in the down position. From time to time, moving food around in the freezer can put it in the off position. If the the switch is clear, then there might be food stuck inside the ice maker or it is not receiving a good connection.

Check the Control Arm

When the switch is down and there is ice but it’s not ejecting it, this might be a mechanical or electrical problem. This will need some more troubleshooting. Ready to begin? 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 inspect this, unplug the fridge and slide away from the wall. Then, turn off the freezer’s 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 unit. Ensure that it is actually plugged in the right way.

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

Once done, restore power to the refrigerator and then turn on the ice maker. It may take the solenoid component a couple of seconds to react and fill the mold. Once 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 problems that could cause your ice maker to not make any ice are frozen water lines. The water lines could be clogged with frost. This is a pretty simple fix.

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

Some brands and models that feature a water filter that can clog or ice over. In these situations, finding the filter is the first step. Then repeat what was done for the frozen line.

If your ice maker isn’t making large enough pieces of ice, there’s a problem with the settings. To adjust the settings, take the top part of the cover off and find a simple knob that has 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?