Why is My Refrigerator Ice Maker Not Working?

Keen Appliance Repair provides refrigerator repair in Baytown, including professional services to repair ice makers that are not working. Learn about common ice maker failures below:

Ice makers are one of the most convenient inventions ever. This is a little luxury most people certainly not appreciate. Refrigerator ice makers are relatively simple machines that don’t feature a lot of components that might have problems.

As with any repair, there are basic things that need to be reviewed before thinking the worst. And, remember, if necessary, you can replace an ice maker without replacing an entire fridge, depending on the brand and model. First, let’s review some of the reasons for an ice maker failure.

If your ice maker is making ice but it is not ejecting it it is usually means there is a mechanical issue opposed to an electrical failure. This can happen when moving things around in the freezer unit, you accidentally jam the control arm up or down. Often the ice maker might be jammed with something, even another chunk of ice. First, check to see if there’s something blocking this part from operating properly.

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

Check the Control Arm

If the switch is down and there is ice but it’s not dispensing it, there could be a mechanical or electrical problem. This will require a bit more diagnosing. Ready to begin? First, we must check the electrical connection. This could be unplugged from the rear of the freezer or refrigerator when shifting or moving the food in the freezer.

To inspect this, unplug the fridge and move away from the kitchen wall. Turn off the water supply. Locate the valve on the rear of the inside of the freezer unit. Basically this is what connects the ice maker into the freezer unit. Ensure that it’s actually plugged in properly.

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

Once this is done, 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 full, wait 4-5 hours or so to see if you’ve cleared the problem.

Check for Frozen Lines

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

Unplug the fridge and find the water shut off valve. Turn the water off and then get a hair dryer to heat up the water line or let the refrigerator sit without being on 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 cases, finding the filter is the first step. Then repeat what was done for the iced water line.

When your ice maker is not making large enough cubes of ice, there is an issue with the settings. To adjust the the ice maker settings, take the upper part of the cover off and locate a basic dial that displays plus and a minus signs. 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?