Why is My Refrigerator Ice Maker Not Working?

P&G Union Appliance Repair provides refrigerator repair in Union, including professional services to repair broken ice makers. Learn about some common ice maker issues below:

Refrigerator ice makers are perhaps one of the greatest inventions of all time. An ice maker is a little luxury a lot of people not appreciate. Ice makers are simple machines that do not feature a lot of complex components that might cause issues.

Like with any appliance repair, there are a few basic things that need to be reviewed before assuming the worst. And, remember, if necessary, you can replace an ice maker without replacing an entire refrigerator, depending on the brand and model. First, let’s discuss a couple of the causes for an ice maker failure.

If your ice maker is making ice but it is not ejecting it it is usually a mechanical issue vs. an electrical failure. This happens when shifting things around in the freezer, you could push or pull the control lever up or down. Often the ice maker can be blocked with something, even another chunk of ice. So, look to see if there’s something blocking this from operating correctly.

Before starting the process of clearing out the freezer, be sure the ice maker is on. This can be done by flipping the control arm down. From time to time, moving food around in the freezer unit can put the switch into the off position. If the control arm is clear, then there could be ice stuck inside of the ice maker or it is not getting a good connection.

Check the Control Arm

If the control arm is down and there is ice but it’s not ejecting it, there could be a mechanical or electrical problem. This will require some more diagnosing. Ready to begin? First, we need to inspect the electrical connection. This can be unplugged from the rear of the freezer when shifting or moving the freezer contents.

To inspect this, first unplug the freezer and move it out away from the kitchen wall. Then, turn off the water supply. Locate the valve on the back of the inside of the freezer. Essentially this is what connects the ice maker into the freezer. Be sure that it is plugged in correctly.

After that, remove any ice that’s in the ice maker itself. This can be completed by pouring in a little water to help to get the ice that is inside of there out.

Once done, turn on the power to the refrigerator and turn on the ice maker. It may take the solenoid component a few seconds to engage and fill the mold. After the mold is completely full, wait 4-5 hours to see if you’ve solved the problem.

Check for Frozen Lines

More ice maker issues that might cause your ice maker to not make any ice are frozen water lines. The water lines have been blocked with frost. This is a pretty simple problem to fix.

Unplug the freezer and find the shut off valve. Turn the water off and then grab a hair dryer to warm the line or just let the freezer sit turned off for a couple of hours and wait until the line is thawed.

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

When your ice maker is not making large enough pieces of ice, there’s an issue with the settings. To adjust the the ice maker settings, take the upper part of the cover of the ice maker off and find a standard control that has 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?