Why is My Refrigerator Ice Maker Not Working?

Valor Appliance Repair provides refrigerator repair in Grapevine, including services to repair ice makers that are not working. Learn about common ice maker problems below:

Ice makers are possibly one of the greatest inventions of all time. This is a small luxury most people not appreciate. Ice makers are relatively simple machines that do not feature a lot of components that can have problems.

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 the ice maker without replacing an entire fridge, dependent on the model. First, let’s review some of the reasons for an ice maker not working.

If an ice maker is making ice but it isn’t dispensing it it is usually means there’s a mechanical issue versus an electrical problem. This happens when reorganizing food around in the freezer, you could push or pull the control arm up or down. Often the ice maker can be jammed with something, including a chunk of ice. First, look to see if there’s something blocking this from working correctly.

Before starting the steps of clearing out the freezer, check that your ice maker is turned on. This is done by pulling the metal control arm in the down position. Sometimes, moving food around in the freezer unit can put the control in the off position. If the control arm is clear, then there might be food jammed inside the ice maker or it’s not receiving a good connection.

Check the Control Arm

If the control is down and there’s ice but it is not ejecting it, this might be an electrical or mechanical issue. This will require a bit more troubleshooting. Ready to get started? First, we need to check the electrical connection. This could be unplugged from behind the freezer when shifting or moving the freezer contents.

To check this, first unplug the freezer and move it out away from the kitchen wall. Turn off the freezer’s water supply. Locate the valve on the back of the inside of the freezer unit. Essentially this is what connects the ice maker into the freezer unit. Be sure that it’s plugged in properly.

Next, remove any ice that is inside of the ice maker. This can be completed by pouring in a small amount of water to help to get ice that is in there out.

Once complete, restore power to the refrigerator and then turn on the ice maker. It could take the solenoid component a couple of seconds to react and fill the mold. Once the mold is completely full, wait 4-5 hours to see if you have solved the issue.

Check for Frozen Lines

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

First, unplug the freezer and locate the water shut off valve. Turn the water off and get a hair dryer to heat up the line or just let the fridge sit shut off for a few hours until the water line is thawed.

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

If your ice maker isn’t making big enough pieces of ice, there’s an issue with the ice maker settings. To adjust the the ice maker settings, take the top part of the cover off and locate a standard dial that has plus and a minus signs. For this process, 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?