Why is My Refrigerator Ice Maker Not Working?

Henry’s Appliance Repair is experienced in refrigerator repair service in The Villages, including services to repair ice makers that are not working. Learn about some common ice maker issues below:

Refrigerator ice makers are possibly one of the best inventions ever. An ice maker is a small luxury a lot of people take for granted. Refrigerator ice makers are relatively simple machines that don’t feature a lot of components that can cause problems.

Like with any repair, there are some basic things that should be reviewed before thinking the worst. And, it’s good to know, if needed, you can replace the ice maker without replacing an entire refrigerator, dependent on the brand and model. First, let’s take a look at some of the reasons for an ice maker not working.

When the ice maker is making ice but it is not dispensing the ice cubes it is usually means there is a mechanical failure vs. an electrical issue. This can occur when moving food around in the freezer unit, you accidentally shift the control switch up or down. Most of the time the ice maker might be jammed with something else, including a piece of ice. So, look to see if there’s ice or food blocking this from operating correctly.

Before starting the steps of clearing out the freezer, ensure the ice maker is on. This can be done by moving the metal control arm in the down position. Sometimes, moving food around in the freezer unit may put the switch into the off position. If the control arm is free, then there may be something stuck inside the ice maker or it is not receiving a good connection.

Check the Control Arm

When the control arm is down and there is ice but it is not dispensing it, this could be a mechanical or electrical issue. This is going to 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 fridge and slide away from the wall. Turn off the freezer’s water supply. Locate the connection on the rear of the inside of the freezer unit. Essentially this is what connects the ice maker into the freezer. Be sure that it is plugged in correctly.

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

Once done, restore power to the refrigerator and then turn on the ice maker. It might 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 failures that may cause your ice maker to not produce ice are frozen water lines. The water lines could be clogged with frost. This is a pretty simple issue to fix.

Unplug the freezer and find the shut off valve. Shut the water off and grab a hair dryer to heat up the water line or let the fridge sit without being on for a couple of hours until the water line is thawed.

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

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