Why is My Refrigerator Ice Maker Not Working?

Same-Day Skokie Appliance Repair performs refrigerator repair in Skokie, including services to repair broken ice makers. Learn about common ice maker problems below:

Ice makers are possibly one of the best inventions ever. This is a little luxury a lot of people might take for granted. Refrigerator ice makers are relatively simple machines that don’t feature a lot of parts that can have issues.

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

If an ice maker is making ice but it isn’t dispensing it it is usually a mechanical failure versus an electrical problem. This occurs when moving food around in the freezer unit, you accidentally push or pull the control arm up or down. A lot of the time the ice maker might get blocked with something, even another piece of ice. So, look to see if there is anything blocking this part from operating correctly.

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

Check the Control Arm

If the control is down and there is ice but it is not ejecting it, there might be an electrical or mechanical issue. This is going to require a bit more diagnosing. Ready to get started? First, we have to inspect 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 check this, first unplug the fridge and slide away from the kitchen wall. Turn off the water supply valve. Locate the valve on the rear of the inside of the freezer unit. Essentially this is what plugs the ice maker into the freezer unit. Ensure that it is plugged in correctly.

Next, remove any ice that is inside of the ice maker. This can be done by adding a little water to help get the ice that is inside of there out.

Once complete, restore power to the fridge and turn on the ice maker. It might take the solenoid component a couple of seconds to engage and fill the mold. Once the mold is completely full, wait around 4-5 hours to see if you’ve cleared the issue.

Check for Frozen Lines

Other ice maker issues that could cause your ice maker to not produce any ice are frozen lines. The water lines have been blocked with frost. This is a pretty simple fix.

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

There are some models that have a water filter that can freeze or ice over. For these situations, finding the filter is the first step. Then repeat the same process that was done for the frozen 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 top part of the cover off and find a simple control that displays plus and a minus symbols. 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?