Why is My Refrigerator Ice Maker Not Working?

Speedy Appliance Repair provides refrigerator repair service, including services to fix ice makers that are not working. Learn about some common ice maker issues below:

Refrigerator ice makers are one of the greatest inventions of all time. An ice maker is a small luxury a lot of people not appreciate. Ice makers are simple machines that do not have a lot of complicated parts that might have issues.

Like 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 the ice maker without replacing the entire fridge, depending on the brand and model. First, let’s review a few of the causes for an ice maker not working.

If the ice maker is making ice but it is not ejecting the ice it is usually means there’s a mechanical failure vs. an electrical problem. This happens when shifting things around in the freezer, you accidentally jam the control switch up or down. Often the ice maker might be jammed with something, including a piece of ice. So, look to see if there’s something blocking this from operating the right way.

Before starting the steps of clearing out the freezer, ensure the ice maker is turned on. This is done by moving the metal control arm in the down position. From time to time, moving food around in the freezer unit may put the control into the off position. If the the switch is free, then there may be something jammed inside of the ice maker or it’s not getting a good connection.

Check the Control Arm

When the switch is down and there is ice but it’s not ejecting it, this could be an electrical or mechanical issue. This will require a bit more diagnosing. Ready to get started? First, we need to check the electrical connection. This could become unplugged from the rear of the freezer or refrigerator when moving or shifting the food in the freezer.

To check this, unplug the refrigerator and move away from the kitchen wall. Turn off the freezer’s water supply. Locate the connection on the rear of the inside of the freezer unit. Basically this is what connects the ice maker into the freezer. Be sure that it’s plugged in the right way.

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

Once done, restore power to the refrigerator and then turn on the ice maker. It may take the solenoid a couple of seconds to react and fill the mold. When the mold is 100% full, wait around 4-5 hours or so to see if you’ve solved the problem.

Check for Frozen Lines

More ice maker problems that may cause your ice maker to not produce ice are frozen water lines. The water lines might be blocked with frost. This is a pretty simple fix.

Unplug the refrigerator and find the water shut off valve. Shut the water off and get a hair dryer to warm the line or just let the fridge sit without being on for a few hours until the water line is thawed.

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

If an ice maker isn’t making large enough pieces of ice, there is a problem 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 has 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?