Why is My Refrigerator Ice Maker Not Working?

All-Pro Appliance Repair provides refrigerator repair in Yonkers, including professional services to repair ice makers that aren’t working. Learn about some common ice maker problems below:

Refrigerator ice makers are perhaps one of the most convenient inventions of all time. An ice maker is a little luxury most people certainly take for granted. Refrigerator ice makers are simple machines that do not have a lot of complicated parts that will go wrong with them.

Like with any repair, there are some basic things that need to be looked at before thinking the worst. And, it’s nice to know, if necessary, you are able to replace your ice maker without replacing the entire refrigerator, dependent on the model. First, let’s discuss some of the reasons for an ice maker not working.

If your ice maker is making ice but it is not dispensing the ice it is usually a mechanical failure vs. an electrical problem. This happens when reorganizing things around in the freezer, you accidentally shift the control lever up or down. Often the ice maker will be jammed with something, even another piece of ice. So, look to see if there’s ice or food blocking this from working the right way.

Before starting the process of clearing out the freezer, check that your ice maker is on. This is done by pulling the control arm in the down position. From time to time, moving things around in the freezer unit might put it into the off position. If the control arm is clear, then there may be food or ice stuck inside of the ice maker or it is not getting a good connection.

Check the Control Arm

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

To check this, unplug the fridge and pull it out away from the kitchen wall. Turn off the water supply. Locate the connection on the back of the inside of the freezer. Essentially this is what plugs the ice maker into the freezer unit. Be sure that it’s plugged in the right way.

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

Once this is done, turn on the power to the fridge and then turn on the ice maker. It may take the solenoid a few seconds to engage and fill the mold. After the mold is 100% full, wait around 4-5 hours or so to see if you have cleared the problem.

Check for Frozen Lines

Other ice maker issues that will cause your ice maker to not make ice are frozen water lines. The water lines have been clogged with frost. This is an easy fix.

First, unplug the refrigerator and find the water shut off valve. Shut the water off and get a hair dryer to warm the water line or let the fridge sit turned off for a few hours until the water line is thawed.

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

When an ice maker isn’t making large enough cubes of ice, there’s a problem with the ice maker settings. To adjust the settings, take the top part of the cover off and locate a simple knob that displays plus and a minus symbols. For this process, you may need a flat head screwdriver.

ADDITIONAL REFRIGERATOR RESOURCES

• Refrigerator Noisy
• Refrigerator Water Dispenser Not Working
• Refrigerator Not Cooling
• How Does a Refrigerator Work?