Why is My Refrigerator Ice Maker Not Working?

Fox Appliance Repair offers refrigerator repair service in Pueblo, including services to fix ice makers that are not working. Learn about some common ice maker problems below:

Refrigerator ice makers are perhaps one of the most convenient inventions ever. This is a little luxury a lot of people might not appreciate. Refrigerator ice makers are simple machines that don’t have a lot of components that will go wrong with them.

As with any appliance repair, there are some basic things that should be reviewed before assuming the worst. And, remember, if needed, you are able to replace an ice maker without replacing the entire refrigerator, dependent on the model. First, let’s take a look at a couple of the causes for an ice maker failure.

When your ice maker is making ice but it is not dispensing it it is usually means there’s a mechanical problem opposed to an electrical problem. This occurs when shifting things around in the freezer unit, you could jam the control lever up or down. Most of the time the ice maker will be blocked with something, including a chunk of ice. First, look to see if there is something blocking this from operating correctly.

Before beginning the process of clearing out the freezer, ensure the ice maker is on. This can be done by moving the control arm down. Sometimes, moving things around in the freezer may put the control into the off position. If the control arm is clear, then there might be ice jammed inside of 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’s not ejecting it, there might be a mechanical or electrical failure. This will require some more diagnosing. Ready to begin? First, we must inspect the electrical connection. This could become unplugged from the rear of the freezer or refrigerator when shifting or moving the freezer contents.

To check this, unplug the fridge and pull it out from the kitchen wall. Then, turn off the water supply valve. Locate the valve on the back of the inside of the freezer. Essentially this is what connects the ice maker into the freezer unit. Be sure that it is actually plugged in correctly.

After that, remove all of the ice that’s inside of the ice maker itself. This can be done by pouring in a little water to help to get any ice that’s in there out.

Once complete, turn on the power to the refrigerator and then turn on the ice maker. It might take the solenoid component a few seconds to engage and fill the mold. After the mold is 100% full, wait around 4-5 hours to see if you have cleared the issue.

Check for Frozen Lines

Other ice maker failures that can cause your ice maker to not make any ice are frozen water lines. The water lines might be blocked with frost. This is an easy issue to fix.

Unplug the fridge and locate the water shut off valve. Shut the water off and get a hair dryer to warm the line or let the freezer sit shut off 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 up. In these situations, finding the filter is the first step. Then repeat what was done for the iced line.

When an ice maker isn’t making large enough pieces of ice, there is a problem with the ice maker settings. To adjust the settings, take the top part of the cover of the ice maker off and find a standard knob 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?