Why is My Refrigerator Ice Maker Not Working?

P.D.Q. Cicero Appliance Repair performs refrigerator repair in Cicero, including professional 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 most people certainly take for granted. Ice makers are simple machines that do not feature a lot of complex parts that could cause problems.

Like with any repair, there are basic things that need to be looked at before thinking the worst. And, remember, if necessary, you are able to replace the ice maker without replacing the entire refrigerator, depending on the model. First, let’s review a few of the reasons for an ice maker breaking.

If the ice maker is making ice but it is not dispensing it it is usually means there is a mechanical issue vs. an electrical problem. This happens when reorganizing things around in the freezer unit, you might accidentally push or pull the control lever up or down. Most of the time the ice maker will get jammed with something else, possibly a chunk of ice. So, check to see if there is ice or food blocking this part from working properly.

Before starting the steps of clearing out the freezer, ensure the ice maker is on. This is done by pulling the metal control arm in the down position. From time to time, moving things around in the freezer unit may put the switch in the off position. If the the switch is free, then there could be food or ice stuck 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 is not ejecting it, there could be a mechanical or electrical failure. This is going to require a bit more troubleshooting. Ready to proceed? First, we must check the electrical connection. This could become unplugged from behind the freezer or refrigerator when moving or shifting the food in the freezer.

To check this, first unplug the freezer and pull it out from the wall. Turn off the water supply. Locate the valve on the back of the inside of the freezer unit. Essentially this is what plugs the ice maker into the freezer unit. Ensure that it is actually plugged in the right way.

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

Once this is done, restore power to the fridge and turn on the ice maker. It could take the solenoid component a couple of seconds to react and fill the mold. After the mold is full, wait 4-5 hours or so to see if you’ve solved the issue.

Check for Frozen Lines

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

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

There are some models that feature a water filter that can clog or ice over. For these situations, locating the filter is the first step. Then repeat what was done for the frozen water line.

When your ice maker isn’t making large enough cubes of ice, there’s an issue with the settings. To adjust the the ice maker settings, take the top part of the cover of the ice maker off and locate a simple knob 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?