Why is My Refrigerator Ice Maker Not Working?

Stanley Appliance Repair offers refrigerator repair service, including professional services to fix ice makers that aren’t working. Learn about common ice maker failures below:

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

As with any repair, there are basic things that need to be looked at before assuming the worst. And, it’s good to know, if needed, you are able to replace the ice maker without replacing an entire fridge, depending on the model. First, let’s take a look at some of the reasons for an ice maker breaking.

If an ice maker is making ice but it is not dispensing it it is usually a mechanical problem versus an electrical failure. This can occur when shifting food around in the freezer unit, you shift the control lever up or down. Often the ice maker can be jammed with something, even another chunk of ice. So, check to see if there is anything blocking this part from working correctly.

Before beginning the steps of clearing out the freezer, check that the ice maker is on. This is done by pulling the control arm down. Sometimes, moving things around in the freezer unit can put the switch in the off position. If the control arm is free, then there could be something stuck inside of the ice maker or it is not getting a good connection.

Check the Control Arm

If the control arm is down and there is ice but it is not ejecting it, there might be an electrical or mechanical failure. This is going to require a bit more diagnosing. Ready to begin? First, we have to inspect the electrical connection. This could be unplugged from behind the freezer when shifting or moving the freezer contents.

To check this, first unplug the refrigerator and slide from the wall. Turn off the water supply. Locate the valve on the back of the inside of the freezer. Basically this is what plugs the ice maker into the freezer. Be sure that it is actually plugged in the right way.

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

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

Check for Frozen Lines

More 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 a pretty simple issue to fix.

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

Some brands and models that feature a water filter that can freeze or ice up. For these situations, finding the water filter is the first step. Then repeat the same process that was done for the frozen line.

When an ice maker isn’t making big enough pieces of ice, there is an issue with the settings. To adjust the the ice maker settings, take the upper part of the cover off and locate a basic control that has plus and a minus signs. To do this, 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?