Why is My Refrigerator Ice Maker Not Working?

Patriot Appliance Repair provides refrigerator repair in Old Bridge, including professional services to fix broken ice makers. Learn about common ice maker failures below:

Refrigerator ice makers are possibly one of the greatest inventions of all time. This is a small luxury most people certainly take for granted. Ice makers are relatively simple machines that don’t have a lot of complicated parts that can cause problems.

Like with any repair, there are basic things that should be reviewed before thinking the worst. And, it’s nice to know, if necessary, you are able to replace the ice maker without replacing the entire fridge, dependent on the model. First, let’s take a look at a few of the reasons for an ice maker breaking.

If an ice maker is making ice but it isn’t ejecting it it is usually a mechanical problem versus an electrical failure. This can happen when moving things around in the freezer, you accidentally jam the control arm up or down. A lot of the time the ice maker might get blocked with something, including a piece of ice. First, check to see if there is something blocking this part from working the right way.

Before starting the steps of clearing out the freezer, be sure your ice maker is on. This is done by moving the metal control arm in the down position. Sometimes, moving food around in the freezer may put the switch into the off position. If the the switch is free, then there might be food or ice jammed inside of the ice maker or it’s 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, this might be a mechanical or electrical issue. This will require a bit more troubleshooting. Ready to begin? First, we must check the electrical connection. This can become unplugged from behind the freezer or refrigerator when moving or shifting the freezer contents.

To check this, first unplug the fridge and move it out away from the wall. Then, turn off the water supply. Locate the connection on the rear of the inside of the freezer. Basically this is what plugs the ice maker into the freezer. Ensure that it is actually plugged in correctly.

Next, remove all of the ice that’s inside of the ice maker itself. This can be accomplished by pouring in a small amount of 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 react and fill the mold. When the mold is 100% full, wait around 4-5 hours to see if you’ve solved the problem.

Check for Frozen Lines

More ice maker problems that might cause your ice maker to not produce any ice are frozen lines. The water lines have been clogged with frost. This is a pretty simple problem to fix.

Unplug the fridge and locate the water shut off valve. Turn the water off and then grab a hair dryer to warm the line or just let the freezer sit without being on for a few hours and wait until the water line is thawed.

Some brands and models that have a water filter that can freeze or ice over. In these situations, finding the filter is the first step. Then repeat what was done for the iced water line.

If your ice maker isn’t making big enough pieces of ice, there is an issue with the settings. To adjust the settings, take the upper part of the cover off and find a simple knob 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?