Why is My Refrigerator Ice Maker Not Working?

Able Reading Appliance Repair performs refrigerator repair in Reading, including services to repair ice makers that are not working. Learn about common ice maker issues below:

Refrigerator ice makers are one of the greatest inventions of all time. An ice maker is a small luxury most people certainly take for granted. Refrigerator ice makers are simple machines that don’t have a lot of complex parts that will cause problems.

As with any repair, there are a few basic things that need to be looked at before assuming the worst. And, it’s good to know, if necessary, you are able to replace an ice maker without replacing an entire refrigerator, dependent on the brand and model. First, let’s take a look at a couple of the reasons for an ice maker not working.

When the ice maker is making ice but it is not dispensing it it is usually a mechanical issue opposed to an electrical issue. This occurs when shifting things around in the freezer, you could push or pull the control switch up or down. A lot of the time the ice maker might be blocked with something else, possibly a piece of ice. First, check to see if there is anything blocking this 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 flipping the metal control arm down. From time to time, moving food around in the freezer unit can put it into the off position. If the the switch is clear, then there may be food or ice jammed inside of the ice maker or it’s not getting a good connection.

Check the Control Arm

When the control arm is down and there’s ice but it is not dispensing it, there could be a mechanical or electrical issue. This is going to need a bit more diagnosing. Ready to proceed? First, we need to check the electrical connection. This could be unplugged from behind the freezer or refrigerator when shifting or moving the freezer contents.

To check this, first unplug the fridge and slide away from the wall. Then, turn off the freezer’s water supply. Locate the valve on the rear of the inside of the freezer unit. Essentially this is what connects the ice maker into the freezer. Be sure that it’s plugged in the right way.

After that, remove all of the ice that is inside of the ice maker. This can be done by adding a bit of water to help to get ice that’s inside of there out.

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

Check for Frozen Lines

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

First, unplug the refrigerator and locate the water shut off valve. Turn the water off and then grab a hair dryer to warm the line or let the refrigerator sit without being on for a few hours and wait until the water line is thawed.

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

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