Why is My Refrigerator Ice Maker Not Working?

Acclaim Appliance Repair is experienced in refrigerator repair service in Indiana, including professional services to fix ice makers that aren’t working. Learn about some common ice maker issues below:

Refrigerator ice makers are possibly one of the best inventions ever. An ice maker is a little luxury many people certainly not appreciate. Ice makers are relatively simple machines that do not have a lot of complicated components that will have problems.

Like with any appliance repair, there are a few basic things that should be reviewed before assuming the worst. And, it’s nice to know, if necessary, you can replace your ice maker without replacing an entire refrigerator, depending on the brand and 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 ejecting the ice cubes it is usually a mechanical issue opposed to an electrical failure. This happens when shifting things around in the freezer unit, you accidentally push or pull the control arm up or down. A lot of the time the ice maker will get blocked with something else, even another chunk of ice. So, check to see if there’s ice or food blocking this from operating the right way.

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

Check the Control Arm

If the control arm is down and there’s ice but it is not dispensing it, there could be a mechanical or electrical failure. This will require some more troubleshooting. Ready to begin? First, we must check the electrical connection. This could become unplugged from the rear of the freezer when shifting or moving the food in the freezer.

To check this, unplug the fridge and slide it out from the wall. Then, turn off the freezer’s water supply valve. Locate the connection on the back of the inside of the freezer unit. Basically this is what connects the ice maker into the freezer. Be sure that it’s plugged in properly.

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

Once this is done, turn on the power to the refrigerator and turn on the ice maker. It might take the solenoid component a couple of seconds to engage and fill the mold. After the mold is completely full, wait around 4-5 hours to see if you have cleared the problem.

Check for Frozen Lines

Other ice maker failures that might cause your ice maker to not produce ice are frozen water lines. The water lines could be blocked with frost. This is a pretty simple problem to fix.

First, unplug the freezer and locate the water shut off valve. Shut the water off and get a hair dryer to heat up the water line or just let the freezer sit without being on for a couple of hours and wait until the line is thawed.

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

If an ice maker is not making large enough pieces of ice, there is a problem with the ice maker settings. To adjust the the ice maker settings, take the top part of the cover of the ice maker off and locate a basic knob that displays plus and a minus symbols. For this process, 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?