Why is My Refrigerator Ice Maker Not Working?

Lawson’s Appliance Repair offers refrigerator repair service in CITY, including services to repair broken ice makers. Learn about common ice maker issues below:

Ice makers are perhaps one of the most convenient inventions ever. This is a small luxury a lot of people certainly not appreciate. Refrigerator ice makers are relatively simple machines that don’t feature a lot of complicated components that could cause problems.

Like with any repair, there are basic things that should be reviewed 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 discuss a couple of the causes for an ice maker breaking.

When the ice maker is making ice but it isn’t ejecting it it is usually a mechanical failure opposed to an electrical issue. This can happen when reorganizing food around in the freezer unit, you push or pull the control lever up or down. A lot of the time the ice maker will be jammed with something else, even another chunk of ice. First, look to see if there is something blocking this part from operating properly.

Before starting 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 food around in the freezer may put the switch into the off position. If the the switch is clear, then there might be something jammed inside of the ice maker or it’s not receiving a good connection.

Check the Control Arm

When the switch is down and there is ice but it’s not ejecting it, this could be a mechanical or electrical failure. This will require some more troubleshooting. Ready to begin? First, we have to check the electrical connection. This could become unplugged from the back of the freezer when shifting or moving the food in the freezer.

To inspect this, unplug the fridge and pull it out away from the wall. Then, turn off the water supply. Locate the connection on the rear of the inside of the freezer unit. Essentially this is what connects the ice maker into the freezer unit. Be sure that it is actually plugged in the right way.

Next, remove all of the ice that’s in the ice maker itself. This can be accomplished by pouring in a little water to help to get the ice that’s inside of there out.

Once done, restore 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. After the mold is full, wait 4-5 hours to see if you have cleared the problem.

Check for Frozen Lines

More ice maker failures that will cause your ice maker to not make ice are frozen water lines. The water lines could be blocked with frost. This is an easy problem to fix.

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

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

If your ice maker is not making large enough cubes of ice, there is a problem with the settings. To adjust the settings, take the top part of the cover of the ice maker off and locate a standard dial that displays plus and a minus signs. To do this, you might need a flat head screwdriver.

ADDITIONAL REFRIGERATOR RESOURCES

• Refrigerator Noisy
• Refrigerator Water Dispenser Not Working
• Refrigerator Not Cooling
• How Does a Refrigerator Work?