Why is My Refrigerator Ice Maker Not Working?

Total Toledo Appliance Repair offers refrigerator repair in Toledo, including professional services to repair broken ice makers. Learn about some common ice maker issues below:

Ice makers are one of the most convenient inventions of all time. An ice maker is a little luxury a lot of people not appreciate. Ice makers are relatively simple machines that don’t have a lot of complicated components that will have issues.

Like with any repair, there are some basic things that should be reviewed before assuming the worst. And, it’s good to know, if needed, you are able to replace the ice maker without replacing the entire fridge, depending on the brand and model. First, let’s discuss a few of the reasons for an ice maker not working.

When the ice maker is making ice but it isn’t ejecting the ice cubes it is usually means there is a mechanical problem versus an electrical failure. This happens when shifting things around in the freezer, you accidentally push or pull the control lever up or down. Often the ice maker might be blocked with something, even another chunk of ice. First, check to see if there is something blocking this part from working properly.

Before starting the process of clearing out the freezer, ensure the ice maker is turned on. This is done by moving the metal control arm down. Sometimes, moving food around in the freezer can put the control into the off position. If the the switch is clear, then there might be ice stuck inside of the ice maker or it’s not receiving a good connection.

Check the Control Arm

When the switch is down and there’s ice but it’s not dispensing it, there might be an electrical or mechanical failure. This is going to need a bit more troubleshooting. Ready to proceed? First, we need to check the electrical connection. This could become unplugged from the back of the freezer or refrigerator when shifting or moving the freezer contents.

To inspect this, unplug the freezer and pull away from the wall. Turn off the freezer’s water supply valve. Locate the valve 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’s plugged in correctly.

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

Once done, turn on the power to the fridge and turn on the ice maker. It may take the solenoid a few seconds to react and fill the mold. After the mold is 100% full, wait around 4-5 hours to see if you’ve solved the issue.

Check for Frozen Lines

Other ice maker issues that might cause your ice maker to not make ice are frozen lines. The water lines have been clogged with frost. This is an easy issue to fix.

Unplug the refrigerator and locate the water shut off valve. Shut the water off and grab a hair dryer to heat up the water line or just let the refrigerator sit shut off for a few hours and wait until the water line is thawed.

Some models that have a water filter that can clog or ice up. For these cases, locating the water filter is the first step. Then repeat the same process that was done for the frozen line.

If an ice maker isn’t making big enough cubes of ice, there is an issue 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 find a simple knob that has plus and a minus signs. For this process, 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?