Why is My Refrigerator Ice Maker Not Working?

Rogers Appliance Repair provides refrigerator repair service in Alabama, including professional services to fix broken ice makers. Learn about common ice maker failures below:

Refrigerator ice makers are one of the greatest inventions ever. An ice maker is a small luxury a lot of people certainly not appreciate. Ice makers are simple machines that don’t feature a lot of parts that can go wrong with them.

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

When your ice maker is making ice but it is not dispensing it it is usually means there is a mechanical issue versus an electrical problem. This can happen when moving things around in the freezer, you jam the control arm 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 from operating properly.

Before beginning the process of clearing out the freezer, ensure your ice maker is on. This is done by pulling the control arm down. From time to time, moving things around in the freezer unit might put the control in the off position. If the the switch is clear, then there could be ice jammed inside the ice maker or it is not receiving a good connection.

Check the Control Arm

If the control arm is down and there’s ice but it is not dispensing it, there might be an electrical or mechanical problem. This is going to need a bit more troubleshooting. Ready to begin? First, we need to check the electrical connection. This can be unplugged from behind the freezer when moving or shifting the freezer contents.

To check this, unplug the freezer and pull away from the kitchen wall. Then, turn off the freezer’s water supply valve. Locate the connection on the back of the inside of the freezer unit. Essentially this is what connects the ice maker into the freezer. Ensure that it is actually plugged in the right way.

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

Once this is done, restore power to the refrigerator and turn on the ice maker. It may take the solenoid a couple of seconds to react and fill the mold. When the mold is 100% full, wait around 4-5 hours or so to see if you have cleared the problem.

Check for Frozen Lines

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

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

There are some brands and models that have a water filter that can freeze or ice over. In these situations, locating the filter is the first step. Then repeat what was done for the frozen line.

If your ice maker isn’t making big enough cubes 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 off and locate a standard knob that displays plus and a minus symbols. 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?