Why is My Refrigerator Ice Maker Not Working?

Prime Henderson Appliance Repair performs refrigerator repair in Henderson, including services to fix broken ice makers. Learn about some common ice maker problems below:

Ice makers are perhaps one of the best inventions ever. An ice maker is a small luxury a lot of people certainly take for granted. Ice makers are relatively simple machines that do not feature a lot of complex components that might have problems.

Like with any appliance repair, there are some basic things that need to be reviewed before thinking the worst. And, remember, if necessary, you can replace your ice maker without replacing an entire fridge, depending on the model. First, let’s take a look at a few of the causes for an ice maker breaking.

If an ice maker is making ice but it is not dispensing it it is usually a mechanical issue vs. an electrical failure. This can happen when moving things around in the freezer unit, you could accidentally shift the control switch up or down. A lot of the time the ice maker will get blocked with something, possibly a piece of ice. First, look to see if there’s something blocking this from operating correctly.

Before beginning the process of clearing out the freezer, check that the ice maker is on. This is done by pulling the metal control arm down. From time to time, moving things around in the freezer unit may put it into the off position. If the the switch is free, then there may be something jammed inside the ice maker or it is not getting a good connection.

Check the Control Arm

When the switch is down and there’s ice but it’s not ejecting it, there might be a mechanical or electrical failure. This will need a bit more diagnosing. Ready to begin? First, we must check the electrical connection. This could become unplugged from the rear of the freezer when moving or shifting the food in the freezer.

To inspect this, first unplug the fridge and move it out from the kitchen wall. Then, turn off the freezer’s water supply valve. Locate the connection 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 actually plugged in the right way.

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

Once this is done, restore power to the refrigerator and then turn on the ice maker. It may take the solenoid component a couple of seconds to engage and fill the mold. Once the mold is completely full, wait around 4-5 hours or so to see if you’ve cleared the issue.

Check for Frozen Lines

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

Unplug the fridge and find the shut off valve. Shut the water off and grab a hair dryer to warm the water line or let the refrigerator sit without being on for a few hours and wait until the line is thawed.

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

When your ice maker is not making big enough pieces of ice, there is an issue with the ice maker settings. To adjust the settings, take the top part of the cover off and find a simple knob that has 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?