Why is My Refrigerator Ice Maker Not Working?

Gibbs Appliance Repair performs refrigerator repair service in CITY, including professional services to fix broken ice makers. Learn about common ice maker problems below:

Refrigerator ice makers are perhaps one of the best inventions ever. This is a little luxury a lot of people certainly take for granted. Ice makers are relatively simple machines that don’t feature a lot of complicated parts that might go wrong with them.

Like with any appliance repair, there are basic things that should be reviewed before thinking the worst. And, remember, if needed, you are able to replace the ice maker without replacing the entire fridge, depending on the model. First, let’s discuss a few of the causes for an ice maker breaking.

If the ice maker is making ice but it isn’t ejecting the ice cubes it is usually means there’s a mechanical issue versus an electrical problem. This occurs when shifting food around in the freezer unit, you might accidentally push or pull the control arm up or down. Often the ice maker might get jammed with something else, even another piece of ice. First, look to see if there’s something blocking this part from working the right way.

Before starting the steps of clearing out the freezer, be sure your ice maker is on. This can be done by flipping the control arm down. From time to time, moving things around in the freezer might put it in the off position. If the the switch is clear, then there could be food stuck inside the ice maker or it’s not receiving a good connection.

Check the Control Arm

When the control is down and there is ice but it’s not dispensing it, this might be a mechanical or electrical problem. This is going to require a bit more diagnosing. Ready to begin? First, we have to check the electrical connection. This could be unplugged from behind the freezer or refrigerator when moving or shifting the freezer contents.

To inspect this, unplug the freezer and move from the kitchen wall. Then, turn off the water supply. Locate the valve on the back of the inside of the freezer. Essentially this is what plugs the ice maker into the freezer unit. Ensure that it is plugged in properly.

Then, remove all of the ice that is in the ice maker itself. This can be accomplished by pouring in a small amount of water to help get the ice that is inside of there out.

Once done, turn on the power to the fridge and turn on the ice maker. It might take the solenoid a couple of seconds to engage and fill the mold. When the mold is 100% full, wait around 4-5 hours to see if you’ve cleared the problem.

Check for Frozen Lines

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

First, unplug the refrigerator and find the shut off valve. Turn the water off and get a hair dryer to heat up the water line or just let the refrigerator sit turned off for a couple of hours until the water line is thawed.

Some models that feature a water filter that can clog or ice over. In these cases, finding the filter is the first step. Then repeat what was done for the iced water line.

If your ice maker is not making large enough pieces of ice, there is a problem with the ice maker settings. To adjust the settings, take the top part of the cover off and find a standard control that has plus and a minus symbols. For this process, 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?