Why is My Refrigerator Ice Maker Not Working?

Infinity Appliance Repair provides refrigerator repair in Philadelphia, including professional services to repair ice makers that aren’t working. Learn about some common ice maker problems below:

Refrigerator ice makers are perhaps one of the best inventions ever. An ice maker is a little luxury many people certainly not appreciate. Refrigerator ice makers are simple machines that don’t have a lot of complicated parts that might cause issues.

Like with any appliance repair, there are basic things that should be reviewed before thinking the worst. And, it’s good to know, if necessary, you are able to replace your ice maker without replacing an entire refrigerator, depending on the model. First, let’s review a couple of the causes for an ice maker breaking.

If an ice maker is making ice but it is not dispensing the ice cubes it is usually a mechanical issue versus an electrical problem. This can happen when shifting food around in the freezer unit, you accidentally push or pull the control arm up or down. Often the ice maker might be jammed with something else, possibly a piece of ice. So, check to see if there is ice or food blocking this from operating the right way.

Before starting the process of clearing out the freezer, ensure your ice maker is on. This can be done by moving the metal control arm down. From time to time, moving things around in the freezer may put it in the off position. If the the switch is free, then there may be food or ice jammed inside of 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 is not ejecting it, this could be a mechanical or electrical problem. This will require some more diagnosing. Ready to get started? First, we need to inspect the electrical connection. This can be unplugged from behind the freezer or refrigerator when shifting or moving the food in the freezer.

To inspect this, first unplug the fridge and move away from the wall. Then, turn off the freezer’s water supply. Locate the valve on the rear of the inside of the freezer unit. Basically this is what plugs the ice maker into the freezer unit. Ensure that it’s actually plugged in correctly.

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

Once complete, turn on the power to the fridge and 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 full, wait 4-5 hours or so to see if you’ve solved the issue.

Check for Frozen Lines

Other ice maker failures that might cause your ice maker to not produce ice are frozen water lines. The water lines have been clogged with frost. This is a pretty simple problem to fix.

First, unplug the freezer and locate the shut off valve. Shut the water off and get a hair dryer to warm the water line or just let the fridge sit without being on for a few hours and wait until the water line is thawed.

There are some brands and models that feature a water filter that can clog or ice up. In these situations, locating the water filter is the first step. Then repeat what was done for the iced water line.

If your ice maker isn’t making large enough pieces of ice, there is an issue with the settings. To adjust the settings, take the upper part of the cover of the ice maker off and find a simple control that displays 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?