Why is My Refrigerator Ice Maker Not Working?

Moore Appliance Repair is experienced in refrigerator repair service in California, including services to repair ice makers that aren’t working. Learn about common ice maker failures below:

Refrigerator ice makers are one of the greatest inventions of all time. This is a little luxury a lot of people certainly not appreciate. Refrigerator ice makers are relatively simple machines that do not feature a lot of complicated parts that could cause problems.

Like with any repair, there are some basic things that should be looked at before assuming the worst. And, remember, if needed, you can replace your ice maker without replacing the entire fridge, dependent on the brand and model. First, let’s discuss a couple of the causes for an ice maker breaking.

When an ice maker is making ice but it is not dispensing the ice it is usually means there’s a mechanical failure versus an electrical failure. This can occur when reorganizing things around in the freezer unit, you could shift the control switch up or down. Often the ice maker might get blocked with something else, possibly a chunk of ice. First, check to see if there is anything blocking this from operating the right way.

Before starting the process of clearing out the freezer, ensure the ice maker is on. This is done by moving the control arm down. Sometimes, moving things around in the freezer can put it into the off position. If the the switch is free, then there might be food or ice stuck 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 ejecting it, there could be an electrical or mechanical failure. This will need a bit more diagnosing. Ready to get started? First, we must check the electrical connection. This could become unplugged from the rear of the freezer when shifting or moving the freezer contents.

To inspect this, unplug the refrigerator and pull it out from the kitchen wall. Then, turn off the water supply. Locate the connection on the rear of the inside of the freezer. Essentially this is what plugs the ice maker into the freezer unit. Ensure that it’s actually plugged in properly.

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

Once this is done, restore power to the refrigerator and then turn on the ice maker. It could take the solenoid a couple of seconds to engage and fill the mold. When the mold is completely full, wait 4-5 hours to see if you’ve solved the problem.

Check for Frozen Lines

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

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

There are some models that have a water filter that can freeze or ice up. In these situations, finding the water filter is the first step. Then repeat the same process that was done for the iced line.

When an ice maker isn’t making large enough cubes of ice, there is a problem with the settings. To adjust the the ice maker settings, take the upper part of the cover off and find a standard 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?