Why is My Refrigerator Ice Maker Not Working?

McBride Appliance Repair performs refrigerator repair service, including professional services to repair ice makers that aren’t working. Learn about some common ice maker problems below:

Refrigerator ice makers are one of the most convenient inventions of all time. This is a little luxury a lot of people might take for granted. Refrigerator ice makers are simple machines that do not feature a lot of complicated components that will go wrong with them.

As with any repair, there are basic things that should be reviewed before assuming the worst. And, remember, if necessary, you can replace the ice maker without replacing an entire fridge, dependent on the brand and model. First, let’s take a look at some of the reasons for an ice maker breaking.

If an ice maker is making ice but it isn’t dispensing it it is usually means there is a mechanical problem vs. an electrical issue. This can occur when moving things around in the freezer unit, you jam the control switch up or down. Most of the time the ice maker might be jammed with something, even another chunk of ice. So, check to see if there’s anything blocking this part from working properly.

Before starting the steps of clearing out the freezer, be sure your ice maker is on. This can be done by moving the metal control arm in the down position. From time to time, moving food around in the freezer can put the switch into the off position. If the control arm is free, then there may be ice stuck inside of the ice maker or it is not getting a good connection.

Check the Control Arm

If the switch is down and there is ice but it’s not dispensing it, there could be an electrical or mechanical failure. This will require some more diagnosing. Ready to proceed? First, we need to check the electrical connection. This could be unplugged from the back of the freezer or refrigerator when moving or shifting the food in the freezer.

To inspect this, unplug the fridge and pull it out away from the wall. Then, turn off the water supply valve. Locate the connection on the back of the inside of the freezer unit. Basically this is what plugs the ice maker into the freezer unit. Ensure that it is actually plugged in properly.

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

Once done, turn on the power to the fridge and then turn on the ice maker. It might take the solenoid component a few seconds to engage and fill the mold. When the mold is completely full, wait 4-5 hours or so to see if you’ve solved the problem.

Check for Frozen Lines

More ice maker issues that will cause your ice maker to not make ice are frozen water lines. The water lines might be blocked with frost. This is an easy fix.

Unplug the fridge and locate the water shut off valve. Turn the water off and get a hair dryer to warm the water line or let the freezer sit shut off for a couple of hours and wait until the line is thawed.

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

If your ice maker is not making big enough cubes of ice, there is a problem with the settings. To adjust the settings, take the upper part of the cover off and locate a basic 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?