Why is My Refrigerator Ice Maker Not Working?

Mason Appliance Repair offers refrigerator repair in Fort Lee, including services to fix ice makers that are not working. Learn about some common ice maker failures below:

Refrigerator ice makers are one of the greatest inventions of all time. This is a small luxury a lot of people might take for granted. Ice makers are simple machines that do not feature a lot of complicated components that will have problems.

As with any repair, there are some basic things that need to be reviewed before assuming the worst. And, it’s nice to know, if necessary, you can replace your ice maker without replacing an entire refrigerator, dependent on the brand and model. First, let’s discuss a couple of the reasons for an ice maker breaking.

When the ice maker is making ice but it isn’t ejecting the ice it is usually a mechanical issue versus an electrical failure. This can occur when reorganizing food around in the freezer, you push or pull the control lever up or down. Often the ice maker can get jammed with something, including a chunk of ice. So, look to see if there’s anything blocking this from working properly.

Before beginning the process of clearing out the freezer, ensure your ice maker is on. This can be done by flipping the metal control arm in the down position. Sometimes, moving things around in the freezer might put the switch in the off position. If the control arm is clear, then there could be ice jammed inside the ice maker or it is not getting a good connection.

Check the Control Arm

When the control is down and there is ice but it is not dispensing it, this could be an electrical or mechanical problem. This is going to require a bit more troubleshooting. Ready to begin? First, we have to inspect the electrical connection. This can become unplugged from the back of the freezer when shifting or moving the food in the freezer.

To check this, first unplug the freezer and slide it out away from the wall. Then, turn off the water supply. Locate the valve on the rear of the inside of the freezer. Basically this is what connects the ice maker into the freezer unit. Be sure that it’s actually plugged in properly.

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

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

Check for Frozen Lines

Other ice maker failures that can cause your ice maker to not make ice are frozen lines. The water lines might be clogged with frost. This is a pretty simple fix.

First, unplug the fridge and find the shut off valve. Shut the water off and grab a hair dryer to warm the line or just let the refrigerator sit shut off for a few hours and wait until the water line is thawed.

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

If an ice maker is not making large enough pieces of ice, there is a problem with the settings. To adjust the settings, take the upper part of the cover off and locate a standard knob that displays 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?