Why is My Refrigerator Ice Maker Not Working?

Jacobs Appliance Repair provides refrigerator repair service in Massachusetts, including professional services to fix ice makers that are not working. Learn about some common ice maker problems below:

Ice makers are possibly one of the greatest inventions ever. This is a little luxury most people might take for granted. Ice makers are simple machines that do not feature a lot of complex components that might have problems.

As with any appliance repair, there are basic things that need to be looked at before thinking the worst. And, it’s good to know, if needed, you are able to replace the ice maker without replacing the entire fridge, dependent on the model. First, let’s take a look at some of the causes for an ice maker not working.

When your ice maker is making ice but it is not dispensing it it is usually means there’s a mechanical problem vs. an electrical failure. This can occur when moving things around in the freezer unit, you accidentally shift the control lever up or down. Often the ice maker will get blocked with something else, possibly a piece of ice. So, check to see if there’s anything blocking this part from working correctly.

Before beginning the steps of clearing out the freezer, be sure your ice maker is turned on. This is done by flipping the metal control arm down. Sometimes, moving food around in the freezer unit may put the control in the off position. If the control arm is clear, then there may be something stuck inside the ice maker or it is not getting a good connection.

Check the Control Arm

When the control is down and there’s ice but it is not dispensing it, this could be an electrical or mechanical failure. This is going to require some more troubleshooting. Ready to proceed? First, we must check the electrical connection. This could be unplugged from the rear of the freezer when shifting or moving the food in the freezer.

To inspect this, first unplug the refrigerator and slide from the wall. Then, turn off the water supply. Locate the connection on the rear of the inside of the freezer. Essentially this is what connects the ice maker into the freezer. Be sure that it is actually plugged in correctly.

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

Once complete, restore power to the refrigerator and turn on the ice maker. It could take the solenoid component a couple of seconds to react and fill the mold. After the mold is full, wait 4-5 hours or so to see if you’ve solved the issue.

Check for Frozen Lines

More ice maker failures that may cause your ice maker to not make ice are frozen water lines. The water lines could be clogged with frost. This is an easy fix.

First, unplug the freezer and find the water shut off valve. Turn the water off and get a hair dryer to warm the water line or let the fridge sit shut off for a few hours until the line is thawed.

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

When your ice maker is not making large enough cubes of ice, there is a problem with the settings. To adjust the the ice maker settings, take the top part of the cover off and find a standard knob that displays plus and a minus signs. To do this, you could need a flat head screwdriver.

ADDITIONAL REFRIGERATOR RESOURCES

• Refrigerator Noisy
• Refrigerator Water Dispenser Not Working
• Refrigerator Not Cooling
• How Does a Refrigerator Work?