Why is My Refrigerator Ice Maker Not Working?

Frontier Appliance Repair provides refrigerator repair service, including services to fix ice makers that aren’t working. Learn about some common ice maker issues below:

Refrigerator ice makers are perhaps one of the most convenient inventions ever. This is a little luxury many people might take for granted. Ice makers are relatively simple machines that do not feature a lot of parts that will go wrong with them.

As with any appliance repair, there are some basic things that need to be looked at before assuming the worst. And, remember, if needed, you are able to replace your ice maker without replacing the entire refrigerator, depending on the brand and model. First, let’s discuss a few of the causes for an ice maker failure.

When your ice maker is making ice but it isn’t dispensing it it is usually means there’s a mechanical issue opposed to an electrical problem. This can occur when moving things around in the freezer, you shift the control arm up or down. A lot of the time the ice maker can get blocked with something else, possibly a piece of ice. So, check to see if there is something blocking this from working properly.

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

Check the Control Arm

When the control arm is down and there’s ice but it is not dispensing it, there could be an electrical or mechanical issue. This will require some more diagnosing. Ready to proceed? First, we must check the electrical connection. This can become unplugged from the rear of the freezer or refrigerator when moving or shifting the freezer contents.

To inspect this, unplug the fridge and slide it out away from the kitchen wall. Turn off the freezer’s water supply valve. Locate the valve on the rear of the inside of the freezer unit. Basically this is what connects the ice maker into the freezer. Be sure that it is plugged in the right way.

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

Once this is done, restore power to the fridge and turn on the ice maker. It could take the solenoid component a couple of seconds to react and fill the mold. Once the mold is 100% full, wait around 4-5 hours or so to see if you’ve solved the issue. If not, contact Frontier Appliance Repair.

Check for Frozen Lines

Other ice maker problems that may cause your ice maker to not produce any ice are frozen lines. The water lines could be clogged with frost. This is an easy issue to fix.

Unplug the fridge and locate the shut off valve. Shut the water off and then grab a hair dryer to heat up the line or let the fridge sit without being on for a couple of hours and wait until the line is thawed.

There are some brands and models that have a water filter that can clog or ice over. For these cases, finding the filter is the first step. Then repeat the same process that was done for the iced line.

When an ice maker isn’t making big enough pieces of ice, there is an issue with the ice maker settings. To adjust the settings, take the upper part of the cover of the ice maker off and locate a basic knob that displays plus and a minus signs. For this process, 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?