Why is My Refrigerator Ice Maker Not Working?

Santa Clarita Appliance Repair ASAP provides refrigerator repair in Santa Clarita, including professional services to repair ice makers that are not working. Learn about some common ice maker failures below:

Refrigerator ice makers are one of the most convenient inventions of all time. This is a little luxury many people might not appreciate. Ice makers are relatively simple machines that do not have a lot of complicated parts that will go wrong with them.

Like with any repair, there are a few basic things that need to be reviewed before thinking the worst. And, remember, if needed, you can replace your ice maker without replacing the entire refrigerator, dependent on the model. First, let’s review some of the causes for an ice maker failure.

If the ice maker is making ice but it is not dispensing the ice it is usually means there is a mechanical issue opposed to an electrical issue. This happens when shifting things around in the freezer, you accidentally push or pull the control lever up or down. Often the ice maker will get blocked with something, including a chunk of ice. First, look to see if there’s anything blocking this from operating correctly.

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

Check the Control Arm

When the control arm is down and there is ice but it is not ejecting it, there could be a mechanical or electrical problem. This will require some more troubleshooting. Ready to proceed? First, we must check the electrical connection. This can be unplugged from the back of the freezer or refrigerator when shifting or moving the food in the freezer.

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

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

Once complete, restore power to the fridge and turn on the ice maker. It could take the solenoid a couple of seconds to react and fill the mold. Once the mold is completely full, wait 4-5 hours to see if you’ve cleared the problem.

Check for Frozen Lines

More ice maker issues that could cause your ice maker to not produce any ice are frozen lines. The water lines have been clogged with frost. This is an easy fix.

Unplug the refrigerator and find the water shut off valve. Turn the water off and get a hair dryer to warm the line or let the refrigerator sit shut off for a few hours and wait until the line is thawed.

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

When an ice maker is not making large enough pieces of ice, there is an issue with the ice maker settings. To adjust the the ice maker settings, take the upper part of the cover off and locate a simple dial 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?