Why is My Refrigerator Ice Maker Not Working?

Dixon Appliance Repair offers refrigerator repair in Flower Mound, including professional services to repair ice makers that are not working. Learn about common ice maker issues below:

Refrigerator ice makers are possibly one of the best inventions ever. This is a little luxury a lot of people take for granted. Refrigerator ice makers are simple machines that don’t feature a lot of complicated components that could have issues.

As with any appliance repair, there are some basic things that need to be reviewed before thinking the worst. And, it’s good to know, if necessary, you are able to replace the ice maker without replacing the entire refrigerator, depending on the brand and model. First, let’s take a look at some of the causes for an ice maker breaking.

If your ice maker is making ice but it isn’t ejecting the ice cubes it is usually means there is a mechanical issue vs. an electrical problem. This occurs when moving things around in the freezer, you shift the control arm up or down. Most of the time the ice maker can get jammed with something, even another chunk of ice. First, check to see if there is something blocking this from operating the right way.

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

Check the Control Arm

If the control arm is down and there is ice but it’s not ejecting it, this might be a mechanical or electrical issue. This will require some more troubleshooting. Ready to begin? First, we must check the electrical connection. This can become unplugged from behind the freezer or refrigerator when moving or shifting the freezer contents.

To inspect this, first unplug the freezer and move it out from the wall. Turn off the water supply. Locate the connection on the back of the inside of the freezer unit. Essentially this is what plugs the ice maker into the freezer unit. Ensure that it’s actually plugged in properly.

Next, remove any ice that is inside of the ice maker. This can be completed by adding a little water to help to get ice that is in there out.

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

Check for Frozen Lines

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

First, unplug the refrigerator and locate the shut off valve. Shut the water off and then get a hair dryer to warm the water line or just let the fridge sit without being on for a few hours and wait until the line is thawed.

Some models that have a water filter that can clog or ice up. For these cases, finding the filter is the first step. Then repeat what was done for the iced water line.

If your ice maker isn’t making large enough pieces of ice, there is a problem with the ice maker settings. To adjust the settings, take the upper part of the cover of the ice maker off and find a basic control that has 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?