Why is My Refrigerator Ice Maker Not Working?

G&C Appliance Repair offers refrigerator repair in Encino (click here), including services to repair broken ice makers. Learn about common ice maker failures below:

Ice makers are one of the most convenient inventions ever. This is a little luxury a lot of people take for granted. Ice makers are simple machines that don’t have a lot of parts that will go wrong with them.

Like with any appliance repair, there are basic things that should be looked at before assuming the worst. And, remember, if needed, you are able to replace the ice maker without replacing the entire fridge, depending on the model. First, let’s take a look at a few of the reasons for an ice maker not working.

When an ice maker is making ice but it isn’t dispensing the ice it is usually a mechanical problem vs. an electrical failure. This can occur when shifting things around in the freezer, you might accidentally shift the control lever up or down. Often the ice maker will be blocked with something, even another piece of ice. First, check to see if there is anything blocking this part from operating the right way.

Before beginning the steps of clearing out the freezer, check that the ice maker is turned on. This is done by moving the metal control arm down. From time to time, moving things around in the freezer may put the switch in the off position. If the the switch is clear, then there might be food or ice stuck inside the ice maker or it’s 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 a bit more diagnosing. Ready to proceed? First, we must check the electrical connection. This can become unplugged from the back of the freezer or refrigerator when shifting or moving the food in the freezer.

To check this, unplug the refrigerator and move from the wall. Turn off the freezer’s water supply valve. Locate the connection on the rear of the inside of the freezer. Basically this is what connects the ice maker into the freezer unit. Ensure that it’s plugged in properly.

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

Once done, restore power to the refrigerator and then turn on the ice maker. It may 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.

Check for Frozen Lines

More ice maker failures that can cause your ice maker to not produce any ice are frozen water lines. The water lines might be clogged with frost. This is an easy problem to fix.

Unplug the fridge and locate the shut off valve. Shut the water off and get a hair dryer to warm the water line or let the refrigerator sit shut off for a couple of hours and wait until the water line is thawed.

There are some brands and models that have 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 iced line.

If an ice maker is not making big enough pieces of ice, there is an issue with the settings. To adjust the the ice maker settings, take the upper part of the cover off and locate a simple knob that has plus and a minus signs. To do this, you may need a flat head screwdriver.

ADDITIONAL REFRIGERATOR RESOURCES

• Refrigerator Noisy (read more)
• Refrigerator Water Dispenser Not Working
• Refrigerator Not Cooling
• How Does a Refrigerator Work?