Why is My Refrigerator Ice Maker Not Working?

Shaw Appliance Repair offers refrigerator repair service in CITY, including professional services to repair ice makers that aren’t working. Learn about common ice maker problems below:

Ice makers are possibly one of the greatest inventions of all time. An ice maker is a small luxury many people not appreciate. Ice makers are relatively simple machines that don’t have a lot of components that could go wrong with them.

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

When the ice maker is making ice but it isn’t dispensing the ice cubes it is usually a mechanical problem vs. an electrical problem. This occurs when reorganizing things around in the freezer, you accidentally jam the control arm up or down. Most of the time the ice maker can be blocked with something else, even another chunk of ice. So, check to see if there is anything blocking this part from working the right way.

Before beginning 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 things around in the freezer unit can put the control in the off position. If the the switch is free, then there might 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’s not ejecting it, there might be a mechanical or electrical issue. This is going to need some more troubleshooting. Ready to proceed? First, we have to check the electrical connection. This could be unplugged from the back of the freezer when shifting or moving the freezer contents.

To check this, first unplug the fridge and move from the kitchen wall. Then, turn off the freezer’s water supply valve. Locate the connection on the back of the inside of the freezer unit. Essentially this is what connects the ice maker into the freezer unit. Ensure that it’s plugged in correctly.

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

Once complete, turn on the power to the fridge and 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 full, wait 4-5 hours to see if you’ve solved the problem.

Check for Frozen Lines

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

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

There are some brands and models that feature a water filter that can freeze or ice over. For these cases, locating the water filter is the first step. Then repeat the same process that was done for the frozen line.

If your ice maker isn’t making big enough cubes of ice, there is an issue with the settings. To adjust the settings, take the top part of the cover off and locate a simple control that displays plus and a minus signs. For this process, you may need a flat head screwdriver.

ADDITIONAL REFRIGERATOR RESOURCES

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