Why is My Refrigerator Ice Maker Not Working?

New Rochelle Appliance Repair ASAP offers refrigerator repair in New Rochelle, including services to fix ice makers that aren’t working. Learn about common ice maker failures below:

Refrigerator ice makers are perhaps one of the best inventions of all time. An ice maker is a small luxury most people not appreciate. Ice makers are simple machines that don’t feature a lot of complicated components that might cause problems.

Like with any appliance repair, there are some basic things that should be looked at before assuming the worst. And, it’s good to know, if necessary, you can replace the ice maker without replacing an entire refrigerator, dependent on the model. First, let’s review a couple of the reasons for an ice maker breaking.

When the ice maker is making ice but it is not ejecting it it is usually a mechanical failure vs. an electrical failure. This happens when shifting things around in the freezer unit, you shift the control lever up or down. Most of the time the ice maker can be jammed with something else, including a chunk of ice. So, look to see if there’s anything blocking this from working properly.

Before beginning the steps of clearing out the freezer, ensure the ice maker is on. This can be done by pulling the metal control arm in the down position. From time to time, moving things around in the freezer unit may put the control in the off position. If the the switch is clear, then there might be something stuck inside of the ice maker or it is not getting a good connection.

Check the Control Arm

If the switch is down and there is ice but it’s not dispensing it, there might be a mechanical or electrical issue. This will need a bit more diagnosing. Ready to get started? First, we must check the electrical connection. This can become unplugged from behind the freezer or refrigerator when shifting or moving the freezer contents.

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

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

Once this is done, turn on the power to the refrigerator and turn on the ice maker. It might take the solenoid component a couple of seconds to react and fill the mold. Once the mold is 100% full, wait 4-5 hours to see if you’ve cleared the issue.

Check for Frozen Lines

Other ice maker issues that can cause your ice maker to not produce any ice are frozen lines. The water lines could be blocked with frost. This is a pretty simple issue to fix.

Unplug the fridge and find the shut off valve. Turn 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 until the water line is thawed.

Some brands and models that have a water filter that can clog or ice up. In these situations, finding the filter is the first step. Then repeat the same process that was done for the frozen line.

When your ice maker is not making big enough cubes of ice, there is an issue with the ice maker settings. To adjust the settings, take the top part of the cover of the ice maker off and locate a basic knob that displays plus and a minus symbols. To do this, 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?