Why is My Refrigerator Ice Maker Not Working?

Witt Appliance Repair provides refrigerator repair service, including services to repair broken ice makers. Learn about some common ice maker failures below:

Refrigerator ice makers are possibly one of the greatest inventions of all time. This is a little luxury a lot of people not appreciate. Refrigerator ice makers are simple machines that don’t feature a lot of complicated components that could cause issues.

Like with any repair, there are a few basic things that need to be looked at before assuming the worst. And, it’s good to know, if necessary, you are able to replace the ice maker without replacing the entire refrigerator, dependent on the brand and model. First, let’s take a look at a few of the reasons for an ice maker failure.

If your ice maker is making ice but it isn’t ejecting it it is usually means there’s a mechanical problem versus an electrical failure. This occurs when moving food around in the freezer, you could jam the control lever up or down. Often the ice maker will get jammed with something else, possibly a chunk of ice. First, check to see if there is ice or food blocking this from operating the right way.

Before starting the process of clearing out the freezer, be sure the ice maker is on. This is done by moving the metal control arm down. Sometimes, moving food around in the freezer unit might put it into the off position. If the control arm is clear, then there may be food or ice jammed inside the ice maker or it’s not getting a good connection.

Check the Control Arm

If the switch is down and there is ice but it’s not dispensing it, this might be an electrical or mechanical problem. This is going to need a bit more troubleshooting. Ready to get started? First, we must check the electrical connection. This could become unplugged from the rear of the freezer or refrigerator when moving or shifting the food in the freezer.

To check this, unplug the fridge and slide it out away from the wall. 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 is actually plugged in correctly.

After that, remove all of the ice that’s inside of the ice maker itself. This can be done by adding a bit of water to help 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 could take the solenoid a few seconds to react and fill the mold. When the mold is 100% full, wait around 4-5 hours or so to see if you have cleared the issue.

Check for Frozen Lines

More ice maker problems that can cause your ice maker to not make ice are frozen water lines. The water lines could be clogged with frost. This is an easy fix.

First, unplug the fridge and find the water shut off valve. Turn the water off and then grab a hair dryer to warm the water line or let the freezer sit shut off for a few hours until the line is thawed.

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

If your ice maker isn’t making large enough pieces of ice, there’s a problem with the settings. To adjust the settings, take the top part of the cover of the ice maker off and locate a simple dial that displays plus and a minus symbols. To do this, 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?