Why is My Refrigerator Ice Maker Not Working?

Evans Appliance Repair performs refrigerator repair service in New Jersey, including services to repair ice makers that are not working. Learn about some common ice maker issues below:

Refrigerator ice makers are one of the best inventions of all time. This is a little luxury a lot of people take for granted. Ice makers are relatively simple machines that don’t have a lot of components that might have issues.

As with any appliance repair, there are basic things that need to be looked at before thinking the worst. And, it’s nice to know, if necessary, you can replace your ice maker without replacing an entire refrigerator, depending on the brand and model. First, let’s discuss some of the reasons for an ice maker not working.

If the ice maker is making ice but it isn’t ejecting it it is usually means there is a mechanical failure versus an electrical issue. This occurs when shifting food around in the freezer, you could push or pull the control lever up or down. Often the ice maker will be blocked with something, possibly a chunk of ice. First, check to see if there is ice or food 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 pulling the metal control arm down. From time to time, moving things around in the freezer might put the control into the off position. If the control arm is clear, then there could be something stuck inside the ice maker or it’s not receiving a good connection.

Check the Control Arm

If the switch is down and there is ice but it is not ejecting it, there might be an electrical or mechanical problem. This will require a bit more troubleshooting. Ready to get started? First, we must check the electrical connection. This can be unplugged from the back of the freezer when shifting or moving the food in the freezer.

To check this, first unplug the refrigerator and slide it out away from the wall. Then, turn off the water supply valve. Locate the valve on the rear of the inside of the freezer. Essentially this is what plugs the ice maker into the freezer unit. Be sure that it is plugged in the right way.

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

Once this is done, restore power to the fridge and turn on the ice maker. It might take the solenoid component a few seconds to react and fill the mold. When the mold is full, wait around 4-5 hours or so to see if you have solved the issue.

Check for Frozen Lines

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

Unplug the refrigerator and locate the water shut off valve. Turn the water off and then get a hair dryer to heat up the water line or just let the fridge sit shut off for a couple of hours until the line is thawed.

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

If an ice maker is not making big enough pieces of ice, there is a problem with the settings. To adjust the the ice maker settings, take the upper part of the cover of the ice maker off and locate a basic control 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?