Why is My Refrigerator Ice Maker Not Working?

F&S Forest Hills Appliance Repair is experienced in refrigerator repair in Forest Hills, including professional services to repair ice makers that aren’t working. Learn about some common ice maker failures below:

Ice makers are perhaps one of the greatest inventions of all time. This is a small luxury many people certainly take for granted. Refrigerator ice makers are relatively simple machines that do not feature a lot of complex components that might go wrong with them.

As with any appliance repair, there are a few basic things that should be looked at before assuming the worst. And, it’s nice to know, if necessary, you are able to replace your ice maker without replacing an entire refrigerator, depending on the model. First, let’s discuss some of the causes for an ice maker breaking.

If the ice maker is making ice but it isn’t dispensing the ice it is usually a mechanical issue vs. an electrical failure. This can occur when reorganizing things around in the freezer unit, you could jam the control switch up or down. Often the ice maker can get jammed with something, including a piece of ice. So, look to see if there’s ice or food blocking this from operating properly.

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

Check the Control Arm

When the control is down and there is ice but it’s not dispensing it, this might be a mechanical or electrical issue. This will need a bit more troubleshooting. Ready to get started? First, we must check the electrical connection. This could be unplugged from the back of the freezer when moving or shifting the food in the freezer.

To inspect this, unplug the refrigerator and move it out from the wall. Then, turn off the water supply valve. Locate the valve on the rear of the inside of the freezer unit. Essentially this is what plugs the ice maker into the freezer unit. Ensure that it’s actually plugged in correctly.

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

Once done, restore power to the fridge and then turn on the ice maker. It may take the solenoid component a couple of seconds to engage and fill the mold. After the mold is completely full, wait around 4-5 hours or so to see if you’ve solved the issue.

Check for Frozen Lines

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

Unplug the freezer and find the water shut off valve. Shut the water off and then grab a hair dryer to heat up the water line or let the fridge sit without being on for a couple of hours until the line is thawed.

Some brands and models that feature a water filter that can freeze or ice over. In these situations, finding the filter is the first step. Then repeat what was done for the iced line.

If an ice maker is not making large enough pieces of ice, there’s a problem 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 dial that displays plus and a minus signs. 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?