Why is My Refrigerator Ice Maker Not Working?

Griffin Appliance Repair is experienced in refrigerator repair in Torrance, including services to repair broken ice makers. Learn about common ice maker issues below:

Refrigerator ice makers are perhaps one of the most convenient inventions ever. This is a little luxury a lot of people might take for granted. Ice makers are simple machines that do not have a lot of complicated parts that will cause issues.

Like with any appliance repair, there are basic things that should be looked at before assuming the worst. And, it’s good to know, if needed, you are able to replace your ice maker without replacing the entire fridge, dependent on the brand and model. First, let’s discuss a couple of the causes for an ice maker failure.

When your ice maker is making ice but it is not dispensing it it is usually means there’s a mechanical issue vs. an electrical problem. This occurs when reorganizing food around in the freezer, you might jam the control arm up or down. Most of the time the ice maker will be jammed with something, including a chunk of ice. First, look to see if there’s ice or food blocking this part from operating the right way.

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

Check the Control Arm

If the control is down and there is ice but it’s not ejecting it, there might be an electrical or mechanical problem. This will need some more troubleshooting. Ready to proceed? First, we must check the electrical connection. This can be unplugged from the rear of the freezer when shifting or moving the freezer contents.

To inspect this, unplug the freezer and slide it out away from the kitchen wall. Then, turn off the water supply valve. Locate the valve on the back of the inside of the freezer. Basically this is what plugs the ice maker into the freezer unit. Ensure that it is actually plugged in properly.

Next, remove any ice that’s inside of the ice maker. This can be done by pouring in a bit of water to help get ice that’s inside of there out.

Once this is done, turn on the power to the refrigerator and then turn on the ice maker. It could take the solenoid a couple of seconds to react and fill the mold. After the mold is completely full, wait around 4-5 hours or so to see if you’ve cleared the issue.

Check for Frozen Lines

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

Unplug the refrigerator and locate the shut off valve. Shut the water off and get a hair dryer to heat up the water line or just let the refrigerator sit shut off for a few hours until the water line is thawed.

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

If an ice maker isn’t making big enough pieces of ice, there is a problem with the ice maker settings. To adjust the settings, take the top part of the cover off and find a basic control that has plus and a minus symbols. 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?