Why is My Refrigerator Ice Maker Not Working?

Lancaster Appliance Repair is experienced in refrigerator repair in Lancaster, including services to fix ice makers that aren’t working. Learn about common ice maker failures below:

Ice makers are one of the best inventions ever. An ice maker is a small luxury most people certainly take for granted. Ice makers are relatively simple machines that don’t have a lot of complicated components that can have issues.

As with any repair, there are a few basic things that should be reviewed before assuming the worst. And, it’s nice to know, if necessary, you can replace an ice maker without replacing the entire refrigerator, depending on the brand and model. First, let’s take a look at a few of the causes for an ice maker failure.

When an ice maker is making ice but it isn’t ejecting it it is usually a mechanical issue opposed to an electrical problem. This happens when reorganizing food around in the freezer, you could push or pull the control arm up or down. Often the ice maker can get blocked with something, possibly a chunk of ice. So, check to see if there’s something blocking this part from operating correctly.

Before beginning the process of clearing out the freezer, ensure your ice maker is on. This is done by pulling the metal control arm down. Sometimes, moving food around in the freezer can put the control in the off position. If the the switch is free, then there may be ice stuck inside the ice maker or it is not receiving a good connection.

Check the Control Arm

When the control arm is down and there’s ice but it’s not ejecting it, there could be an electrical or mechanical issue. This will require some more troubleshooting. Ready to proceed? First, we have to 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 inspect this, unplug the refrigerator and move it out from the kitchen wall. Then, turn off the water supply valve. Locate the connection on the back of the inside of the freezer unit. Basically this is what plugs the ice maker into the freezer unit. Be sure that it’s plugged in properly.

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

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

Check for Frozen Lines

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

Unplug the refrigerator and locate the water shut off valve. Shut the water off and then grab a hair dryer to warm the water line or let the refrigerator 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 freeze or ice over. For these situations, finding the water 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 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 has 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?