Why is My Refrigerator Ice Maker Not Working?

R&D Colorado Springs Appliance Repair offers refrigerator repair in Colorado Springs, including professional services to repair broken ice makers. Learn about common ice maker problems below:

Refrigerator ice makers are one of the best inventions ever. This is a small luxury a lot of people take for granted. Refrigerator ice makers are simple machines that don’t have a lot of complex components that might cause problems.

Like with any appliance repair, there are some basic things that need to be looked at before thinking the worst. And, remember, if necessary, you can replace an ice maker without replacing an entire fridge, dependent on the model. First, let’s discuss a couple of the reasons for an ice maker breaking.

If the ice maker is making ice but it isn’t ejecting the ice it is usually a mechanical problem vs. an electrical problem. This can occur when reorganizing food around in the freezer, you might push or pull the control switch up or down. Often the ice maker might be blocked with something, possibly a chunk of ice. So, check to see if there’s something blocking this from working correctly.

Before starting the steps of clearing out the freezer, be sure the ice maker is turned on. This can be done by flipping the metal control arm down. From time to time, moving things around in the freezer unit might put it into the off position. If the the switch is free, then there might be ice stuck inside the ice maker or it is not getting a good connection.

Check the Control Arm

When 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 proceed? First, we must check the electrical connection. This can become unplugged from behind the freezer or refrigerator when moving or shifting the freezer contents.

To check this, unplug the freezer and slide from the kitchen wall. Turn off the water supply. Locate the valve on the back of the inside of the freezer unit. Essentially this is what plugs the ice maker into the freezer. Ensure that it’s plugged in properly.

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

Once complete, turn on the power to the refrigerator and then turn on the ice maker. It might take the solenoid a few seconds to engage and fill the mold. After the mold is completely full, wait around 4-5 hours or so to see if you have solved the problem.

Check for Frozen Lines

More ice maker issues that can cause your ice maker to not make ice are frozen lines. The water lines have been blocked with frost. This is an easy fix.

First, unplug the freezer and locate the water shut off valve. Turn the water off and grab a hair dryer to heat up the line or just let the freezer sit turned off for a few hours and wait until the line is thawed.

Some brands and models that have a water filter that can clog or ice over. In these cases, finding the filter is the first step. Then repeat the same process that was done for the frozen water line.

If your ice maker isn’t making big enough pieces of ice, there is an issue with the ice maker settings. To adjust the settings, take the top part of the cover off and find a simple dial that has plus and a minus signs. For this process, 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?