Why is My Refrigerator Ice Maker Not Working?

Hialeah Appliance Repair performs refrigerator repair in Hialeah, including services to repair broken ice makers. Learn about common ice maker issues below:

Refrigerator ice makers are perhaps one of the greatest inventions of all time. This is a small luxury most people not appreciate. Refrigerator ice makers are relatively simple machines that do not feature a lot of complex components that will go wrong with them.

As with any repair, there are basic things that need to be looked at before assuming the worst. And, remember, if needed, you can replace the ice maker without replacing the entire refrigerator, depending on the model. First, let’s discuss a few of the reasons for an ice maker failure.

When your ice maker is making ice but it isn’t dispensing it it is usually a mechanical issue opposed to an electrical issue. This happens when shifting food around in the freezer, you might accidentally push or pull the control lever up or down. Often the ice maker will get blocked with something, even another piece of ice. So, look to see if there is anything blocking this from working correctly.

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

Check the Control Arm

When the control is down and there’s ice but it is not dispensing it, there could be an electrical or mechanical failure. This will need a bit more diagnosing. Ready to proceed? First, we need to check the electrical connection. This can become unplugged from behind the freezer or refrigerator when shifting or moving the food in the freezer.

To inspect this, unplug the refrigerator and slide away from the kitchen wall. Then, turn off the water supply valve. Locate the valve on the rear of the inside of the freezer. Essentially this is what connects the ice maker into the freezer. Ensure that it’s actually plugged in the right way.

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

Once this is done, restore 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 100% full, wait around 4-5 hours or so to see if you have cleared the problem.

Check for Frozen Lines

More ice maker failures that will cause your ice maker to not make any ice are frozen lines. The water lines might be clogged with frost. This is a pretty simple fix.

Unplug the freezer and locate the water shut off valve. Turn the water off and then grab a hair dryer to warm the water line or let the freezer sit turned off for a couple of hours until the line is thawed.

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

When an ice maker is not making large enough pieces of ice, there is an issue with the ice maker settings. To adjust the the ice maker settings, take the upper part of the cover of the ice maker off and locate a standard dial that has plus and a minus symbols. 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?