Why is My Refrigerator Ice Maker Not Working?

Triumph Appliance Repair offers refrigerator repair in White Plains, including professional services to repair ice makers that are not working. Learn about some common ice maker failures below:

Ice makers are one of the most convenient inventions of all time. This is a little luxury a lot of people might take for granted. Ice makers are relatively simple machines that don’t feature a lot of complicated parts that might go wrong with them.

As with any appliance repair, there are some basic things that should be looked at before assuming the worst. And, it’s nice to know, if needed, you can replace your ice maker without replacing an entire fridge, depending on the model. First, let’s review some of the reasons for an ice maker failure.

If your ice maker is making ice but it is not ejecting it it is usually means there’s a mechanical problem versus an electrical issue. This happens when moving things around in the freezer, you could accidentally shift the control arm up or down. Most of the time the ice maker will get blocked with something else, including a piece of ice. So, look to see if there is ice or food blocking this part from working properly.

Before beginning the process of clearing out the freezer, ensure your ice maker is turned on. This is done by moving the metal control arm down. From time to time, moving things around in the freezer may put the switch in the off position. If the control arm is clear, then there could be something jammed inside the ice maker or it is not receiving a good connection.

Check the Control Arm

If the switch is down and there’s ice but it’s not ejecting it, there might be an electrical or mechanical failure. This is going to require a bit more troubleshooting. Ready to proceed? First, we must inspect the electrical connection. This could become unplugged from the rear of the freezer or refrigerator when shifting or moving the food in the freezer.

To check this, first unplug the refrigerator and slide it out away from the wall. Then, turn off the water supply valve. Locate the valve on the rear of the inside of the freezer. Basically this is what connects the ice maker into the freezer unit. Ensure that it’s actually plugged in correctly.

Next, remove all of the ice that is inside of the ice maker. This can be done by adding a small amount of water to help get the ice that’s inside of there out.

Once complete, restore power to the refrigerator and turn on the ice maker. It might take the solenoid a fewseconds to engage and fill the mold. Once the mold is 100% full, wait 4-5 hours or so to see if you’ve solved the issue.

Check for Frozen Lines

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

First, unplug the refrigerator and find the water shut off valve. Turn the water off and then grab a hair dryer to warm the water line or just let the freezer sit without being on for a few hours and wait until the line is thawed.

There are some brands and models that feature a water filter that can freeze or ice up. For these cases, locating the filter is the first step. Then repeat what was done for the frozen water line.

If an ice maker is not making large enough cubes of ice, there is an issue with the settings. To adjust the settings, take the top part of the cover of the ice maker off and locate a simple dial that displays 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?