Why is My Refrigerator Ice Maker Not Working?

broken refrigerator ice maker

Instant Livonia Appliance Repair provides refrigerator repair in Livonia, including services to repair broken ice makers. Learn about common ice maker problems below:

Refrigerator ice makers are perhaps one of the best inventions ever. An ice maker is a little luxury many people certainly not appreciate. Ice makers are simple machines that do not feature a lot of components that will cause problems.

Like with any appliance repair, there are some basic things that need to be reviewed before assuming the worst. And, it’s nice to know, if needed, you are able to replace the ice maker without replacing the entire refrigerator, dependent on the model. First, let’s take a look at a few of the reasons for an ice maker failure.

If the ice maker is making ice but it isn’t dispensing the ice it is usually means there is a mechanical failure vs. an electrical issue. This occurs when shifting food around in the freezer unit, you might accidentally push or pull the control switch up or down. A lot of the time the ice maker will be jammed with something else, even another chunk of ice. First, look to see if there is anything blocking this part from working properly.

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

Check the Control Arm

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

To check this, unplug the refrigerator and slide from the kitchen wall. Turn off the freezer’s water supply. Locate the valve on the rear of the inside of the freezer. Essentially this is what connects the ice maker into the freezer. Be sure that it is actually plugged in properly.

Next, remove any ice that is inside of the ice maker itself. This can be completed by pouring in a small amount of water to help to get the ice that is in there out.

Once this is done, restore power to the fridge and turn on the ice maker. It might take the solenoid a couple of seconds to engage and fill the mold. Once the mold is 100% full, wait around 4-5 hours or so to see if you’ve solved the issue.

Check for Frozen Lines

More ice maker issues that may cause your ice maker to not produce ice are frozen lines. The water lines could be clogged with frost. This is a pretty simple issue to fix.

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

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 the same process that was done for the frozen water line.

When your ice maker is not making big enough pieces of ice, there’s an issue with the settings. To adjust the settings, take the upper part of the cover of the ice maker off and locate a basic control that displays 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?