Why is My Refrigerator Ice Maker Not Working?

Manchester Appliance Repair is experienced in refrigerator repair in Manchester, including services to repair ice makers that are not working. Learn about some common ice maker problems below:

Ice makers are perhaps one of the most convenient inventions ever. This is a little luxury most people might take for granted. Refrigerator ice makers are relatively simple machines that don’t feature a lot of complex components that can have issues.

As with any appliance 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, dependent on the model. First, let’s discuss a few of the reasons for an ice maker not working.

When an ice maker is making ice but it is not dispensing the ice cubes it is usually means there’s a mechanical failure versus an electrical failure. This can occur when moving things around in the freezer, you could jam the control arm up or down. Most of the time the ice maker might get blocked with something, possibly a piece of ice. First, check to see if there’s ice or food blocking this from operating the right way.

Before starting the steps of clearing out the freezer, ensure your ice maker is turned on. This is done by flipping the metal control arm in the down position. Sometimes, moving things around in the freezer can put it into the off position. If the the switch is free, then there could be food or ice stuck inside the ice maker or it’s not getting a good connection.

Check the Control Arm

If the switch is down and there’s ice but it’s not dispensing it, there might be a mechanical or electrical problem. This is going to require some more diagnosing. Ready to begin? First, we have to check the electrical connection. This could become unplugged from the back of the freezer or refrigerator when moving or shifting the freezer contents.

To inspect this, first unplug the freezer and move it out away from the wall. Then, turn off the freezer’s water supply valve. Locate the valve on the rear of the inside of the freezer unit. Basically this is what plugs the ice maker into the freezer unit. Be sure that it is plugged in the right way.

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

Once done, restore power to the fridge and turn on the ice maker. It may take the solenoid a couple of seconds to react and fill the mold. After the mold is 100% full, wait around 4-5 hours to see if you have solved the issue.

Check for Frozen Lines

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

First, unplug the fridge and find the shut off valve. Shut the water off and grab a hair dryer to warm the water line or just let the fridge sit shut off for a few hours and wait until the water line is thawed.

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

If your ice maker isn’t making large enough pieces of ice, there is a problem with the ice maker settings. To adjust the settings, take the top part of the cover off and find a simple dial 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?