Why is My Refrigerator Ice Maker Not Working?

broken refrigerator ice maker

Federal Way Appliance Repair performs refrigerator repair in Federal Way, including services to fix ice makers that aren’t working. Learn about some common ice maker failures below:

Refrigerator ice makers are one of the most convenient inventions ever. An ice maker is a small luxury many people certainly take for granted. Refrigerator ice makers are simple machines that don’t feature a lot of complicated parts that will cause issues.

Like with any appliance 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 review some of the reasons for an ice maker failure.

If the ice maker is making ice but it is not ejecting it it is usually means there’s a mechanical problem versus an electrical failure. This can happen when moving things around in the freezer, you might push or pull the control arm up or down. Often the ice maker can be blocked with something, even another piece of ice. First, check to see if there’s something blocking this from working the right way.

Before beginning the process of clearing out the freezer, check that your ice maker is on. This is done by pulling the metal control arm down. Sometimes, moving food around in the freezer may put the control into the off position. If the control arm is free, then there may be ice stuck inside of the ice maker or it’s not getting a good connection.

Check the Control Arm

If the control arm is down and there’s ice but it’s not ejecting it, there could be a mechanical or electrical failure. This will need some more troubleshooting. Ready to begin? First, we need to inspect the electrical connection. This can be unplugged from the back of the freezer when moving or shifting the food in the freezer.

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

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

Once this is done, turn on the power to the fridge and turn on the ice maker. It may take the solenoid component a few seconds to engage and fill the mold. Once the mold is completely full, wait 4-5 hours to see if you’ve cleared the issue.

Check for Frozen Lines

Other ice maker problems that will cause your ice maker to not produce ice are frozen lines. The water lines might be clogged with frost. This is an easy problem to fix.

Unplug the fridge and find the water shut off valve. Shut the water off and grab a hair dryer to heat up the water line or let the refrigerator sit shut off for a couple of hours and wait until the line is thawed.

There are some models that feature a water filter that can clog or ice over. In these cases, locating the filter is the first step. Then repeat the same process that was done for the frozen line.

When an ice maker is not making big enough cubes of ice, there’s a problem 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 basic control that has plus and a minus symbols. For this process, you could need a flat head screwdriver.

ADDITIONAL REFRIGERATOR RESOURCES

  • Refrigerator Noisy
  • Refrigerator Water Dispenser Not Working
  • Refrigerator Not Cooling
  • How Does a Refrigerator Work?