Why is My Refrigerator Ice Maker Not Working?

Bellevue Appliance Repair is experienced in refrigerator repair in Bellevue, including services to fix broken ice makers. Learn about common ice maker failures below:

Refrigerator ice makers are one of the greatest inventions of all time. This is a little luxury a lot of people certainly not appreciate. Refrigerator ice makers are relatively simple machines that do not feature a lot of complicated parts that will go wrong with them.

As with any appliance repair, there are some basic things that should be reviewed before thinking the worst. And, remember, if needed, you can replace the ice maker without replacing an entire refrigerator, depending on the brand and model. First, let’s review some of the causes for an ice maker failure.

When an ice maker is making ice but it isn’t ejecting the ice it is usually means there’s a mechanical problem opposed to an electrical issue. This happens when moving things around in the freezer unit, you jam the control lever up or down. Often the ice maker might be blocked with something else, even another chunk of ice. So, check to see if there’s something blocking this part from operating correctly.

Before starting the steps of clearing out the freezer, check that the ice maker is turned on. This can be done by moving the control arm in the down position. Sometimes, moving food around in the freezer unit can put the switch in the off position. If the the switch is free, then there may be food or ice stuck inside the ice maker or it is not receiving a good connection.

Check the Control Arm

If the control arm is down and there is ice but it is not ejecting it, there could be a mechanical or electrical problem. This will need a bit more troubleshooting. Ready to get started? First, we must inspect the electrical connection. This can become unplugged from the back of the freezer when shifting or moving the freezer contents.

To check this, first unplug the refrigerator and slide it out away from the wall. Turn off the freezer’s water supply. Locate the connection on the back of the inside of the freezer. Basically this is what plugs the ice maker into the freezer. Ensure that it is actually plugged in properly.

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

Once this is done, restore power to the refrigerator and then turn on the ice maker. It could take the solenoid component a couple of seconds to engage and fill the mold. When the mold is 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 will cause your ice maker to not produce any ice are frozen lines. The water lines could be clogged with frost. This is a pretty simple fix.

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

There are some brands and models that have a water filter that can clog or ice over. In these situations, locating the filter is the first step. Then repeat what was done for the frozen line.

If an ice maker is not making big enough pieces of ice, there is a problem with the settings. To adjust the settings, take the upper part of the cover of the ice maker off and find a standard dial that displays 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?