Why is My Refrigerator Ice Maker Not Working?

Providence Appliance Repair is experienced in refrigerator repair in Providence, including services to fix ice makers that aren’t working. Learn about common ice maker issues below:

Ice makers are perhaps one of the best inventions ever. This is a small luxury a lot of people not appreciate. Refrigerator ice makers are relatively simple machines that don’t have a lot of complicated parts that could have issues.

As with any appliance repair, there are a few basic things that need to 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 review some of the causes for an ice maker breaking.

If the ice maker is making ice but it isn’t ejecting it it is usually a mechanical issue opposed to an electrical failure. This occurs when shifting food around in the freezer unit, you could jam the control switch up or down. Often the ice maker might get blocked with something, including a chunk of ice. So, look to see if there is anything blocking this part from working the right way.

Before beginning the process of clearing out the freezer, ensure the ice maker is turned on. This is done by pulling the control arm down. Sometimes, moving food around in the freezer unit might put it into 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 control arm is down and there’s ice but it is not ejecting it, there might be a mechanical or electrical problem. This is going to need some more diagnosing. Ready to proceed? First, we must check the electrical connection. This can be unplugged from the back of the freezer or refrigerator when shifting or moving the freezer contents.

To inspect this, unplug the fridge and slide away from the kitchen wall. Turn off the water supply. Locate the connection on the back of the inside of the freezer unit. Essentially this is what plugs the ice maker into the freezer. Ensure that it is actually plugged in correctly.

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

Once complete, restore power to the fridge and then turn on the ice maker. It may take the solenoid component a few seconds to react and fill the mold. When the mold is 100% full, wait around 4-5 hours or so to see if you have solved the issue.

Check for Frozen Lines

More ice maker failures that may cause your ice maker to not make ice are frozen lines. The water lines might be clogged with frost. This is an easy issue to fix.

Unplug the fridge and find the water shut off valve. Turn the water off and get a hair dryer to heat up the water line or just let the fridge sit shut off for a few hours and wait until the line is thawed.

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

If your ice maker is not making large enough cubes of ice, there’s an issue with the settings. To adjust the settings, take the top part of the cover off and find a basic knob that has plus and a minus symbols. For this process, you may need a flat head screwdriver.

ADDITIONAL REFRIGERATOR RESOURCES

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