Why is My Refrigerator Ice Maker Not Working?

L&C Virginia Beach Appliance Repair is experienced in refrigerator repair in Virginia Beach, including services to repair ice makers that aren’t working. Learn about common ice maker problems below:

Refrigerator ice makers are perhaps one of the best inventions of all time. An ice maker is a little luxury most people might take for granted. Refrigerator ice makers are simple machines that do not have a lot of complex components that will cause issues.

Like with any appliance repair, there are some basic things that need to be reviewed before thinking the worst. And, it’s nice to know, if necessary, you can replace an ice maker without replacing an entire fridge, depending on the brand and model. First, let’s take a look at some of the reasons for an ice maker breaking.

If the ice maker is making ice but it isn’t ejecting the ice it is usually a mechanical failure vs. an electrical failure. This happens when shifting things around in the freezer, you could jam the control arm up or down. A lot of the time the ice maker will get blocked with something, even another piece of ice. First, look to see if there is something blocking this part from working the right way.

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

Check the Control Arm

When the switch is down and there is ice but it’s not dispensing it, there could be an electrical or mechanical issue. This will need a bit more diagnosing. Ready to begin? First, we must inspect the electrical connection. This could be unplugged from the back of the freezer or refrigerator when moving or shifting the freezer contents.

To inspect this, first unplug the fridge and pull it out from the wall. Turn off the freezer’s water supply valve. Locate the valve on the back of the inside of the freezer unit. Basically this is what connects the ice maker into the freezer unit. Ensure that it’s plugged in correctly.

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

Once complete, restore power to the refrigerator and turn on the ice maker. It might take the solenoid a couple of seconds to engage and fill the mold. After the mold is full, wait 4-5 hours to see if you’ve cleared the problem.

Check for Frozen Lines

More ice maker issues that could cause your ice maker to not produce any ice are frozen lines. The water lines have been blocked with frost. This is a pretty simple fix.

Unplug the refrigerator and find the water shut off valve. Turn the water off and get a hair dryer to heat up the line or let the refrigerator sit without being on for a couple of hours until the water line is thawed.

Some models that have a water filter that can freeze or ice up. In these cases, finding the water filter is the first step. Then repeat what was done for the iced water line.

When an ice maker isn’t making big enough pieces of ice, there’s a problem with the settings. To adjust the the ice maker settings, take the upper part of the cover of the ice maker off and locate a basic dial that has plus and a minus signs. 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?