Why is My Refrigerator Ice Maker Not Working?

refrigerator ice maker not working

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

Refrigerator ice makers are possibly one of the most convenient inventions of all time. This is a small luxury many people might not appreciate. Ice makers are relatively simple machines that do not feature a lot of complicated parts that will go wrong with them.

As with any repair, there are some basic things that need to be looked at before thinking the worst. And, remember, if needed, you can replace your ice maker without replacing the entire fridge, dependent on the model. First, let’s take a look at a couple of the causes for an ice maker failure.

When an ice maker is making ice but it isn’t ejecting it it is usually means there’s a mechanical failure versus an electrical problem. This can happen when shifting things around in the freezer unit, you accidentally jam the control arm up or down. Often the ice maker can get blocked with something else, even another piece of ice. So, look to see if there’s anything blocking this from working properly.

Before beginning the steps of clearing out the freezer, check that the ice maker is on. This can be done by flipping the metal control arm in the down position. Sometimes, moving food around in the freezer unit might put the control in the off position. If the control arm is clear, then there could be ice stuck inside the ice maker or it is not getting a good connection.

Check the Control Arm

When the switch is down and there’s ice but it’s not dispensing it, this might be an electrical or mechanical problem. This is going to require a bit more troubleshooting. Ready to proceed? First, we must inspect the electrical connection. This could become unplugged from the rear of the freezer when moving or shifting the food in the freezer.

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

Next, remove all of the ice that is inside of the ice maker itself. This can be completed by adding a small amount of water to help to get any ice that’s inside of there out.

Once this is done, restore power to the refrigerator and turn on the ice maker. It might take the solenoid a few seconds to engage and fill the mold. After the mold is 100% full, wait around 4-5 hours or so to see if you have cleared the issue.

Check for Frozen Lines

Other ice maker issues that could cause your ice maker to not make ice are frozen lines. The water lines might be clogged with frost. This is a pretty simple issue to fix.

Unplug the fridge and locate the water shut off valve. Shut the water off and then grab a hair dryer to warm the water line or let the fridge sit turned off for a couple of hours and wait until the water line is thawed.

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

If an ice maker is not making large enough cubes of ice, there’s a problem with the ice maker settings. To adjust the settings, take the top part of the cover of the ice maker off and locate a simple knob that has 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?
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