Why is My Refrigerator Ice Maker Not Working?

Ready Reno Appliance Repair provides refrigerator repair in Reno, NV including professional services to repair ice makers that aren’t working. Learn about some common ice maker problems below:

Refrigerator ice makers are perhaps one of the most convenient inventions ever. An ice maker is a little luxury a lot of people certainly take for granted. Refrigerator ice makers are relatively simple machines that don’t have a lot of complicated components that will cause problems.

As with any appliance repair, there are basic things that need to be looked at before thinking the worst. And, it’s good to know, if necessary, you can replace an ice maker without replacing an entire fridge, depending on the model. First, let’s discuss a couple of the causes for an ice maker failure.

When your ice maker is making ice but it isn’t dispensing the ice it is usually means there is a mechanical problem opposed to an electrical failure. This can happen when moving things around in the freezer, you accidentally shift the control arm up or down. Most of the time the ice maker will get blocked with something, possibly a chunk of ice. So, check to see if there is anything blocking this part from operating correctly.

Before starting the steps of clearing out the freezer, ensure your ice maker is on. This is done by pulling the control arm in the down position. From time to time, moving things around in the freezer unit might put it in the off position. If the the switch is free, then there might be food or ice stuck inside of 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, this could be an electrical or mechanical failure. This is going to need a bit more diagnosing. Ready to proceed? First, we must inspect the electrical connection. This could be unplugged from behind the freezer when shifting or moving the food in the freezer.

To check this, unplug the fridge and move away from the wall. Turn off the water supply valve. Locate the valve on the back of the inside of the freezer. Essentially this is what connects the ice maker into the freezer unit. Be sure that it is plugged in the right way.

After that, remove any ice that is inside of the ice maker itself. This can be completed by pouring in a bit of water to help to get ice that is in there out.

Once this is done, turn on the power to the fridge and turn on the ice maker. It could take the solenoid component a couple of seconds to react and fill the mold. When the mold is 100% full, wait 4-5 hours or so to see if you have solved the issue.

Check for Frozen Lines

Other ice maker failures that can cause your ice maker to not make ice are frozen lines. The water lines have been clogged with frost. This is a pretty simple fix.

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

Some brands and models that feature 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 line.

If an ice maker is not making big enough pieces of ice, there’s an issue with the ice maker settings. To adjust the the ice maker settings, take the upper part of the cover off and locate a basic knob that displays plus and a minus signs. For this process, you might need a flat head screwdriver.

ADDITIONAL REFRIGERATOR RESOURCES

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