Why is My Refrigerator Ice Maker Not Working?

C&B Chino Hills Appliance Repair provides refrigerator repair in Chino Hills, including services to fix ice makers that are not working. Learn about some common ice maker failures below:

Ice makers are possibly one of the greatest inventions ever. This is a small luxury many people might take for granted. Ice makers are relatively simple machines that don’t feature a lot of components that can have issues.

As with any appliance repair, there are basic things that need to be looked at before thinking the worst. And, remember, if necessary, you can replace an ice maker without replacing an entire refrigerator, depending on the model. First, let’s review some of the reasons for an ice maker failure.

When an ice maker is making ice but it is not ejecting it it is usually means there’s a mechanical issue opposed to an electrical failure. This can occur when shifting things around in the freezer, you push or pull the control arm up or down. Often the ice maker can be blocked with something else, possibly a chunk of ice. So, look to see if there’s anything blocking this part from operating correctly.

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

Check the Control Arm

When the control arm is down and there’s ice but it is not ejecting it, this might be an electrical or mechanical failure. This is going to require some more diagnosing. Ready to get started? First, we must check the electrical connection. This could become unplugged from behind the freezer when shifting or moving the freezer contents.

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

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

Once done, restore power to the refrigerator and turn on the ice maker. It could take the solenoid component a couple of seconds to engage and fill the mold. After the mold is 100% full, wait around 4-5 hours to see if you’ve cleared the problem.

Check for Frozen Lines

Other ice maker failures that will cause your ice maker to not make ice are frozen lines. The water lines have been blocked with frost. This is an easy problem to fix.

Unplug the refrigerator and locate the shut off valve. Turn the water off and get a hair dryer to warm the line or just let the fridge sit shut off for a couple of hours and wait until the line is thawed.

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

When your ice maker isn’t making large enough cubes of ice, there’s an issue with the ice maker settings. To adjust the the ice maker settings, take the top part of the cover of the ice maker off and find a simple dial that has 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?