Why is My Refrigerator Ice Maker Not Working?

J&L Thousand Oaks Appliance Repair performs refrigerator repair in Thousand Oaks, including professional services to fix ice makers that are not working. Learn about some common ice maker problems below:

Ice makers are possibly one of the most convenient inventions ever. This is a small luxury most people take for granted. Refrigerator ice makers are simple machines that do not have a lot of parts that can have issues.

Like with any appliance repair, there are a few basic things that need to be looked at before assuming the worst. And, remember, if needed, you can replace your ice maker without replacing an entire refrigerator, depending on the model. First, let’s take a look at a few of the causes for an ice maker not working.

If the ice maker is making ice but it isn’t ejecting the ice it is usually means there is a mechanical issue vs. an electrical failure. This can happen when shifting food around in the freezer, you accidentally push or pull the control switch up or down. Often the ice maker can be jammed with something else, possibly a chunk of ice. First, check to see if there’s ice or food blocking this from operating properly.

Before beginning the steps of clearing out the freezer, ensure your ice maker is turned on. This can be done by moving the control arm down. From time to time, moving things around in the freezer may put the switch in the off position. If the the switch is free, then there could be food or ice stuck inside the ice maker or it’s not receiving a good connection.

Check the Control Arm

When the control is down and there is ice but it’s not ejecting it, this could be a mechanical or electrical issue. This will need a bit more diagnosing. Ready to begin? First, we have to check the electrical connection. This could become unplugged from the rear of the freezer when shifting or moving the freezer contents.

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

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

Once done, restore power to the refrigerator and then turn on the ice maker. It may take the solenoid a few seconds to react and fill the mold. When the mold is completely full, wait 4-5 hours to see if you have cleared the issue.

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 could be blocked with frost. This is a pretty simple issue to fix.

First, unplug the refrigerator and locate the water shut off valve. Turn the water off and get a hair dryer to heat up the line or let the fridge sit turned off for a few hours until the line is thawed.

There are some brands and models that have a water filter that can freeze or ice up. For these situations, finding the filter is the first step. Then repeat the same process that was done for the iced line.

When your 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 top part of the cover off and find a standard control 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?