Why is My Refrigerator Ice Maker Not Working?

Excel Oxnard Appliance Repair offers refrigerator repair in Oxnard, including professional services to repair broken ice makers. Learn about some common ice maker problems below:

Ice makers are possibly one of the best inventions of all time. This is a little luxury most people not appreciate. Ice makers are simple machines that do not have a lot of complicated parts that can go wrong with them.

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

When the ice maker is making ice but it isn’t ejecting it it is usually a mechanical issue opposed to an electrical issue. This occurs when moving food around in the freezer unit, you could shift the control arm up or down. Often the ice maker can get jammed with something, even another chunk of ice. First, look to see if there’s anything blocking this part from operating the right way.

Before starting the steps of clearing out the freezer, ensure the ice maker is turned on. This is done by moving the metal control arm in the down position. From time to time, moving food around in the freezer can put the switch in the off position. If the the switch is clear, then there could be food jammed inside the ice maker or it is not receiving a good connection.

Check the Control Arm

When the switch is down and there’s ice but it is not ejecting it, this might be an electrical or mechanical issue. This will need a bit more troubleshooting. Ready to begin? First, we have to check the electrical connection. This can be unplugged from the back of the freezer or refrigerator when shifting or moving the freezer contents.

To inspect this, unplug the fridge and slide from the kitchen wall. Turn off the water supply. Locate the connection on the back of the inside of the freezer. Essentially this is what plugs the ice maker into the freezer unit. Be sure that it is actually plugged in the right way.

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

Once complete, turn on the power to the refrigerator and turn on the ice maker. It could take the solenoid a couple of seconds to react and fill the mold. When the mold is full, wait 4-5 hours to see if you’ve 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 have been clogged with frost. This is an easy fix.

First, 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 refrigerator sit turned off for a few hours and wait until the line is thawed.

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

If your ice maker isn’t making large enough pieces of ice, there is an issue with the ice maker settings. To adjust the settings, take the top part of the cover off and locate a simple knob that displays 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?