Why is My Refrigerator Ice Maker Not Working?

Rapid Riverside Appliance Repair performs refrigerator repair in Riverside, including professional services to fix ice makers that are not working. Learn about common ice maker problems below:

Refrigerator ice makers are one of the best inventions ever. An ice maker is a small luxury many people not appreciate. Refrigerator ice makers are relatively simple machines that don’t have a lot of complex components that might go wrong with them.

As with any appliance repair, there are basic things that should be looked at before assuming the worst. And, remember, if necessary, you can replace the ice maker without replacing an entire fridge, depending on the brand and model. First, let’s take a look at some of the reasons for an ice maker not working.

If the ice maker is making ice but it is not dispensing the ice cubes it is usually means there’s a mechanical issue versus an electrical failure. This happens when moving food around in the freezer, you accidentally jam the control switch up or down. Most of the time the ice maker can be jammed with something, including a piece of ice. So, look to see if there’s something blocking this part from working the right way.

Before starting the process of clearing out the freezer, be sure your ice maker is on. This is done by flipping the control arm down. From time to time, moving food around in the freezer might put the switch in the off position. If the the switch is free, then there may be food or ice jammed 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’s ice but it’s not dispensing it, this might be a mechanical or electrical issue. This is going to require some more diagnosing. Ready to begin? First, we have to check the electrical connection. This could become unplugged from behind the freezer when moving or shifting the food in the freezer.

To inspect this, first unplug the refrigerator and move it out from the kitchen wall. Then, turn off the water supply. Locate the valve on the back of the inside of the freezer unit. Basically this is what connects the ice maker into the freezer unit. Be sure that it is plugged in properly.

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

Once complete, restore power to the refrigerator and turn on the ice maker. It may take the solenoid component a few seconds to react and fill the mold. After the mold is completely full, wait 4-5 hours or so to see if you’ve cleared the problem.

Check for Frozen Lines

Other ice maker failures that can 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.

Unplug the fridge and locate the shut off valve. Turn the water off and then get a hair dryer to heat up the line or just let the freezer sit without being on for a couple of hours until the line is thawed.

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

When an ice maker isn’t making large enough pieces of ice, there is a problem 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 locate a simple control 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?