Why is My Refrigerator Ice Maker Not Working?

Hi-Tech Miramar Appliance Repair offers refrigerator repair service in Miramar, including professional services to fix broken ice makers. Learn about common ice maker failures below:

Refrigerator ice makers are one of the best inventions ever. An ice maker is a small luxury many people might take for granted. Ice makers are relatively simple machines that don’t have a lot of parts that will cause problems.

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

If an ice maker is making ice but it isn’t ejecting it it is usually a mechanical problem vs. an electrical issue. This happens when reorganizing food around in the freezer unit, you could jam the control arm up or down. Most of the time the ice maker can get jammed with something else, including a chunk of ice. So, check to see if there’s anything blocking this part from operating correctly.

Before starting the process of clearing out the freezer, check that 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 may put the switch into the off position. If the the switch is clear, then there might be food jammed inside the ice maker or it is not getting a good connection.

Check the Control Arm

When the switch is down and there is ice but it’s not ejecting it, this might be a mechanical or electrical issue. This will need some more diagnosing. Ready to proceed? First, we have to inspect the electrical connection. This can become unplugged from the back of the freezer or refrigerator when moving or shifting the food in the freezer.

To inspect this, first unplug the freezer and move from the wall. Then, turn off the freezer’s water supply valve. Locate the connection on the back of the inside of the freezer unit. Essentially this is what connects the ice maker into the freezer unit. Ensure that it is plugged in correctly.

Then, remove all of the ice that is inside of the ice maker itself. This can be done by pouring in a small amount of water to help to get any ice that is inside of there out.

Once done, restore power to the fridge and then turn on the ice maker. It could 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

Other ice maker problems that might cause your ice maker to not produce ice are frozen water lines. The water lines could be blocked with frost. This is a pretty simple issue to fix.

First, unplug the fridge and locate the shut off valve. Turn the water off and then grab a hair dryer to heat up the line or just let the refrigerator sit turned off for a couple of hours and wait until the water line is thawed.

Some brands and models that feature a water filter that can clog or ice up. In these situations, locating the filter is the first step. Then repeat the same process that was done for the iced water line.

When your ice maker is not making big enough pieces of ice, there is a problem with the settings. To adjust the settings, take the top part of the cover off and locate a simple control that has plus and a minus symbols. To do this, 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?