Why is My Refrigerator Ice Maker Not Working?

Enhance New Brunswick Appliance Repair provides refrigerator repair in New Brunswick, including services to repair broken ice makers. Learn about common ice maker issues below:

Ice makers are perhaps one of the most convenient inventions of all time. This is a small luxury many people certainly not appreciate. Ice makers are simple machines that do not feature a lot of components that can go wrong with them.

As with any appliance repair, there are some basic things that need to be looked at before assuming the worst. And, it’s nice to know, if needed, you are able to replace the ice maker without replacing the entire refrigerator, depending on the brand and model. First, let’s review a few of the causes for an ice maker not working.

If an ice maker is making ice but it is not dispensing the ice cubes it is usually a mechanical problem vs. an electrical problem. This occurs when reorganizing food around in the freezer, you might push or pull the control lever up or down. A lot of the time the ice maker might be jammed with something, possibly a piece of ice. First, look to see if there’s something blocking this part from working correctly.

Before starting the process of clearing out the freezer, ensure the ice maker is turned on. This is done by pulling the metal control arm down. Sometimes, moving food around in the freezer may put it into the off position. If the the switch is free, then there might be food 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 is not ejecting it, this might be a mechanical or electrical problem. This is going to require some more diagnosing. Ready to proceed? First, we must check the electrical connection. This could be unplugged from the rear of the freezer or refrigerator when shifting or moving the freezer contents.

To check this, unplug the refrigerator and slide it out away from the kitchen wall. Then, turn off the water supply. Locate the valve on the rear of the inside of the freezer unit. Basically this is what plugs the ice maker into the freezer unit. Ensure that it’s actually plugged in correctly.

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

Once complete, turn on the power to the fridge and then turn on the ice maker. It might take the solenoid component a few seconds to react and fill the mold. Once the mold is 100% full, wait 4-5 hours to see if you’ve cleared the problem.

Check for Frozen Lines

More ice maker failures that can cause your ice maker to not make ice are frozen water lines. The water lines could be blocked with frost. This is a pretty simple issue to fix.

Unplug the fridge and find the water shut off valve. Shut the water off and grab a hair dryer to heat up the line or just let the fridge sit turned off for a few hours until the water line is thawed.

Some brands and models that feature a water filter that can freeze or ice over. For these situations, locating the water filter is the first step. Then repeat the same process that was done for the frozen water line.

When an ice maker isn’t making large enough pieces of ice, there’s a problem with the ice maker settings. To adjust the settings, take the upper part of the cover off and locate a simple dial that has plus and a minus symbols. To do this, you may need a flat head screwdriver.

ADDITIONAL REFRIGERATOR RESOURCES

• Refrigerator Noisy
• Refrigerator Water Dispenser Not Working
• Refrigerator Not Cooling
• How Does a Refrigerator Work?