Why is My Refrigerator Ice Maker Not Working?

J&J Jackson Appliance Repair is experienced in refrigerator repair in Jackson, including services to repair broken ice makers. Learn about some common ice maker issues below:

Refrigerator ice makers are perhaps one of the most convenient inventions of all time. This is a little luxury many people certainly take for granted. Ice makers are simple machines that do not have a lot of complex components that will go wrong with them.

As with any repair, there are basic things that should be looked at before assuming the worst. And, it’s good to know, if needed, you are able to replace an ice maker without replacing an entire refrigerator, depending on the brand and model. First, let’s take a look at a couple of the reasons for an ice maker not working.

When the ice maker is making ice but it isn’t ejecting it it is usually means there’s a mechanical failure versus an electrical failure. This can happen when moving food around in the freezer unit, you might accidentally push or pull the control lever up or down. A lot of the time the ice maker will be jammed with something else, even another chunk of ice. So, look to see if there is something blocking this part from operating the right way.

Before starting the steps of clearing out the freezer, ensure your ice maker is turned on. This is done by pulling the control arm in the down position. Sometimes, moving things around in the freezer unit can 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

When the control arm is down and there’s ice but it is not dispensing it, this might be an electrical or mechanical failure. This is going to need some more troubleshooting. Ready to get started? First, we have to inspect the electrical connection. This can become unplugged from behind the freezer or refrigerator when shifting or moving the freezer contents.

To check this, unplug the refrigerator and slide from the wall. Turn off the water supply valve. Locate the valve on the rear of the inside of the freezer. Basically this is what connects the ice maker into the freezer. Be sure that it’s plugged in properly.

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

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

Check for Frozen Lines

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

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

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

If your ice maker isn’t making big enough cubes 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 locate a basic control that displays plus and a minus signs. To do this, you might need a flat head screwdriver.

ADDITIONAL REFRIGERATOR RESOURCES

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