Why is My Ice Maker Not Working?
D&D Worcester Appliance Repair is experienced in refrigerator repair in Worcester, including professional services to fix broken ice makers. Learn about common ice maker issues below:
Ice makers are perhaps one of the best inventions of all time. An ice maker is a small luxury a lot of people certainly not appreciate. Refrigerator 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, it’s good to know, if needed, you can replace the ice maker without replacing an entire refrigerator, dependent on the model. First, let’s review a couple of the reasons for an ice maker failure.
If your ice maker is making ice but it is not dispensing it it is usually means there’s a mechanical problem vs. an electrical issue. This can happen when moving things around in the freezer unit, you could push or pull the control lever up or down. Most of the time the ice maker will get jammed with something else, even another piece of ice. First, look to see if there’s anything blocking this from operating the right way.
Before starting the steps of clearing out the freezer, ensure your ice maker is turned on. This can be done by moving the metal control arm down. From time to time, moving things around in the freezer unit can put it in the off position. If the the switch is free, then there might be food or ice stuck inside of the ice maker or it is not getting a good connection.
Check the Control Arm
If the switch is down and there is ice but it’s not dispensing it, there might be a mechanical or electrical problem. This is going to need a bit more diagnosing. Ready to begin? First, we need to check the electrical connection. This can become unplugged from the rear of the freezer or refrigerator when shifting or moving the freezer contents.
To check this, first unplug the fridge and pull it out from the wall. 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. Be sure that it’s actually plugged in correctly.
After that, remove any ice that is in the ice maker. This can be accomplished by pouring in a small amount of water to help to get ice that’s in there out.
Once complete, turn on the power to the fridge and then turn on the ice maker. It may take the solenoid component a few seconds to engage and fill the mold. After the mold is 100% full, wait around 4-5 hours to see if you’ve solved the issue.
Check for Frozen Lines
More ice maker failures that could cause your ice maker to not make any ice are frozen water lines. The water lines might be blocked with frost. This is an easy problem to fix.
First, unplug the freezer and find the water shut off valve. Turn the water off and grab a hair dryer to warm the water line or just let the freezer sit without being on for a few hours and wait until the water line is thawed.
Some brands and models that have a water filter that can freeze or ice over. In these situations, locating the water filter is the first step. Then repeat what was done for the iced water line.
When an ice maker is not making large enough cubes of ice, there is a problem with the ice maker settings. To adjust the settings, take the top part of the cover of the ice maker off and locate a basic dial that displays plus and a minus signs. For this process, you could need a flat head screwdriver.
ADDITIONAL REFRIGERATOR RESOURCES
- Why is My Refrigerator Noisy?
- Refrigerator Water Dispenser Not Working
- Refrigerator Not Cooling
- How Does a Refrigerator Work?