Why is My Refrigerator Ice Maker Not Working?
Foster Appliance Repair performs refrigerator repair service in Tennessee, including professional services to fix broken ice makers. Learn about common ice maker problems below:
Refrigerator ice makers are possibly one of the most convenient inventions ever. This is a little luxury most people might not appreciate. Refrigerator ice makers are simple machines that don’t feature a lot of components that could go wrong with them.
As with any repair, there are some basic things that need to be reviewed before assuming the worst. And, remember, if needed, you are able to replace the ice maker without replacing the entire refrigerator, depending on the model. First, let’s discuss some of the reasons for an ice maker breaking.
When the ice maker is making ice but it is not dispensing it it is usually a mechanical problem opposed to an electrical issue. This happens when moving food around in the freezer, you could accidentally push or pull the control lever up or down. Often the ice maker will get blocked with something else, even another chunk of ice. So, check to see if there’s anything blocking this from operating the right way.
Before starting the steps of clearing out the freezer, be sure your ice maker is on. This can be done by flipping the metal control arm in the down position. Sometimes, moving things around in the freezer unit might put the switch in the off position. If the control arm is clear, then there might be food stuck inside of the ice maker or it is not receiving a good connection.
Check the Control Arm
If the control is down and there is ice but it is not dispensing it, this could be an electrical or mechanical problem. This will require some more diagnosing. Ready to begin? First, we need to inspect the electrical connection. This could become unplugged from the rear of the freezer when shifting or moving the freezer contents.
To check this, unplug the refrigerator and move from the wall. Then, turn off the water supply valve. Locate the valve on the back of the inside of the freezer unit. Essentially this is what connects the ice maker into the freezer. Be sure that it’s actually plugged in correctly.
Then, remove any ice that’s inside of the ice maker itself. This can be completed by adding a bit of water to help get the ice that is inside of there out.
Once complete, restore power to the fridge and turn on the ice maker. It might take the solenoid component a few seconds to engage and fill the mold. After the mold is 100% full, wait around 4-5 hours or so to see if you have solved the problem.
Check for Frozen Lines
More ice maker failures that could cause your ice maker to not produce ice are frozen lines. The water lines could be blocked with frost. This is a pretty simple fix.
Unplug the freezer and find the water shut off valve. Turn the water off and grab a hair dryer to heat up the line or just let the freezer sit without being on for a couple of hours and wait until the line is thawed.
There are some models that feature a water filter that can clog or ice over. For these cases, finding the filter is the first step. Then repeat the same process that was done for the frozen water line.
If your ice maker is not making big enough pieces of ice, there is an issue with the settings. To adjust the settings, take the upper part of the cover off and locate a standard knob that has plus and a minus symbols. For this process, you may need a flat head screwdriver.
ADDITIONAL REFRIGERATOR RESOURCES
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