Houston Appliance Repair NOW provides refrigerator repair in Houston, including professional services to fix ice makers that aren’t working. Learn about common ice maker problems below:
Ice makers are one of the greatest inventions ever. An ice maker is a little luxury most people take for granted. Ice makers are simple machines that don’t feature a lot of complex parts that can go wrong with them.
Like with any repair, there are basic things that need to be looked at before thinking the worst. And, remember, if needed, you can replace the ice maker without replacing an entire refrigerator, depending on the model. First, let’s discuss a few of the causes for an ice maker not working.
When the ice maker is making ice but it is not dispensing the ice cubes it is usually means there is a mechanical problem versus an electrical failure. This can occur when moving things around in the freezer, you might jam the control switch up or down. Often the ice maker might get jammed with something, possibly a chunk of ice. So, look to see if there’s ice or food blocking this part from operating correctly.
Before starting the steps of clearing out the freezer, check that your ice maker is on. This can be done by pulling the control arm in the down position. Sometimes, moving food around in the freezer unit can put it into the off position. If the control arm is free, then there could be ice jammed 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 is not dispensing it, there could be a mechanical or electrical problem. This is going to require some more diagnosing. Ready to get started? First, we have to inspect the electrical connection. This could be unplugged from the back of the freezer when shifting or moving the freezer contents.
To check this, first unplug the refrigerator and move from the wall. Turn off the freezer’s water supply. Locate the connection on the rear of the inside of the freezer. Essentially this is what plugs the ice maker into the freezer unit. Be sure that it is actually plugged in properly.
Next, remove all of the ice that is in the ice maker. This can be accomplished by adding a little water to help to get the ice that is inside of there out.
Once this is done, restore power to the fridge and then turn on the ice maker. It may take the solenoid a few seconds to engage and fill the mold. After the mold is completely full, wait 4-5 hours or so to see if you have cleared the problem.
Check for Frozen Lines
Other ice maker issues that might cause your ice maker to not produce any ice are frozen water lines. The water lines could be clogged with frost. This is an easy fix.
Unplug the refrigerator and find the water shut off valve. Turn the water off and then get a hair dryer to warm the water line or let the refrigerator sit turned off for a couple of hours and wait until the line is thawed.
Some models that have a water filter that can clog or ice up. In these cases, finding the water filter is the first step. Then repeat what was done for the iced water line.
If an ice maker isn’t making large enough cubes of ice, there is an issue 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. For this process, 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?
