Oshkosh Appliance Repair provides refrigerator repair in Oshkosh, including professional services to repair ice makers that are not working. Learn about some common ice maker failures below:
Refrigerator ice makers are possibly one of the best inventions of all time. An ice maker is a little luxury most people might take for granted. Refrigerator ice makers are relatively simple machines that do not have a lot of complex parts that might have problems.
Like with any repair, there are some basic things that should be reviewed before assuming the worst. And, it’s nice to know, if needed, you can replace an ice maker without replacing the entire fridge, depending on the brand and model. First, let’s discuss some of the reasons for an ice maker not working.
When the ice maker is making ice but it is not ejecting the ice it is usually means there’s a mechanical failure versus an electrical failure. This can occur when reorganizing things around in the freezer, you could accidentally shift the control arm up or down. Often the ice maker can get jammed with something else, possibly a piece of ice. First, look to see if there’s anything blocking this from operating the right way.
Before beginning the steps of clearing out the freezer, check that your ice maker is turned on. This is done by moving the control arm in the down position. From time to time, moving things around in the freezer might put the switch in the off position. If the control arm is clear, then there could be food jammed inside the ice maker or it is not receiving a good connection.
Check the Control Arm
When the control is down and there is ice but it’s not dispensing it, there might be a mechanical or electrical problem. This will need a bit more diagnosing. Ready to begin? First, we have to check the electrical connection. This can become unplugged from behind the freezer or refrigerator when moving or shifting the food in the freezer.
To check this, unplug the refrigerator and pull it out from the kitchen wall. Then, turn off the freezer’s water supply. Locate the connection on the rear of the inside of the freezer. Essentially this is what connects the ice maker into the freezer unit. Be sure that it’s actually plugged in the right way.
Next, remove all of the ice that’s in the ice maker itself. This can be completed by pouring in a bit of water to help to get 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 a few seconds to engage and fill the mold. Once the mold is 100% full, wait around 4-5 hours to see if you have solved the issue.
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 might be clogged with frost. This is an easy issue to fix.
Unplug the freezer and locate the water shut off valve. Turn the water off and then grab a hair dryer to warm the water line or let the fridge sit turned off for a couple of hours until the water line is thawed.
Some models that feature a water filter that can freeze or ice up. In these cases, locating the water filter is the first step. Then repeat what was done for the frozen line.
When an ice maker is not making large enough pieces 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 basic dial that has plus and a minus signs. For this process, 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?