Gold Appliance Repair performs refrigerator repair in Fishers, including services to fix broken ice makers. Learn about some common ice maker failures below:
Ice makers are possibly one of the best inventions of all time. This is a little luxury a lot of people certainly not appreciate. Ice makers are simple machines that don’t feature a lot of complicated components that might cause problems.
Like with any appliance repair, there are some basic things that need to be reviewed before assuming the worst. And, remember, if necessary, you can replace your ice maker without replacing an entire fridge, depending on the model. First, let’s discuss a couple of the causes for an ice maker failure.
If an ice maker is making ice but it is not dispensing the ice cubes it is usually means there is a mechanical problem opposed to an electrical issue. This can occur when moving food around in the freezer unit, you could push or pull the control arm up or down. Often the ice maker will be blocked with something else, including a chunk of ice. So, look to see if there’s something blocking this part from operating correctly.
Before beginning the process of clearing out the freezer, ensure the ice maker is on. This can be done by pulling the metal control arm in the down position. Sometimes, moving things around in the freezer unit might put the switch into the off position. If the control arm is free, then there might be ice jammed inside of the ice maker or it’s not getting a good connection.
Check the Control Arm
If the control is down and there’s ice but it is not dispensing it, there could be a mechanical or electrical issue. This will require a bit more troubleshooting. Ready to proceed? First, we must inspect the electrical connection. This can be unplugged from the rear of the freezer when moving or shifting the food in the freezer.
To inspect this, first unplug the fridge and pull it out away from the kitchen wall. Turn off the water supply. Locate the connection on the rear of the inside of the freezer. Basically this is what plugs the ice maker into the freezer unit. Ensure that it’s plugged in correctly.
After that, remove any ice that is inside of the ice maker itself. This can be accomplished by pouring in a bit of water to help to get any ice that’s in there out.
Once complete, turn on the power to the refrigerator and turn on the ice maker. It could take the solenoid a few seconds to react and fill the mold. When 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 problems that could cause your ice maker to not produce any ice are frozen water lines. The water lines could be blocked with frost. This is an easy fix.
Unplug the freezer and locate the shut off valve. Shut the water off and then grab a hair dryer to heat up the water line or just let the fridge sit shut off 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 up. For these situations, locating the filter is the first step. Then repeat the same process that was done for the frozen line.
If an ice maker isn’t making large enough pieces of ice, there’s a problem with the ice maker settings. To adjust the settings, take the upper part of the cover of the ice maker off and find a standard dial that displays plus and a minus symbols. 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?