Tru Appliance Repair offers refrigerator repair in Newton, including services to repair broken ice makers. Learn about some common ice maker issues below:
Ice makers are possibly one of the greatest inventions ever. This is a small luxury many people certainly not appreciate. Ice makers are simple machines that don’t have a lot of complicated components that could go wrong with them.
As with any repair, there are some basic things that need to be looked at before thinking the worst. And, remember, if needed, you are able to replace your ice maker without replacing the entire fridge, dependent on the brand and model. First, let’s review a few of the causes for an ice maker not working.
When an ice maker is making ice but it isn’t dispensing the ice it is usually means there’s a mechanical issue versus an electrical failure. This can happen when reorganizing food around in the freezer unit, you could shift the control switch up or down. Often the ice maker will be jammed with something else, even another chunk of ice. So, check to see if there is ice or food blocking this from operating the right way.
Before beginning the steps of clearing out the freezer, check that the ice maker is on. This is done by pulling the control arm down. From time to time, moving things around in the freezer can put the control into the off position. If the the switch is free, then there may be food or ice jammed inside the ice maker or it’s not receiving a good connection.
Check the Control Arm
When the control is down and there’s ice but it is not dispensing it, there could be a mechanical or electrical problem. This is going to need a bit more troubleshooting. Ready to get started? First, we need to inspect the electrical connection. This could be unplugged from the back of the freezer when moving or shifting the freezer contents.
To inspect this, unplug the freezer and pull it out from the wall. Then, turn off the freezer’s water supply valve. Locate the valve on the rear of the inside of the freezer unit. Essentially this is what connects the ice maker into the freezer unit. Ensure that it’s actually plugged in correctly.
Next, remove any ice that’s inside of the ice maker itself. This can be done by adding a little water to help get any ice that’s in there out.
Once done, restore power to the refrigerator and turn on the ice maker. It may take the solenoid a couple of seconds to react and fill the mold. When the mold is 100% full, wait 4-5 hours or so to see if you have solved the issue.
Check for Frozen Lines
Other ice maker issues that may cause your ice maker to not produce any ice are frozen lines. The water lines have been blocked with frost. This is a pretty simple fix.
Unplug the freezer and find the shut off valve. Shut the water off and grab a hair dryer to warm the line or let the freezer sit shut off for a couple of hours until the water line is thawed.
Some brands and models that feature a water filter that can freeze or ice up. For these cases, finding the water filter is the first step. Then repeat the same process that was done for the iced line.
If your ice maker isn’t making large enough pieces of ice, there is a problem with the ice maker settings. To adjust the the ice maker settings, take the top part of the cover of the ice maker off and find a standard 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?