Tru Trenton Appliance Repair is experienced in refrigerator repair in Trenton, including professional services to fix broken ice makers. Learn about common ice maker problems below:
Ice makers are one of the most convenient inventions of all time. An ice maker is a small luxury most people might not appreciate. Ice makers are relatively simple machines that do not have a lot of complex parts that will go wrong with them.
As with any appliance repair, there are a few basic things that need to be looked at before thinking the worst. And, it’s nice to know, if necessary, you can replace the ice maker without replacing an entire refrigerator, depending on the model. First, let’s take a look at a couple of the causes for an ice maker failure.
If an ice maker is making ice but it isn’t ejecting it it is usually a mechanical problem vs. an electrical issue. This can occur when reorganizing things around in the freezer unit, you accidentally push or pull the control switch up or down. Often the ice maker will get jammed with something, even another piece of ice. First, check to see if there’s ice or food blocking this part from working properly.
Before beginning the process of clearing out the freezer, check that your ice maker is turned on. This is done by flipping the metal control arm down. Sometimes, moving things around in the freezer may put it in the off position. If the control arm is free, then there might be food or ice stuck inside of 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’s not dispensing it, this could be a mechanical or electrical issue. This will need a bit more troubleshooting. Ready to proceed? First, we have to check the electrical connection. This can be unplugged from the rear of the freezer when shifting or moving the freezer contents.
To inspect this, unplug the fridge and pull it out away from the kitchen wall. Then, turn off the freezer’s water supply valve. 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 is actually plugged in the right way.
Next, remove any ice that’s inside of the ice maker. This can be accomplished by adding a small amount of water to help to get the ice that is in there out.
Once this is done, turn on the power to the fridge and then turn on the ice maker. It might take the solenoid a few seconds to react and fill the mold. When the mold is completely full, wait around 4-5 hours to see if you’ve cleared the problem.
Check for Frozen Lines
More ice maker failures that can cause your ice maker to not produce ice are frozen water lines. The water lines have been blocked with frost. This is a pretty simple fix.
Unplug the fridge and locate the water shut off valve. Turn the water off and then get 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 water line is thawed.
Some brands and models that feature a water filter that can freeze or ice over. In these situations, locating the water filter is the first step. Then repeat what was done for the iced line.
When your 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 of the ice maker off and find a basic dial that displays 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?