Key Glendale Appliance Repair performs refrigerator repair in Glendale, including services to repair broken ice makers. Learn about some common ice maker problems below:
Refrigerator ice makers are one of the greatest inventions ever. This is a small luxury many people might take for granted. Ice makers are relatively simple machines that don’t have a lot of parts that can cause issues.
As with any repair, there are a few basic things that need to be looked at before assuming the worst. And, it’s good to know, if needed, you are able to replace an ice maker without replacing the entire refrigerator, depending on the brand and model. First, let’s take a look at a couple of the reasons for an ice maker failure.
When your ice maker is making ice but it is not ejecting it it is usually means there is a mechanical issue opposed to an electrical issue. This happens when shifting food around in the freezer unit, you push or pull the control arm up or down. Most of the time the ice maker will get blocked with something, possibly a chunk of ice. First, check to see if there’s something blocking this part from working properly.
Before starting the process of clearing out the freezer, ensure your ice maker is turned on. This can be done by flipping the metal control arm in the down position. Sometimes, moving food around in the freezer may put it into the off position. If the the switch is free, then there could be ice jammed inside of the ice maker or it is not receiving a good connection.
Check the Control Arm
If the switch is down and there is ice but it is not ejecting it, there might be an electrical or mechanical failure. This will require some more diagnosing. Ready to get started? First, we must inspect the electrical connection. This can become unplugged from the back of the freezer or refrigerator when moving or shifting the food in the freezer.
To check this, first unplug the refrigerator and move it out from the wall. Then, turn off the water supply. Locate the valve on the back of the inside of the freezer. Basically this is what connects the ice maker into the freezer unit. Ensure that it’s actually plugged in properly.
Then, remove any ice that is in the ice maker. This can be done by adding a small amount of water to help get any ice that is in there out.
Once this is done, restore power to the fridge and then turn on the ice maker. It could take the solenoid component a few seconds to engage and fill the mold. After the mold is 100% full, wait around 4-5 hours to see if you have solved the problem.
Check for Frozen Lines
More ice maker problems that can cause your ice maker to not make any ice are frozen lines. The water lines have been blocked with frost. This is an easy issue to fix.
Unplug the fridge and find the shut off valve. Shut the water off and grab a hair dryer to warm the water line or just let the freezer sit shut off for a couple of hours and wait until the water line is thawed.
There are some brands and models that have a water filter that can freeze or ice over. In these cases, locating the water filter is the first step. Then repeat the same process that was done for the frozen water line.
If your ice maker isn’t making large enough cubes of ice, there’s an issue 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 simple dial that has plus and a minus signs. 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?
