Las Cruces Appliance Repair provides refrigerator repair in Las Cruces, including services to repair broken ice makers. Learn about some common ice maker failures below:
Ice makers are possibly one of the most convenient inventions ever. An ice maker is a little luxury a lot of people might take for granted. Refrigerator ice makers are relatively simple machines that do not feature a lot of complicated components that might cause problems.
Like with any appliance repair, there are basic things that should be looked at before thinking the worst. And, it’s nice to know, if necessary, you can replace an ice maker without replacing an entire fridge, dependent on the brand and model. First, let’s review some of the causes for an ice maker failure.
If an ice maker is making ice but it isn’t dispensing the ice cubes it is usually means there’s a mechanical issue vs. an electrical problem. This can occur when shifting things around in the freezer unit, you could jam the control lever up or down. Often the ice maker can get jammed with something else, including a piece of ice. So, look to see if there’s something blocking this part from operating properly.
Before starting the steps of clearing out the freezer, ensure 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 unit might put it into the off position. If the control arm is clear, then there could be ice stuck inside of the ice maker or it is not getting a good connection.
Check the Control Arm
If the control arm is down and there is ice but it’s not ejecting it, this could be an electrical or mechanical problem. This is going to need a bit more troubleshooting. Ready to proceed? First, we have to check the electrical connection. This can become unplugged from the rear of the freezer when moving or shifting the freezer contents.
To inspect this, first unplug the fridge and pull it out from the wall. Then, turn off the freezer’s water supply. Locate the valve on the back of the inside of the freezer unit. Essentially this is what plugs the ice maker into the freezer. Be sure that it is actually plugged in properly.
After that, remove all of the ice that’s inside of the ice maker. This can be completed by adding a small amount of water to help to get the ice that is in there out.
Once done, turn on the power to the fridge and turn on the ice maker. It could take the solenoid a couple of seconds to react and fill the mold. After the mold is 100% full, wait around 4-5 hours to see if you’ve solved the problem.
Check for Frozen Lines
More ice maker issues that will cause your ice maker to not make ice are frozen water lines. The water lines could be clogged with frost. This is a pretty simple fix.
Unplug the refrigerator and find the water shut off valve. Turn the water off and then grab a hair dryer to heat up the line or let the refrigerator sit shut off for a few hours until the water line is thawed.
There are some brands and models that feature a water filter that can freeze or ice over. In these situations, finding the water filter is the first step. Then repeat the same process that was done for the frozen water line.
When your ice maker is not making large enough pieces of ice, there’s an issue with the ice maker settings. To adjust the settings, take the upper part of the cover off and locate a standard knob that has plus and a minus symbols. To do this, 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?