United Lynn Appliance Repair is experienced in refrigerator repair in Lynn, including professional services to repair broken ice makers. Learn about some common ice maker problems below:
Refrigerator ice makers are possibly one of the greatest inventions of all time. This is a small luxury a lot of people might take for granted. Refrigerator ice makers are simple machines that do not feature a lot of components that will have problems.
As with any repair, there are some basic things that should be looked at before thinking the worst. And, it’s nice to know, if necessary, you are able to replace an ice maker without replacing the entire refrigerator, depending on the brand and model. First, let’s discuss some of the reasons for an ice maker not working.
When the ice maker is making ice but it isn’t dispensing it it is usually means there is a mechanical failure opposed to an electrical issue. This can happen when shifting things around in the freezer unit, you accidentally push or pull the control arm up or down. A lot of the time the ice maker will get jammed with something else, including a piece of ice. So, look to see if there’s ice or food blocking this part from operating properly.
Before beginning the process of clearing out the freezer, check that your ice maker is on. This can be done by moving the metal control arm down. Sometimes, moving food around in the freezer unit might put it in the off position. If the control arm is free, then there may be food or ice jammed inside of the ice maker or it’s not receiving a good connection.
Check the Control Arm
If the control arm is down and there is ice but it is not ejecting it, this could be a mechanical or electrical problem. This will need some more diagnosing. Ready to begin? First, we need to inspect the electrical connection. This can become unplugged from behind the freezer when moving or shifting the freezer contents.
To check this, first unplug the refrigerator and move it out from the kitchen wall. Turn off the water supply valve. Locate the valve on the back of the inside of the freezer. Basically this is what connects the ice maker into the freezer. Be sure that it’s plugged in the right way.
Next, remove all of the ice that’s in the ice maker itself. This can be done by adding a small amount of water to help get ice that’s inside of there out.
Once done, restore power to the fridge and turn on the ice maker. It could take the solenoid component a couple of seconds to react and fill the mold. When the mold is completely full, wait 4-5 hours to see if you’ve solved the issue.
Check for Frozen Lines
More ice maker problems that can cause your ice maker to not make ice are frozen lines. The water lines might be blocked with frost. This is a pretty simple fix.
First, unplug the fridge and locate the water shut off valve. Turn the water off and then grab a hair dryer to warm the line or just let the fridge sit turned off for a few hours and wait until the water line is thawed.
There are some models that feature a water filter that can clog or ice over. For these cases, 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 is a problem with the ice maker settings. To adjust the the ice maker settings, take the top part of the cover off and find a basic dial that has plus and a minus symbols. To do this, you could need a flat head screwdriver.
ADDITIONAL REFRIGERATOR RESOURCES
- Refrigerator Noisy
- Refrigerator Water Dispenser Not Working
- Refrigerator Not Cooling
- How Does a Refrigerator Work?