Ice Maker Repair
What To Do If Your Ice Maker Stops Making Ice
An ice maker is a handy device. Even if you don’t need perfect and fresh ice at your first demand, it’s nice to have it. Just put a glass into a fridge door and you will get a couple of ideal ice cubes — it’s the definition of class. Unfortunately, sometimes ice makers don’t work the way we expect. Generally speaking, an ice maker is a very simple device. The tap water fills up the ice tray. Ice cubes get frozen and dropped from the tray to your ice bunker and further to the automatic ice chute. But sometimes your ice maker can do anything except for making ice. Probably it has stopped trying at all or it tries to make ice, but something prevents it from doing so. No matter the problem, an ice maker has many parts and possible ways of correction. Most people can troubleshoot an ice maker alone, without calling a specialist and giving up on ice. In this article, you will find a detailed review of many ice maker repair methods for a situation when it has stopped making ice.
Ice Maker Reset
The first and the best step to correct the fault is to power off the ice maker. All ice makers are different, so the steps to restart it are also different. Ice makers equipped with a control panel may have a simple reset button to turn off the power and set the settings to default. Smaller models without a control panel may require just moving the filler up and down. You can also try to reset the defaults by turning the fridge or ice maker off and on again. Ice maker reset returns it to the default settings and default program. Ice making should continue soon after reset.
Clean Ice Box
Another common reason for the empty ice chute is the ice trapped in the box. Some ice pieces can melt and freeze up again forming huge ice blocks, or there are only tiny pieces at the bottom too small to be taken out. This problem usually happens with people who take ice rarely (the basket is overfilled and gets frozen with ice) or too often (nothing but ice chips). The solution is one – clean the ice basket. Some people just level the upper part, but it’s better to take out and clean off the remaining ice chips and flakes from the ice basket. If the plastic has a musty smell, add white vinegar to a regular wash with warm water and soap. It may sound weird but a clean ice basket can solve most of the common troubles with an ice maker.
Check Temperature in Freezer
Put a small metal thermometer into the freezer. The freezer thermostat may be working incorrectly. Sometimes there’s no ice because it never melts completely. This can be caused by insufficient freezer cooling and inability to fully freeze up. You can detect that issue with a separate thermometer placed into the freezer for a few hours. If your freezer is too warm, you have a few things to do. Make sure the air hole of the condenser coil (where the cold air comes from) is not blocked with boxes or bags in the freezer. In the same sure the air hole between the freezer and fridge is not blocked on any of the two sides. Reduce the temperature on the dial in the fridge/freezer. After that, consider cleaning the condenser coils. Excessive dust on coils may reduce the amount of cold produced in your fridge or freezer. Condenser coils are usually installed behind or under the fridge and they always get dusty over time.
Turn Off Ice Tray
Another possible reason is the ice got stuck to the tray. If you ever used a manual ice tray, you should know that ice pieces stick to the tray even after taking out the ice. Sometimes the ice just won’t come off the mold. Some ice molds get heated to release the ice, but others don’t have this feature. The possible reason for the ice sticking is some dirt that stays on the mold surface. So the best way to free the ice tray is to clean it. Our technicians recommend pouring a cup of hot water to the frozen ice maker tray. This would melt the ice and everything that causes ice sticking. Wipe off the ice tray to make sure it doesn’t have any remaining chips or trash. Then clean the ice basket and start your ice maker again.
Check Water Supply
If your ice maker is totally fine, the problem could be with the water supply. Obviously, your ice maker cannot make ice without water to freeze. So trace your water pipe back. Check it for any clogs, faults, or issues with the filter. For example, hose kinks can block the water supply and leave the ice tray empty. Clogs and water locks can block the water supply just like a shutoff water valve behind the fridge. Check the water line for any actual problems you can see, inspect and correct.
Replace Water Filter
In the end, check the water filter. If you replaced your filter more than 6 months ago (or just noticed that you have a water filter), it’s time to replace it. Just like an old air filter, an old water filter can get clogged. When it happens, it slows down the water flow drastically as the water always goes through the filter. It helps to protect your family: drink filtered water and use filtered ice only. But if the water filter is clogged, it stops the water supply and ice making. The only thing you need to sort it out is to replace the water filter. When everything is settled and ready for work, we also recommend resetting the filter indicator and restarting the ice maker.