3 Possible Reasons Your Refrigerator's Ice Maker Isn't Working

It's aggravating when you want a glass of ice water and the ice maker in your refrigerator has stopped working. A few things can cause your ice maker to stop working, so you may need to call an appliance repair company to figure out what's wrong so repairs can be made.

First, make sure your ice maker isn't locked. If your refrigerator has the lock feature, look for the lock sign on your display. If it's on, turn off the lock to see if your ice maker starts working again. Here are three other problems that might cause your ice maker to stop working.

1. The Refrigerator Door Switch Is Bad

The door switch on your refrigerator keeps the ice maker from working when the refrigerator door is open. When the switch goes bad, the ice maker won't even work if the door is closed. The appliance repair professional can pull the switch out and test it with a multimeter to determine if it's bad.

Getting the switch out involves using a putty knife to pry it from the refrigerator lining. Once it's loose, the switch can be pulled out and disconnected from the wiring. If the multimeter shows the switch is bad, the repair professional can replace the switch with a new one.

2. The Freezer Isn't Cold Enough

If the temperature in the freezer is too high, the ice maker might not make any ice. One reason for your freezer not being cold enough is when the back of the refrigerator has accumulated dust on the coils. You might fix this problem yourself by pulling the refrigerator away from the wall and using a vacuum wand to clean dust and pet hair off of the refrigerator coil and fan area.

If that doesn't help, the fan itself could be bad and not create enough airflow. In that case, the repair professional can put in a new fan motor to get the freezer chilling properly again.

3. The Water Inlet Valve Is Faulty

The inlet valve controls the flow of water from the supply line to the ice maker. If it's bad, it has to be replaced. The problem might be electrical. To test this, the repair professional can use a multimeter to test the valve.

The valve can develop other problems too, such as clogging. Whether the problem is electrical or due to scale buildup, the valve has to be replaced so that water flows to the ice maker as it should.

The appliance repair professional might need to troubleshoot the refrigerator to look for other problems that led to the malfunction. The problem could be a water supply issue, electrical malfunction, or low airflow. Whatever it is, parts can be replaced as needed so you can have a steady supply of ice and fresh water when you need it. 

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