Check out some of the common reasons listed below, which may help you figure out why your ice maker stopped working right or isn’t making enough ice. There are also some simple fixes you can try on your own.
The Ice Maker doesn’t Work or doesn’t Make Enough Ice
Clogged Water Filter
Cause: Your filter works hard to remove contaminants from your water, but over time it can get clogged up with particles it has caught. If the filter is clogged, less water can get to the ice maker. This can slow or stop the ice maker from making ice.
Solution: Make sure to change the water filter in your refrigerator every six months, and look out for signs that the filter is getting old. Some signs are water or ice that tastes funny, water that comes out slowly, black spots in water or ice, and, of course, little or no ice production.
Defective Water Inlet Valve
Cause: If your water filter is up to date, it could be the water inlet valve for your ice maker. When the water pressure is right, the valve opens and closes to let water into the ice maker. If the pressure on a valve is less than 20 pounds per square inch (psi), it won’t be strong enough to let the right amount of water into the ice maker.
Solution: First, use your own tools or ask a professional to check the water pressure going into the valve. If the pressure is high enough, at least 20 psi, you may need to replace the water inlet valve.
Refrigerator or Freezer Compartment is too Warm
Cause: If the refrigerator or freezer temperature is set too high, your ice maker may not be able to keep up with the amount of ice it is supposed to make. This could lead to slow ice production, cubes that are too small, or no ice production at all.
Solution: Check the temperature of the refrigerator and freezer. The freezer should be set to 0°F (-18°C), and the refrigerator should be between 33°F and 40°F (0–4°C).
Control Arm Mispositioned
Cause: On some models, the ice maker’s control arm is a big plastic or metal handle that rests on the side or top of the ice bin. It measures how much ice is in the bin and stops making ice when the bin is full. If the control arm comes loose, breaks, or gets pushed into the “off” position by accident, it could stop making ice.
Solution: Make sure the control arm is in the “on” position by checking it. If the arm seems loose, tighten it. If the arm is completely broken, call a professional.
Frozen Water Inlet Tube
Cause: A frozen water line can happen when the temperature in the freezer or refrigerator is too low or when the insulation around the water line isn’t doing its job to keep it from freezing.
Solution: The water line is behind the ice maker, so to get to it you usually have to take out the whole ice maker and bin. You can use warm water or air to unfreeze the waterline at home, but it’s best to let a professional do it because they have special tools that make the job easier.
The Ice Maker doesn’t Work or doesn’t Make Enough Ice
Ice Clump in the Bin
Cause: The auger inside the bin of your ice maker is meant to break up clumps of ice that form, but if you don’t use your ice maker very often, the ice may get too big for the auger to handle. This is probably why your ice maker makes a loud grinding sound when you try to use it.
Solution: Small chunks of ice can be broken up or taken out with your hands, but larger or more solid chunks may need to be taken out of the ice bin and melted completely.
Ice Clump in the Chute
Cause: Ice that comes out at odd angles can temporarily block the chute, and big chunks that aren’t broken up enough can completely block it. Bend down and carefully look up into the chute to see if there is ice stuck in the dispenser.
Solution: If you see a bunch of loose cubes, jiggle them to get them to fall out. If the ice in the chute seems stuck, you should put a catch under the dispenser and let the ice melt on its own. This helps keep the chute from getting dinged up or broken if the ice is chipped away at.
Frozen auger motor
Cause: Ice makers that don’t get used much may have parts, like the auger motor behind the freezer wall, that freeze over. If the auger is frozen, it might not be able to move new cubes toward the chute, so you might only be able to get a few cubes before the ice maker stops making ice.
Solution: Defrosting the auger motor can be hard on the motor, and the melting water could damage it, so it’s best to call a professional for help getting everything back to normal.
Too Much Ice is Being Made by the Ice Machine
The ice bin isn’t in the right place
Cause: If the ice bin is not in the right place, ice may miss the bucket when it comes out of the mold, making it look like ice is overflowing.
Solution: Make sure the bin is in the right place so that it can catch any ice that falls from the mold above.
Broken Control Arm
Cause: The control arm of your ice maker probably looks like a large plastic or metal handle that rests on the side or top of the ice bin. Its job is to raise with the ice level or sense when the bin is full and turn off the ice maker. If the control arm is broken or damaged, it might not tell the ice maker to stop making ice, leaving you with a lot of extra cubes to clean up.
Solution: Check to see if the control arm is attached well and doesn’t have any cracks or breaks. If it looks broken, call a professional to help figure out what’s wrong and replace or fix it.
Missing shelf
Cause: Some fridge models may need a shelf to raise the ice bin and make it easier for the control arm to see how much ice is in the bin. If your refrigerator doesn’t have this shelf, the ice maker may work too much.
Solution: Check your refrigerator’s user manual or use and care guide to make sure all the shelves are there. If you need a replacement, call the manufacturer.
The Ice has an Odd Taste
Expired Water Filter
Cause: A worn-out water filter is one of the most common reasons why ice and water taste funny. The filter catches dirt and dust, but if it isn’t taken care of properly, it could get too full of dirt and dust to do its job well. Your filter is an important part of making sure that your water supply doesn’t give your ice strange tastes.
Solution: Change your water filter every 6 months as part of a regular maintenance schedule to avoid the strange taste and contaminants that come with water filters that have been used for too long.
Old Ice Cubes
Cause: Ice that has been in the freezer for a long time is more likely to be contaminated than ice that has just been put in. Ice that has picked up smells from food in the fridge or freezer can also go bad.
Solution: If you don’t plan to use the ice maker often, try getting rid of old ice and slowly moving the ice around.
Poorly Wrapped Freezer Items
Cause: When you put food in the freezer that isn’t well wrapped, especially if it’s next to the ice bin, the ice can pick up smells from the food as it goes from fresh to frozen.
Solution: Use materials that can go in the freezer to package and wrap frozen foods. This will help frozen food keep its quality longer and keep ice cubes from getting smelly.
The Ice Maker is Leaking
Jammed Ice Clumps
Cause: Ice clumps can form in the ice bin or the dispenser chute for a number of reasons. This can lead to a leak if the temperatures in the compartments change or if the ice in the chute comes in contact with warmer air from outside the fridge.
Solution: Use a long plastic or wooden handle, like a spatula, to break up clogs in hard-to-reach places. Some clumps of ice might be too big or stuck to break up without hurting the unit. In this case, take out the ice bin and let it defrost, or if ice is stuck in the dispenser, put a towel and dish under the chute and let the ice melt on its own.
Unlevel refrigerator or ice maker
Cause: Ice in your refrigerator may melt a little bit if the temperature inside the compartment changes. If your refrigerator isn’t balanced, melted ice might not be able to get to the drain that’s supposed to take it away. This could cause water to leak into the ice bin or go somewhere else.
Solution: First, use a leveler to make sure the floor of the ice maker is level. If the results show any misalignment, you may need to reinstall the ice maker to make sure it’s level or adjust the refrigerator feet if the whole unit isn’t level.
Misaligned Fill Valve and Cup
Cause: Your ice maker has a water spigot near the tray that fills the fill cup, or ice tray. If the spigot and fill cup aren’t lined up right, water might not get into the fill cup but instead leak right into the icemaker. This water pools and might leak out of the bin before it can freeze.
Solution: Find the fill valve on your ice maker and make sure the fill cup is right under the valve’s spigot.
The Ice Cubes Made by the Ice Machine are too Small
Poor water flow
Cause: If the ice maker doesn’t get enough water, the trays might not fill up all the way, so the cubes might be small, hollow, or in an odd shape.
Solution: There may be more than one reason why water doesn’t flow well, but each one is usually easy to fix. First, make sure your water filter is up-to-date so that it doesn’t get clogged and slow the flow of water. Next, check again to make sure that the water line behind the fridge isn’t bent or kinked. Lastly, use a leveler to make sure that your refrigerator and ice maker are both level so that the water in the ice tray is spread out evenly.
Improper temperatures
Cause: If the refrigerator or freezer temperature is too high, your ice maker might not be able to make as much ice as it should. On the other hand, if the temperature is too low, your ice cubes might be small or hollow. When the temperature in the freezer drops below -10°F, ice cubes can freeze too quickly on the outside. This can cause the thermostat in the ice maker to throw out the cubes before they are completely frozen in the middle.
Solution: Make sure your freezer is set to 0°F (-18°C) and your refrigerator is between 33°F and 40°F (0–4°C).
The Ice Maker Itself is Frozen
The Temperature in the Fridge is too Low
Cause: If your fridge is freezing, the water inlet tube to your ice maker may freeze. This makes it hard for liquid to flow through and fill the ice trays. This may happen to you more often when it’s unusually cold outside.
Solution: Set the thermostat on your fridge to between 33°F and 40°F (0°C and 4°C), and set the thermostat on your freezer to 0°F (-18°C). Give both parts 24 hours to get used to their new temperatures and start to thaw the ice maker and the tube that goes into it.
Frozen Water Inlet Tube
Cause: Even if the fridge or freezer is set to the right temperature, the water inlet tube could freeze. This would stop the ice maker from working before it could even start.
Solution: The water inlet tube is at the back of the ice maker. Warm air or water can be used to defrost it. You might be able to unfreeze the waterline yourself, but it’s best to let a professional figure out what’s wrong and fix it.