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Appliance Repair: What To Do When Your Ice Maker Won’t Make Ice?

During hot summer days, the ice machine is our best friend in the kitchen. But what if your ice machine suddenly stops making ice? What should you do? Well, my friend, you are in luck, because this article will help you to know why and what are the necessary steps to solve the problem.

So why isn’t your ice machine making ice?

1. Power connection
First of all, check if your machine is connected to the outlet, if it is, check if the outlet is working well and is transmitting electrical current. Then turn on your ice maker to check whether it is ok or not. The cable along the right side of the machine should be lowered as far as it will go. If it is in a raised position, your machine is off and will not make ice.

2. Correct freezer temperature
If the icemaker cord is properly seated and the power is on, proceed to check the freezer temperature. The temperature should be within the range of 0 to 8 degrees Fahrenheit. If it is above 10 to 12 degrees, your machine will not make ice.

For a newly installed ice machine, you will need up to 24 hours to let the machine run and cool down. A newly installed ice machine may not work until the ice mold temperature has dropped to approximately 15F – 16F degrees. If you just added a water line to the refrigerator, it can take up to about an hour and a half for the machine to start working. Also, a newly installed water line may have air in the line. Sometimes it can take a few ice making cycles to clear the air line.

3. Check the water source
Okay, to make ice, you need water. So make sure there is water flowing into the ice machine. Check for kinks in the tube and watch for frozen particles trapped inside the water tube. Also make sure the house water supply is turned on. Sometimes the water inlet valve can fail. If there is water in the ice maker, but it is not freezing, use a freezer thermometer to check that the temperature is low enough to freeze.

4. Check copper supply
Make sure the copper supply line to the refrigerator is turned on under the sink or comes from the basement.

After checking all the above factors and being sure the freezer is cold enough but still not producing ice, check and feel the bottom of the ice making unit. This place is normally cold for a smooth running ice machine. But if it’s hot or lukewarm, the small heating element inside may be clogged or damaged. This heating element, when turned on, melts the bottom of the cubes so they can be released and harvested by the ejector blades. In this case, you will need to replace this part to get your ice maker back in working order.

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