Why is there an ice or water dispensing problem?

WARNING!

To avoid personal injury or death, disconnect your appliance from its power source before you start any troubleshooting or repair work. Use caution when working inside any appliance.

Filter

The ice and water dispenser system for refrigerators is very complicated. There are many components working together that provide your ice and water. Make sure the household water is turned on to the ice maker, and make sure that there are no kinks in the water line.

Next, inspect the feeler arm of the ice maker and make sure that it is down and not blocked by any ice cubes. If it's raised, it has turned the ice maker off. This arm needs to be in the lowered position to activate the ice maker. An over-abundance of ice in the bin will make the arm stay up as a safety feature to keep the ice maker from making more ice than the bin can hold.

Icemaker Water Control Valve

The water filter may be plugged with sediment, or you may have low water pressure. The water pressure for ice makers needs to be at least 40 psi, and up to about 120 psi for proper operation. Water filters need to be changed every six months. If you would like to test your water pressure, we have an Ice Maker Water Flow Tester available from our website. This will help you to determine if the water pressure at the supply line is high enough for the ice maker to function properly.

To determine if your filter is plugged, look for water both before and after the filter. It may be hard to determine if there is water flowing through the filter. Sometimes it is necessary to pull the filter out of the feed line to see if water is flowing from the exit of the filter into the refrigerator or freezer. You can do this over a bucket to catch any dripping water. Some models have a filter bypass plug to help determine if the filter is clogged. If so, you would remove the filter and replace it with the filter bypass plug. Now test your water flow.

Water Flow Tester

If your refrigerator has a water dispenser, you can hold a large cup or glass under it for 20 seconds. You should have poured about 13-14 oz. of water in that 20 seconds. If the amount is less, try removing the filter and bypassing it. If you now get the 13-14 oz. of water, the filter was clogged and it's time to replace it. If not, you have low water pressure in the line, and your ice maker may not work properly. You can also purchase this Ice maker Water Flow Tester to determine if the water pressure at the supply line is high enough for the ice maker to function properly.

On occasion, the water inlet tube will freeze where it enters the ice maker. This can happen because the water is dripping slowly, or the freezer is just set too cold. A hair blow dryer can be used to thaw this, but be careful around the plastic tubing. You don't want it to crack or deform. You may want to turn the thermostat up a little bit if this is a regular occurrence. If you have a constant, regular drip, you may want to invest in a new water control valve.

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Ice Maker Repair Questions and Solutions
1. Can I add an ice maker to my refrigerator? 2. Why is there an ice or water dispensing problem? 3. Why don't I have any ice? 4. Why don't I get much ice or I get small cubes? 5. Why does my ice have a bad odor and taste? 6. Why isn't my new ice maker working?		7. Why doesn't my ice maker make ice? 8. Why won't my ice maker dispense ice? 9. Why are my ice cubes cloudy and discolored? 10. Why does my ice taste like plastic? 11. How long does it take to make a fresh batch of ice? 12. What is the cause of the white specks in my cubes?		13. Why do my ice cubes seem to shrink in my freezer? 14. Why isn't the indicator light lit or blinking? 15. Why is there a leak or drip from my ice maker? 16. What are the noises I hear from inside my freezer? 17. Why does my freezer door pop open when I close the refrigerator door? 18. How do I repair scratches on my refrigerator or freezer?

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