A fridge ice maker not making ice has one of seven causes, and five of them are outside the ice maker itself: it is switched off, the freezer is too warm, no water is reaching it, the fill tube is frozen or a cube has jammed the mechanism. Only when those are ruled out is the ice maker unit or its control at fault.
This guide is for the ice makers built into refrigerators and freezers, of any make. It gives the checks in the order a technician does them, explains what each result means, and tells you where to stop. Each cause has its own more detailed guide, linked as you go. If you have a free-standing or commercial machine, see commercial ice machine not making ice or portable and countertop ice makers.
OrderCauseHow to tellWho fixes it
1Switched offIce Off on the display, a switch on the unit, or the wire arm latched upYou
2Freezer not cold enoughThermometer reads warmer than about minus 15 degrees C. Ice cream softYou, if it is a setting or airflow. Technician if it is a cooling fault
3No water supplyDoor water dispenser weak or dead as wellYou: tap, line, filter
4Frozen fill tubeDispenser works, ice maker dry, ice visible in the tubeYou can thaw it. The cause may need a technician
5Ice jamA cube stuck in the ejector or under the armYou
6Not been given enough timeNew fridge, new filter, or just switched onYou: wait 24 hours
7Inlet valve failedSupply good, no water at the ice maker, no click or buzzTechnician
8Ice maker unit failedCold freezer, water available, will not cycle on testTechnician
9Wiring or control boardNo power at the ice makerTechnician
Go through one to six before booking anyone. They cost nothing, and they are the answer more often than not.
A fridge ice maker is a small machine with one job, repeated every hour or two. Knowing the cycle tells you which stage has stopped.
1
It checks the binA wire arm, a plastic paddle or an optical beam senses whether the ice bin is full. If it is, the ice maker waits.
2
It fillsThe control opens an electric water valve at the back of the fridge for a few seconds. Water runs up a narrow tube and into a mould.
3
It freezesCold air from the freezer freezes the water. This takes most of the cycle.
4
It senses that the ice is readyA thermostat or sensor in the mould waits until it reaches a set temperature, well below freezing.
5
It harvestsEither a small heater loosens the cubes and rotating fingers sweep them out, or a motor twists a flexible tray so the cubes crack free and fall.
6
It starts againIf the bin is not full.
If this failsYou see
Bin sensing stuck at fullNo ice, mould may be full of ice or empty
FillEmpty mould, no ice
FreezeWater or slush in the mould, never harvested
Ready sensingSolid cubes sitting in the mould indefinitely
HarvestSolid cubes in the mould, perhaps part ejected
Power or controlNothing happens at all
So look in the mould first. Empty, full of water, or full of ice: each points to a different half of the list.
Take the ice bin out and look at the ice maker with a torch. What is in the mould narrows the fault at once.
What you seeWhat it meansGo to
Mould empty and dryNo water is arriving, or the ice maker is not calling for itChecks 1, 3 and 4
Mould full of solid ice, not ejectedIt froze and did not harvest: arm up, freezer marginal, sensor or motor fault, or switched off mid-cycleChecks 1, 2 and 5, then the unit
Mould holding water or slushFreezer not cold enough, or the ice maker has only just filledCheck 2. Look again in two hours
Small, thin or hollow cubesToo little water per fillCheck 3
Cubes stuck half out, fingers pointing upJamCheck 5
Ice maker and the area round it coated in frostAir leak into the ice compartmentThe freezing-up section
Ice in the tube at the backFrozen fill tubeCheck 4
Ice in the bin, none dispensed at the doorNot an ice-making faultNot dispensing If the bin is full and no more ice is being made, nothing is wrong. Use some ice and the cycle resumes.
Ice makers get switched off for cleaning, for holidays and by accident, and there are four different ways it can happen depending on the fridge.
Type of controlWhere it isOn looks like
Display settingIce On/Off, Ice Maker, or an ice icon on the door or internal panelIce Off not lit. Some need the button held for three seconds
Switch on the ice makerA small rocker or slide switch on the unit's face or sidePressed to I or On
Wire shut-off armA metal arm beside the ice makerDown. Lifted and latched up means off
Paddle or optical sensorA plastic flag, or two small windows either side of the bin areaPaddle free to drop. Windows not blocked by ice or a bag of food
AppOn connected fridgesIce making enabled
Check a child lock or control lock is not on. A padlock icon means the panel is locked and the dispenser will not respond.
Check the ice bin is pushed fully home. Many ice makers will not run with the bin out of position.
On fridges with two ice makers, each has its own control.
Check that Sabbath, holiday or demo mode is not set. In demo mode the lights work and nothing cools.
If you find it was off, switch it on and allow several hours for the first batch and a day for a full bin.
An ice maker does not have its own cooling. It depends on the freezer, and it is deliberately designed not to cycle until its mould is well below freezing. A freezer running a few degrees warm keeps food frozen and makes no ice.
1
Put a fridge-freezer thermometer in the freezer near the ice makerLeave it for several hours with the door shut.
2
Read itThe target is about minus 18 degrees C. Most ice makers stop cycling somewhere warmer than about minus 12 to minus 15.
3
Check the settingIt may have been turned up. Set it to minus 18, or one step colder.
4
Check the simple causes of a warm freezerSee the table.
5
Wait 24 hours and look againFreezers change temperature slowly.
Cause of a marginal freezerSignFix
Door or drawer not closing fullyA box or bag in the way, frost round the openingRearrange. Check the seal
Air vents blocked by foodFreezer packed solid, especially against the back wallLeave gaps for air
Nearly empty freezerTemperature swings each time the door opensNormal. It recovers
Dirty condenserDust on the coil at the back or underneath, fridge running constantlyVacuum the coil
Hot locationFridge in a garage, balcony or unventilated cupboardVentilate or move it
Door seal wornPaper slides out easily when shut in the doorNew seal
Frost covering the back wallDefrost system faultTechnician
Freezer fan not runningNo air movement insideTechnician
Compressor or sealed system faultWhole fridge warmTechnician
If the freezer cannot reach minus 18 at its coldest setting, the fridge has a cooling fault and the ice maker is only the first symptom. More in our guide to an ice maker not freezing or cold.
If the fridge has a water dispenser in the door, it is your test gauge. The dispenser and the ice maker share the same supply line, filter and valve body.
DispenserIce makerWhere the fault is
Strong flowMakes iceNo fault
Strong flowNo ice, mould dryIce maker side: frozen fill tube, the ice maker's valve outlet, or no fill signal
Weak flowSmall or no cubesShared restriction: filter, tap part closed, kinked line, low pressure
No flowNo iceSupply off, line blocked or frozen, filter blocked, valve failed
No dispenser fittedNo iceCheck the supply tap and line directly
1
Find the supply tapBehind the fridge, under the sink or in the next cabinet. Open it fully.
2
Check the line behind the fridgeA kink formed when the fridge was pushed back is a common cause.
3
Check the filterIf the light is on or it is more than six months old, replace it. As a test, many fridges will run with a bypass plug in place of the filter.
4
Time the dispenserFill a measuring jug for ten seconds. Makers' figures vary, but well under a cupful suggests a restriction.
5
If there has been plumbing work or a water shutdownRun two or three litres through the dispenser to clear air.
Low building pressure affects ice makers before anything else. The valve needs a minimum pressure, commonly given as about 20 psi, or 1.4 bar, to open fully and to shut cleanly. More in our guide to an ice maker not filling with water.
The fill tube is the last few centimetres of pipe that deliver water into the mould. It enters from the back or top of the ice maker and sits in freezing air. It should be empty between fills. If it is plugged with ice, no water gets through, even though the valve clicks.
1
Find the tubeA white or grey plastic or rubber spout, about a finger's width, above or behind the mould.
2
Look into its end with a torchIce in it, or an icicle hanging from it, confirms the blockage.
3
Switch the ice maker offAnd unplug the fridge if you can manage without it for a few minutes.
4
Thaw the tubeA hair dryer on low, held well back and kept moving, for a few minutes. Or a turkey baster of warm water squirted into the tube, with a towel below. Do not use anything sharp, and do not overheat the plastic.
5
Dry up, switch on and waitFor the next fill.
Why it frozeWhat to do about it
Inlet valve not closing cleanly, letting drips throughReplace the valve. This is the usual reason a tube refreezes within a week or two
Low water pressureThe valve seats poorly and the fill dribbles. Improve the pressure, change the filter
Clogged filterSame effect. New filter
Freezer set much colder than neededSet to minus 18
Tube out of position or its insulation missingRefit
On in-door ice makers, the fridge door left ajarCheck the door closes and seals
Thawing gets you ice. Finding out why it froze keeps it. A tube that freezes again within a fortnight has a dripping valve in most cases.
A single cube in the wrong place can stop an ice maker indefinitely. It sits mid-cycle, waiting for something that cannot happen.
Look for a cube wedged under the ejector fingers or between the mould and the stripper, the comb the fingers pass through.
Look for cubes piled up under the shut-off arm, holding it up.
On twist-tray types, look for cubes frozen to the tray after an incomplete twist.
On optical types, look for frost or a stray cube blocking the sensor windows.
Check the bin is not overfull at one side, tripping the sensor early.
1
Switch the ice maker off
2
Free the stuck cube by handOr pour a little warm water over it to release it. Catch the water with a towel.
3
Do not turn the ejector fingers by forceThe gears are small and plastic.
4
Level the ice in the bin
5
Switch back onThe cycle should complete and restart within a few hours.
If the mould is full of solid cubes and nothing is jammed, the ice maker is not harvesting. That is either the bin signal, a freezer that is not quite cold enough, or a fault in the unit.
SituationHow long to allow
New fridge, or fridge just plugged inThe freezer has to reach temperature first. Allow 24 hours before expecting ice
Ice maker just switched onSeveral hours for the first batch, 24 hours for a full bin
Water just connectedAir in the line can make the first one or two fills fail. Run the dispenser, then wait
Filter just changedRun two or three litres through the dispenser. The first batches may be small or cloudy. Discard them
After a power cutUp to a day. The ice maker may also have stopped mid-cycle and need a reset
After defrosting or thawing a tubeA few hours
A typical fridge ice maker makes one batch of eight to ten cubes roughly every one and a half to three hours, so a bin fills over about a day. Parties, hot weather and frequent door opening empty a bin faster than it refills. That is the design limit, and we deal with it in our guide to an ice maker not making enough ice.
Testing and resetting the ice maker
Most ice makers can be made to run a cycle on demand. A forced cycle tells you in ten minutes whether the mechanism and the water supply both work.
TypeHow to start a testNotes
Units with a test buttonPress and hold the button on the ice maker for a few secondsCommon on Samsung, LG and many current fridges. Do it once only
Units with an on/off switchSwitch off for 30 seconds and on againClears a stalled cycle
Wire-arm modular unitsLift the arm to off and lower it again. Some have test points for techniciansDo not bridge contacts unless you know the procedure for the model
Fridges with a displaySwitch ice off and on, or use the reset in the manual
AnyUnplug the fridge for five minutesResets the control board
What happens on testMeaning
Mechanism turns and water arrivesThe ice maker and the supply are both sound. Look again at temperature and the bin signal
Mechanism turns, no waterFill fault: tube, valve or supply
Water arrives, mechanism does not turnMotor or gears failed, or the mould is frozen solid
NothingNo power to the unit, or the unit has failed
Water overflowsThe mould was already full. This is why the test is run once
Put a towel under the ice maker before any test. Brand-specific procedures are in our guides for Samsung and LG.
The water inlet valve is an electric tap on the back of the fridge, near the bottom, where the supply line connects. On fridges with a dispenser it has two outlets, one for the dispenser and one for the ice maker, each with its own coil.
SymptomValve fault
Dispenser works, ice maker gets no water, no buzz at the back on a test cycleIce maker coil open circuit, or no signal reaching it
Buzz at the back, no water at the ice maker, tube clearValve jammed or its inlet screen blocked
Small cubes with a new filter and good pressureValve partly blocked
Fill tube keeps freezingValve dripping after it closes
Ice maker overfills, sheet of ice below itValve slow to close
Water under the fridge at the backValve body or its connections leaking
A valve cannot be repaired. It is replaced with the part for the model. Before it is condemned, a technician measures its coil and checks that the ice maker is sending it power, because a failed ice maker gives the same symptom as a failed valve.
With a cold freezer, water available and the tube clear, an ice maker that will not cycle has an internal fault.
FaultSign
Motor or gearboxNo movement on test, or a click and nothing more
Mould heater, on heated-mould typesCubes stay stuck in the mould. Fingers stall against them
Mould thermostat or sensorNever harvests, though the ice is solid
Bin-level switchIce maker thinks the bin is full, or never stops
Cracked or warped twist trayWater leaks out before freezing, or cubes stick
Mould coating wornGrey or black flecks in the ice, cubes sticking
Control moduleErratic or no operation with power present
Wiring or connectorNo power at the unit. On in-door ice makers, a wire broken at the door hinge
Most ice makers are replaced as an assembly, which takes 30 to 45 minutes. The correct unit is identified from the fridge's model and serial number, since identical-looking units differ. What replacement involves is on our fridge ice maker repair page.
If the ice maker itself is encased in frost or ice, defrosting it will get it going, and it will ice up again unless the cause is found.
CauseTypical of
Humid air leaking into the ice compartmentFrench door fridges with the ice maker in the fresh food section or the door
Water dripping from the fill tube or overshooting the mouldAny type
Ice chute flap in the door not closingFridges with a door dispenser
Door seal leakingAny
Bin not seated, or its seal damagedIn-door ice makers
To defrost, switch the ice maker off, remove the bin and let it thaw with the door open for a short while, or warm it gently with a hair dryer on low. Never chip at it. The Samsung design is the best-known case, and its fix is in our Samsung ice maker guide.
FridgeWhere the ice maker isMost likely reasons for no ice
Top freezerIn the freezer, upper leftSwitched off, arm up, supply, unit failure
Bottom freezerIn the freezer drawerDrawer not fully closed, switched off, supply
Side by sideTop of the freezer side, or in the freezer doorFrozen fill tube, clumped ice, supply
French door with in-door iceIn the left fridge door or the top corner of the fridge sectionFrosting from air leaks, frozen fill tube, door wiring
French door with a second ice makerSecond unit in the freezer drawerCheck which one has stopped. Each has its own control
Built-in and column freezersIn the freezer columnArm or bin position, filter not seated, condenser dirty
Fridge with no plumbed waterManual-fill tank in the fridge sectionTank empty or not seated
Fridges with a manual-fill water tank are common where there is no water point behind the fridge. If yours has one, an empty or badly seated tank is the first thing to check.
Do not chip ice from the mould, the tube or the bin with a knife or screwdriver.
Do not run the test cycle repeatedly. Each run adds water.
Do not use a heat gun or boiling water on plastic parts.
Do not force the ejector fingers or the tray round by hand.
Do not leave the supply tap open if you find water under or behind the fridge.
Do not replace the ice maker before checking temperature and water. A new one will fail to make ice for the same reason.
The freezer will not reach minus 18 degrees C on its coldest setting.
The fill tube refreezes within days of being thawed.
Water is available and the ice maker will not cycle on test.
The test cycle runs and no water arrives, with the tube clear and the dispenser working.
The ice maker keeps frosting up.
There is water under the fridge.
Neither the dispenser nor the ice maker gets water, and the tap, line and filter are good.
There are grey or black flecks in the ice.
Our diagnostic visit is AED 100 plus VAT, with a fixed price for the repair before work starts. Send the fridge's model label and tell us what you found in the mould and whether the dispenser works. See fridge ice maker repair.
Change the water filter about every six months, with the correct type for the fridge.
Keep the freezer at about minus 18 degrees C.
Use the ice, or empty the bin every couple of weeks. Old ice clumps and absorbs smells.
Do not overfill the freezer or block its vents.
Vacuum the condenser coil once or twice a year.
Switch the ice maker off and close the supply tap before a long absence.
After any plumbing work, run water through the dispenser before expecting ice.
Why is my ice maker not making ice?
+
It is switched off, the freezer is too warm, water is not reaching it, the fill tube is frozen, ice has jammed it, or the inlet valve or the ice maker unit has failed. Check them in that order.
Why did my ice maker suddenly stop working?
+
Sudden stops are usually a switch knocked off, the arm lifted, a jam, or the water supply closed. A gradual decline points to the filter, pressure or a failing valve.
How cold does the freezer need to be to make ice?
+
About minus 18 degrees C. Most ice makers stop cycling when the freezer is warmer than about minus 12 to minus 15.
How do I reset my ice maker?
+
Switch it off for 30 seconds and on again, or press and hold its test button once. Unplugging the fridge for five minutes also resets the control.
The water dispenser works and the ice maker does not. Why?
+
The fill tube is frozen, or the ice maker's own outlet on the inlet valve has failed.
How long does an ice maker take to make ice?
+
One batch every one and a half to three hours, and about a day to fill the bin.
How do I thaw a frozen fill tube?
+
Switch the ice maker off and warm the tube with a hair dryer on low or a little warm water. If it refreezes, the inlet valve is dripping.
Can a clogged filter stop the ice maker?
+
Yes. It is one of the commonest causes of small cubes and no ice.
Should I replace the ice maker?
+
Only after temperature, water supply and the fill tube have been ruled out and it still will not run a test cycle.
Why is my new fridge not making ice?
+
It needs up to 24 hours to cool and fill the bin. Check the ice maker is switched on and the water is connected.
Is it worth repairing an ice maker?
+
Yes. The parts are modest in cost compared with the fridge.
Who repairs fridge ice makers in Dubai?
+
One Click Dubai sends a technician the same day. Call or WhatsApp +971 55 209 9785.
Cold freezer, water on, still no ice?A technician can find the cause on site. The diagnostic is AED 100 plus VAT, and repairs carry a 1-month warranty.
