Ice maker dispensers seem to have a mind of their own sometimes. Fortunately for all of us, there are remedies that can take care of most issues for an ice maker dispenser not working. To be clear, there are many types of ice dispensers, so these directions may not apply to all models.

There are a few reasons for an ice maker dispenser to stop working. The filter may be loaded with too much sediment causing low water pressure. The temperature may not be set properly. Something may be loose. No matter the reason, it can be fixed.

Mechanical or electrical problem?

If you push the switch to get ice and hear a noise but no ice comes out, the problem is mechanical. If mechanical, the problem lies in the ice bin, the ice chute, or the augur housing. If you don’t hear a noise when pushing the button to get ice, the problem is electrical and an electrician will likely have to be called.

Mechanical problem

If it’s mechanical, start off by removing the ice bin and placing that aside. Next, open the freezer door and push the switch to get ice. When everything is working properly, the auger motor (the fork sticking out from behind where the ice bin was) should turn and the solenoid (the device to the right of the auger motor) should jump up. If the solenoid jumps up but the motor doesn’t turn, the motor is frozen. This means there is too much moisture within the freezer, so it will need to be reduced. To reduce the moisture, take out these parts and try pointing a hair dryer on the motor to quicken the process.

If the solenoid works as described, the problem lies in the ice bin or ice shoot. Check the ice bin and make sure there isn’t too much ice in there. If there is, clean it out with hot water. If there is no ice, check and see if the auger motor is broken and if it needs to be replaced. You should also check and see if the ice separator (the divider between the ice storage and the ice dispenser) has a hole in it. This is a common problem so if it does have a hole, it will need to be replaced.

There are also a few things that can go wrong with the ice chute. If the ice cubes are in the ice chute but not coming out, the flapper needs to be fixed. To attempt this, open the door and remove the ice bin, then push the ice switch to open the chute. If it opens but not all the way, check and see if something is blocking it. If not, the problem is more complex and there is an issue with either the flap, spring, crank, or solenoid. You can determine which one is at fault by opening up the front cover of the dispenser, removing any screws and then removing the dispenser control. Once that is done, you should see the flap. Inspect the spring, crank, and flaps and if anything appears broken, they will need to be replaced.

If you have tried all of these and your ice dispenser is still not working or if you want to hire an electrician to fix an electrical problem, consider using TalkLocal, a FREE service that will connect you with top-quality, reputable electricians in your neighborhood, within minutes.

This entry was originally posted on Wednesday, July 25th, 2012 at 2:00 pm and is filed under Appliances Repair. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.