Refrigerator ice maker not making ice? 7 fixes for Whirlpool, Samsung, LG, GE and more

If your refrigerator ice maker stopped making ice, the cause is almost always one of seven things: a raised shutoff arm, a frozen fill tube, a clogged water filter, a closed shut off valve, a kinked supply line, a failed water inlet valve, or a dead ice maker module. Six of the seven you can fix yourself in under an hour. This is the order I check them on a service call, easiest first.

Symptoms that match each cause

• No ice at all, dispenser also dry: water supply problem (filter, line, valve)
• No ice but dispenser pours water fine: ice maker module or fill tube
• Small or hollow cubes: low water flow (filter, partial freeze)
• Ice maker hums but nothing happens: inlet valve trying but blocked
• Ice maker is silent: shutoff arm raised or dead module

1. Lift the ice bucket and check the shutoff arm

Every ice maker has a metal arm or sensor that tells it the bucket is full. If the arm is up, the maker is OFF. The arm gets bumped, ice piles up and pushes it up, or someone lifted it on purpose to stop production and forgot. Pull the bucket out, push the arm all the way down, put the bucket back. If you hear the maker cycle within 15 minutes you're done.

2. Check the freezer temperature

If the freezer is warmer than 10 F (-12 C) the maker won't cycle. Set a thermometer in the freezer overnight or check the digital display. Target is 0 F (-18 C), no colder. Too cold causes the next problem.

3. Thaw the fill tube

The plastic tube that drips water into the ice tray freezes solid if the freezer is set too cold or the water pressure is low. Pull the ice maker out (usually 2 screws) and look at the back of the tube. If you see a plug of ice, that's it. Two ways to clear it:

• Unplug the fridge for 4-6 hours with the freezer door closed and let it melt
• Aim a hair dryer on low at the tube for 5-10 minutes (faster but watch the plastic)

After it clears, set the freezer to exactly 0 F so it doesn't refreeze.

4. Replace the water filter

Water filters are supposed to be swapped every 6 months, almost nobody does. A clogged filter starves the inlet valve of pressure, the ice mold fills part way and you get hollow or tiny cubes. If your filter is older than 6 months, replace it before troubleshooting anything else, this fixes maybe 40% of "ice maker not making ice" calls on its own. Use a genuine OEM filter if possible. Aftermarket filters are 80% the price but cause twice the service calls because of poor sealing. See how to change a refrigerator water filter for the brand by brand swap procedure.

5. Open the shut off valve and inspect the line

Behind the fridge or under the kitchen sink there's a saddle valve or compression valve where the fridge water line meets the household supply. If somebody recently moved the fridge or had plumbing work done, the valve might be partially or fully closed. Turn it counterclockwise as far as it goes. While you're back there, look at the supply line itself for kinks. The 1/4 inch tube pinches easily if the fridge was pushed too close to the wall.

6. Test the water inlet valve

If the filter is fresh and the line is clear, the inlet valve on the back of the fridge is the next suspect. This is the electrical valve that opens when the ice maker calls for water. You'll hear it hum or buzz if it's trying. Unplug the fridge, find the valve at the bottom rear, disconnect the wire harness from the ice maker side solenoid (often labeled ICE). Set a multimeter to ohms and touch the probes to the two terminals on the coil. A working coil reads 200-500 ohms. Open circuit (infinity) or short (zero) means the valve is dead. Replacements run $40-$80.

7. Replace the ice maker module

If everything upstream is good and the maker still won't cycle, the module itself has failed. The motor, heater, or thermostat inside the assembly wears out after years of use. The fix is to swap the whole module. Modules run $50 to $200 depending on brand. They unplug and unscrew, 15-20 minute install. See the brand specific notes below for which module fits your fridge.

Brand specific notes

Samsung (French door, twin cooling, family hub). Samsung ice makers are notorious for freezing up internally even when everything else looks fine. The fix is the DA97-15217B replacement assembly which is a redesign of the failure prone original. If your Samsung is more than 3 years old and the maker quit, this is almost always the answer. Whirlpool, KitchenAid, Maytag, Amana. All use the same Whirlpool family ice maker module (W10377151 and similar). Easy DIY swap, two screws and a plug. Test the optical sensor first, those go bad before the module does. LG. LG ice makers are often integrated into the door on French door models. Look for the IM door panel. Common failure is the ice maker fan motor, not the module itself. If you hear the maker click but it never finishes a cycle, that's the fan. GE and GE Profile. GE Profile fridges have a heater bar inside the ice tray that can burn out. If your GE makes ice but won't release it, that's the heater. The whole module is replaceable as one unit. Frigidaire and Electrolux. Frigidaire ice makers use a slightly different sensor system, the shutoff arm is sometimes replaced by an optical sensor. Check the manual for which type yours has before you start poking around. Mini fridges and dorm fridges. Most don't have a real ice maker, just an ice tray in the small freezer. If yours has a built in ice maker and it stopped, the cause is almost always the freezer temperature being too warm, those small compressors struggle to keep ice maker temps.

Frequently asked questions

Why is my ice maker not making ice but the water dispenser still works? Water is reaching the fridge but not the ice maker specifically. Most likely the shutoff arm is raised, the fill tube is frozen, or the ice maker module itself is bad. Skip to step 1, 3, or 7 above. How long does it take a new ice maker to start making ice? 24 hours from a cold start. The first cycle usually fires within 90 minutes of the freezer hitting 0 F, then a full bucket takes a day. If you don't see anything after 24 hours, something is still wrong. Why is my ice maker making small or hollow cubes? Low water flow, almost always the filter or a partial freeze in the fill tube. Replace the filter and let the freezer warm slightly to 0 F if it was set colder. Will my ice maker work without a water filter? On most fridges yes, there's a bypass plug you install in place of the filter. The ice maker will run on unfiltered water. Long term it's worth keeping a filter, the minerals will scale up the inlet valve. Why does my new fridge ice maker not work? Two reasons on a brand new install: the water line wasn't fully opened during install, or the fridge wasn't given 24 hours after install before the maker was switched on. Check the shutoff valve first, then wait another day before assuming a defect. How do I test if my ice maker is bad? Most ice makers have a test mode, a small button or hole on the front of the module. Press it with a paperclip and the maker should run a full cycle (water in, freeze, eject) over the next 7-10 minutes. If nothing happens, the module is dead. Can a clogged condenser coil cause ice maker problems? Indirectly yes. Dirty coils mean the freezer can't hold temp, and the ice maker stops cycling. See how to clean refrigerator condenser coils for that fix. If your dispenser also stopped working, see refrigerator water dispenser not working. If the fridge as a whole isn't cooling right, start at refrigerator not cooling but light is on.

Need to buy the actual part?

• DA97-15217B Refrigerator Ice Maker Assembly (Samsung French Door) , install guide with compatibility list
• EDR1RXD1 Refrigerator Water Filter (EveryDrop Filter 1) (Whirlpool, KitchenAid, Maytag, JennAir, Amana) , install guide with compatibility list