While an ice maker is a luxury that won't exactly stop life as we know it if it has problems, it's still an irritating issue to deal with when one stops working. Ice makers can suffer from quite a few problems for how simple of a machine they are compared to many other kitchen appliances. One incredibly annoying issue is an ice maker that won't make ice or simply won't turn on at all.
Fixing most ice maker issues is simple but some issues are more complex and require a professional's keen eye and experience. That being said, it doesn't hurt to do research on potential problems with your ice maker and how you can troubleshoot your way through them. If nothing else, this helps to have information for a professional if you do end up calling for help.
If you have a free-standing ice maker that won't turn on, the first thing you need to do is check that the power to the machine is working correctly. Make sure it's plugged in properly and any necessary switches are flipped. Make sure the outlet it's plugged into is receiving power and doesn't have a tripped breaker. Barring that, you may be dealing with a more complex electrical issue inside the ice maker that requires a professional to look at the circuitry and make sure you don't have a defective unit.
If your ice maker is getting power and seems to be on but isn't making ice, it's possible something's wrong with feeler paddle. This plastic paddle sits below the ice maker and is responsible for judging how much ice has been made and dumped into the bin. It will tell the machine when to shut off when the bin is full. If this component isn't working, your machine may not run, believing the bin is full when in fact, it's empty. Check the feeler paddle for damage and consider replacing it.
Like any machine, an ice maker can have glitches that just require a quick shut-off and back on to reset the system. If you have a free-standing ice maker, it should be easy to find the power reset button but make sure you remove your ice tray first. Then follow the instructions from the manufacturer to run a reset cycle. If your ice maker is part of your refrigerator or freezer unit then you may need to do a reset on the whole appliance in order to get the ice maker working again, so prepare accordingly and follow the manufacturer's instructions for performing a reset.
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