Increasing Water Flow to Ice Maker?

kathleen williams
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April 17, 20100 found this helpful

Having an ice maker in a refrigerator can be convenient, however there are problems that can arise with ice makers. Some of these problems relate to the size of the cubes, while other problems become evident when the ice begins to taste funny or jam without dispensing properly. When a refrigerator owner notices any of these problems with his refrigerator, he can troubleshoot solutions to get to the root of why the problems are occurring.

Step 1 Check the water supply valve if the refrigerator's ice maker is not producing any ice. The valve knob should be turned to the "On" position. This allows the water to flow from the water source into the refrigerator's ice maker. Check the hose that connects to the refrigerator to make sure there is not a kink in the water line. A kink can keep the water from flowing efficiently, which affects how well the ice maker is able to produce ice. Straighten out any bends in the hose to increase the water flow.

Step 2 Consider what kinds of connections you have to the refrigerator if the ice has an unpleasant taste or odor. If the hose that connects the water source to the refrigerator is new, there may be an initial unpleasant taste. If the hose is old, the unpleasant taste also may preset itself. In the case when a new hose is used, wait a few days to see if the taste or odor gets better. If the hose is old, replace it with a newer one to see if anything changes.

Step 3 Check the lever inside the storage bin if the ice is not being produced like it should. If the lever is in the up position, the ice maker will cease making ice. Move the lever back down with your hand and the ice maker will again begin the ice-making process. If ice does not come out from the delivery chute, take a plastic utensil and place it into the chute. Push and sweep the utensil through the chute to clear out any ice that may be blocking the rest of the ice from flowing.

Step 4 Switch the lever on the front of the refrigerator from "crushed" to "cubed" if the crushed ice is not coming out of the dispenser. Press the button beneath the ice dispenser to see if cubed ice will come out. If cubed ice does exit from the ice maker, switch the ice maker back into "crushed" mode and press the button to get ice again. The crushed ice dispenser should now work properly. Good luck.