On the days of scorching summer, we all long to enjoy a refreshing cold drink to quench our thirst and relieve us of the heat. Iced drinks are the most popular beverage during the summer and hot days – which makes the most use of the ice maker.
However, if this device does not work properly, you may not be able to enjoy your cold beverages. Therefore, this article discussed the troubleshooting of the Kenmore ice maker.
Kenmore ice maker not working
Your Kenmore ice maker may stop working for a number of reasons such as restriction in water flow causing smaller ice cubes, clogged water line preventing water from filling, clogged water filter due to hard water deposits or impurities. Besides that, the refrigerator unit could be damaged as well.
The Kenmore ice maker is a refrigerating device that automatically intakes water and creates ice cubes to be served. It takes around 6 to 12 hours to produce a batch of 30 ice cubes.
You can use these ice cubes in different applications such as in drinks or beverages etc. However, it may stop working or show a decrease in performance significantly for many reasons. Some of those reasons have been described below:
Damaged Inlet Valve:
The inlet valve allows water from the supply line to enter the ice maker to make ice. But if the inlet valve is damaged, then the water will not reach the dispenser and the ice maker – therefore, there will be no water to make ice from.
This occurs if there are mechanical or electrical problems in the valve solenoids which prevents the valve from opening. If the water supply is rich in minerals, that could also be a probable reason for jamming the valve.
Evaporator Coils Froze Up:
Defects in the defrost system could result in your evaporator coils freezing up which would prevent proper air flow and thus cause a malfunction in the ice maker.
When the evaporator coil is frozen, it prevents the freezer from increasing its temperature and causes the ice maker to malfunction.
Temperature Setting Error:
If the temperature is set too high, the ice maker would be unable to produce any ice because the freezer is too warm to give form to ice.
If the temperature is 15°F or above, then the ice maker would refuse to produce ice. Setting the temperature to be -5°F or below would allow the ice maker to make ice cubes.
Low Water Flow:
If there isn’t sufficient water pressure from the supply line, the inlet valve will not open enough to allow entry of water into the dispenser. If the supply pressure is high but becomes low as it flows through – then there must be a problem in the pipes.
The minimum flow of water needs to be 20 psi of water pressure per inch through the inlet valve to open them and allow sufficient water flow.
Defective Thermostat:
The thermostat is responsible for maintaining and monitoring the temperature of the ice maker in order to maintain the perfect temperature for the production of ice cubes.
You can check if your thermostat is defective by using a multimeter and checking for continuity. If there is no continuity, then the ice maker is not becoming cold enough for the ice to form because the thermostat is reading the wrong temperature.
Is kenmore ice maker problem common?
Kenmore ice maker problem is common. But does it common for all models?
Kenmore Colds pot:
Faulty thermostat would prevent the formation of ice since the refrigerant system would be too warm to freeze.
Another problem could be dirty condenser coils as they are responsible for removing heat – dirt accumulation would prevent it from effectively removing heat. Defective fan motors are another reason why the ice isn’t forming since the blade cannot run freely to cool down the water to freezing point.
Kenmore side-by-side:
The ice makers in this model take around 24 hours for its initial freezing phase, therefore make sure the ice maker is turned on and connected.
If the freezing temperature is not set to “Level 3”, then the ice cubes won’t start forming. If the problem still persists, then there may be blockage in the inlet valve or supply line.
Kenmore 795:
A defective condenser fan would fail to draw air through condenser coils, meaning that the temperature would remain high and be unsuitable for ice formation.
In such a case, check the fan’s blades and then inspect the fan motor. Use a multimeter to determine whether there is a continuity in the motor, if absent – replace it.
Kenmore elite french door:
One of the common issues in this one is if the evaporator fan becomes frozen which is responsible for cooling the ice maker – if that happens, the temperature will stay warm.
Another issue could be a faulty thermostat which fails to read the temperature correctly, thus mis-regulating the ice maker.
Kenmore 106.5:
Commonly it stops working when the condenser coil freezes or becomes dirty – making it incapable of removing the heat. If water or ice overflows, it is due to a damaged inlet valve stuck open.
What to do if my kenmore ice maker is not working?
The Kenmore ice maker could stop working for a numerous reasons – below given are a number of reasons and their corresponding solutions:
Clogged Supply Line:
When debris or mineral deposits accumulate on the water supply line, then the flow of water will gradually decrease and affect the ice maker.
Another reason why the supply line is clogged may be due to the bracket or fastener shutting the supply valve.
Cleaning the supply line as well as loosening the bracket or fastener may help resolve this issue.
Jammed Filter:
The filter is used to trap debris from the water flowing into the dispenser from the supply line. If the filter gets jammed, the debris would restrict water flow and thus the ice maker wouldn’t have sufficient water to freeze.
You can resolve this by locating the filter and cleaning it according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
Faulty Or Clogged Inlet Valve:
The inlet valve is connected to the water supply and is responsible for the regulation of water flow into the ice maker. The inlet valve too can get clogged or damaged with debris and deposits.
If it gets stuck in the open – water will overflow and freeze over, if stuck on close – no water will be supplied for making ice cubes.
Frozen Or Dirty Condenser Coil:
A dirty or frozen condenser coil will fail to remove heat from the ice maker and thus it would fail to make any ice cubes due to the warm temperature. You can fix this by replacing the condenser coil with a new one.
Faulty Condenser Fan:
The condenser fan is responsible for cooking the ice maker which forms ice cubes, if it is faulty – the ice cubes won’t form. You can check whether the blade moves and manually move the motor – if none work, replace it with a new motor.
How do I reset my Kenmore ice maker?
If all the mechanical parts of your Kenmore ice maker are in top condition, then a technical error in the ice maker’s embedded computer could be the reason why the ice maker isn’t working.
This can be fixed by resetting the ice maker, which you can do by following along:
Take off the front cover:
To start working on the ice maker, first remove the front cover of the ice maker by pulling it from either side. Once removed, the control panel will be exposed underneath from where you will turn off the ice maker by flipping the off switch.
Disconnect power supply:
Next, you need to drain power completely from the ice maker by disconnecting it from the power supply by unplugging it. Leave it unplugged for at least 5 minutes to make sure all the components have discharged.
Reconnect power supply and replace front cover:
After some time, reconnect the power supply and turn on the ice maker using that switch. Put the front cover back in its place and firmly close the ice maker.
Restart the ice maker:
Wait for at least 5 minutes to allow the ice maker to be properly powered and then restart the ice maker and check whether water is flowing into the dispenser for freezing.
If the problem still persists, then there is a mechanical problem that needs to be diagnosed by the manufacturer.
Final Thoughts
A variety of things can cause your Kenmore ice maker to stop working, including a block in water flow making smaller ice cubes, a clogged water line stopping water flow, or hard water and other pollutants blocking the water filter. Another possibility is damages to the refrigerator component.