Maytag Refrigerator Repair – No Ice
Yep, it’s true… on occasion even Maytag refrigerators need repairs! But before you call the Maytag repair man and wake him up from his nap, here’s a bit of information on some of the more common things that you can check if your ice maker isn’t producing ice for you any more. S0 today we’re going to try to look at what makes icemaker fail.
If you refrigerator is equipped with an icemaker or icemaker and water dispenser, it will need to be connected to your household water supply. The water supply will be connected to the refrigerator through a water inlet valve and the water then flows through a water filter and into the icemaker, water dispenser, or the reservoir for the water dispenser.
When water goes to the icemaker, it flows into the ice cube tray. The water is then cooled by the refrigerator’s cooling unit. When the water is frozen, the thermostat in the mold closes the circuit that turns on the icemaker head to start the harvest cycle. The motor is activated which turns the eject arm and applies pressure to the cubes. At the same time a heater in mold is activated to allow the cubes to loosen from the mold, and as they are freed the eject arm will push them from the mold into the ice bin. At this point the fill valve is activated for approximately 7 to 9 seconds to fill the mold again. Your icemaker is equipped with a shut off arm to measure the amount of ice in the bin, and will turn off when this is full.
If you’re icemaker is not producing ice, you should first check for a full mold. If there are full-size cubes in the mold you may have a problem with the shut off arm, with the icemaker itself, or with the electrical supply to the icemaker harness connection. You can manually operate the icemaker by removing the cover and inserting an insulated jumper wire into the appropriate test points T and H. This will initiate a cycle and at the end of the cycle the fill valve will cycle on for probably 7 to 9 seconds.
If there are no ice cubes, or only small ice cubes, then you should suspect a problem with the water supply to the icemaker. Verify that the fill tube to the back of the icemaker is not frozen. If the tube is frozen, you should suspect a low water flow condition that could be caused by either a restricted water filter, a restricted water supply line, or low pressure at the fill valve inlet. The water filter can be eliminated by replacing it, or by installing a bypass plug that should have been supplied with the refrigerator.
The supply tubing is usually exposed for a visual inspection. The icemaker may be fed from either the filter or from the fill valve. You can also disconnect the tubing to allow you to force air through the line to check for a restriction. Remember to shut off the water supply and to unplug the refrigerator first.
To check the operation of the fill valve, you must first verify that you have water pressure to the inlet. Shut off the supply valve, and then disconnect the inlet to the fill valve. Then position the tubing into a pail and turn the water supply back on. If the water supply is sufficient and the filter is not plugged, then you may have a defective fill valve or a restriction in the supply tubes to or from the filter or to the icemaker.
Source the tubing that supplies the icemaker either from the filter or directly from the water inlet valve, and disconnect that tubing at the inlet to the icemaker fill tube. Position the tubing into a pail I have someone activate the icemaker by the manual test procedure. If water does not flow then you may have a problem with the valve or with the circuit that supplies the voltage to the valve. The valve should make a low-volume hum when it is activated, or you can verify power as being supplied by using a voltmeter. Use caution as you’re working with a live circuit. If you have verified the valve is being powered and have no water output, then the valve is defective. If you do not have power to the valve you can suspect either the icemaker or the associated wiring harnesses, and if this is the case you should call a service technician. At Appliance Repair of Austin, we’ll be happy to come out and get things working again for you in a jiff.