Figuring out the reason behind your Samsung refrigerator not making ice can be frustrating, especially if you’ve tried a whole lot of steps, like resetting the refrigerator, checking for any debris, pressing the test button, etc.
If you are faced with an issue like this, you’ve likely been using your Samsung refrigerator for more than five years and the sudden ice issue is the first of its kind you observed.
If that is correct, the first thing you ought to do is to check if the fridge dispenses cold water. and also verify if ice is being made. If you haven’t done that, you don’t need to panic since I will be breaking down the remaining steps that are proven to troubleshoot your refrigerator
Why is Samsung Refrigerator not making ice?
The reason behind your Samsung refrigerator, not working varies with different Samsung models. Once the ice maker stops working it could be the water inlet valve from some model while some other it could be the ice bucket, however, I am going to be neutral since I will be talking about all the possible troubleshooting steps you should take regardless of the model you have.
starting from the easiest steps anyone can do
1. Turn OFF Child Lock
Channel: My AC Support
If you are stuck in a situation whereby your ice maker isn’t working or not dispensing ice. The first thing you should verify is whether “child lock” is ON. If it is on, water won’t dispense into the ice bucket to form ice. It might be easy to write off but it is also easy to forget
to turn off the child lock follow the steps below
- Long press the Child Lock button for 3-5 seconds.
For other fridge models, you might have to
- Press and hold the Ice Off button/ Vacation & Fridge button for three to five seconds
If turning on Child Lock doesn’t resolve your Samsung refrigerator not making ice, proceed to the next troubleshooting step.
2. Check Ice in the Ice Bucket
Your ice maker can’t dispense ice if there is ice or fused ice inside the ice bucket. The ice is supposed to be in lumps while in the ice bucket and not fused.
If they aren’t, here is how you can fix that
- Check the opening of the dispenser to verify if there is any ice blocking it
- Now, get some warm water and pour it through the opening
- After doing that dry the ice bucket and place it back.
3. Check water filter for dirt
If you’ve used your Samsung refrigerator for a very long time, you might be faced with a water filter that is clogged with dirt. if your water filter is filled with impurities, the water filter can stop the supply of water to the water tank and icemaker.
And if there is no water in the icemaker, the icemaker cannot possibly make any ice.
To resolve this, you might need to check the water filter to confirm that it is free of impurities if it isn’t then a replacement is the best bet
NOTE: Changing the water filter every six months is a good preventive step for issues such as this.
If the water filter is not clogged with impurity and you are still stuck with your Samsung refrigerator not making ice, proceed to the next troubleshooting step.
4. Check the water Pressure
The water pressure might be something you may not be able to adjust on your own, but you can always request the services of a plumber. That said, here is how you can test the water pressure since it is an important factor in turning your water into ice
If you want to check your water pressure here is how you can do that
If you have a Refrigerator with an external water dispenser all you have to do is
- pour water into a measuring cup for 6 seconds.
- After pouring check if you have at least ¾ of a cup of water.
- If its ¾, then the water pressure is adequate
If you have a Refrigerator without an external dispenser all you have to do is
- Turn off the water supply and disconnect the water line.
- Now, pour water from the water line into the measuring cup for 6 seconds
- In a scenario where the water in the measuring cup is less than ¾ cup water, then the pressure isn’t adequate and needs to be increased.
To increase the water pressure you can simply do that by increasing it from the water supply to your house, if you can’t do that, you should request a plumber.
However, if after increasing the pressure of the water you are still stuck with your Samsung refrigerator not making ice, proceed to the next troubleshooting step.
5. Power cycle Samsung Refrigerator
To perform a power cycle on your Samsung refrigerator, simply follow the steps outlined below.
- Remove the refrigerator from the power source or trip it off at the circuit breaker
- Wait for 2 minutes
- Now, turn it back on/ Plug it back
- Once the fridge boots up you might see an error code, if so you can you should check here to resolve it.
6. Carry out a Reset on the ice maker
After trying all the above steps without any positive response, the next thing you should do is carry out a reset.
If you don’t know how to reset your icemaker follow the steps below
- Locate the test button – for most models, you would see it after removing the ice bucket.
- After doing that, press and hold the test button for a few seconds until you hear a chime sound.
- A test cycle will begin which takes 6 minutes to complete. once it is done you will hear a chime sound.
After doing all these, you have to be patient for 8 hours before ice production moves back to normal while it might take a day before full production commences
If after trying out all the troubleshooting steps listed below and you are still stuck with your Samsung refrigerator not making ice, proceed to the advanced troubleshooting steps listed below
Advanced Troubleshooting: Samsung Refrigerator not Making Ice
Some of the steps below would require the service of a repairman unless you are comfortable tinkering with electronic devices. That being said, let’s get into it.
1. Check the Water Inlet Valve
The water inlet valve is an electro-mechanical device that could stop your refrigerator from making ice since water is accessed through the inlet valve.
You can easily test the device by checking for continuity on the component. If there is no continuity, your best bet is to change it since it has a short life span.
2. Check the Ice maker Module.
Your icemaker module has one job which is to push the cubes out of the ice effector arm. the module has a motor that goes around the ice ejector.
If the module or the motor is faulty, the icemaker module won’t work
To test it, you should use your manual to locate the icemaker module
Now, use a multimeter to test for continuity on the module. if there is no continuity, then you need to place the icemaker module
3. Check your Door Switch
If the door of the icemaker is opened, the icemaker and the dispenser would be OFF. in a scenario where your door switch isn’t closing properly, you might get stuck with your Samsung refrigerator not making ice.
To fix it,
- Locate the door switch using your manual if you are lost
- Get a multimeter and test for continuity on your door switch.
- If it doesn’t have continuity it should be replaced.
4. Check the Icemaker Mold Thermostat
In a scenario where your icemaker Mold Thermostat is defective, the icemaker would not be able to get the correct temperature that the ice mold should start a harvest cycle. It could end up harvesting at a very low temperature or when it isn’t iced yet.
To check the thermostat,
- Use your manual to locate the position of the Mold thermostat
- Use a multimeter to check for continuity of your thermostat
- if there is no continuity, the thermostat is defective and needs to be replaced
5. Check the Ice Level Control Board
Another issue that can come up when the Samsung refrigerator is not making ice is a faulty ice maker. However, a faulty icemaker could come from the ice level control board.
Here is how it works, as ice keeps filling the icemaker, once it gets to the top, the infrared light installed in the fridge detects the level of ice in the ice maker, which in turn turns off the icemaker until the price drops again.
If the ice level control board is faulty, the ice maker won’t work
6. Check the water Pressure
The water pressure might be something you may not be able to adjust on your own but you can always request the services of a plumber. That said, here is how you can test the water pressure since it is an important factor in turning your water into ice
If you want to check your water pressure here is how you can do that
If you have a Refrigerator with an external water dispenser all you have to do is
- pour water into a measuring cup for 6 seconds.
- After pouring check if you have at least ¾ of a cup of water.
- If its ¾, then the water pressure is adequate
If you have a Refrigerator without an external dispenser all you have to do is
- Turn off the water supply and disconnect the water line.
- Now, pour water from the line into the measuring cup for 6 seconds
- In a scenario where the water in the measuring cup is less than ¾ cup water, then the pressure isn’t adequate and needs to be increased.
To increase the water pressure you can simply do that by increasing it from the water supply to your house if you can’t do that, you should request a plumber
7. Contact Samsung Customer support
If you are stuck with your Samsung refrigerator not making ice or you’ve resolved any pending issue with your Samsung refrigerator and everything seems to work but after waiting for 8-24 hours, the Samsung refrigerator is not producing ice. You can either contact your local repairman or contact Samsung customer support at 1-800-SAMSUNG.
Samsung Fridge Ice Maker reset
If you are looking to reset your Samsung refrigerator due similar issue like an error code check here for a comprehensive guide on how to do that
Why is my Ice Maker not working but water does?
If the water dispenser is working and water is being transferred from your water supply channel through the water inlet valve and ice is not produced, then the ice maker or the ice mold control board is faulty.
Conclusion:
By now you should have been able to resolve your Samsung refrigerator not making ice and the appropriate steps you should take before troubleshooting it, however, one thing you have to take note of is to always remove the Samsung refrigerator from the power source before tinkering with any electric-powered component.