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It was working just fine, but now your ice maker is not making ice! In this article, we will show you the most common LG Refrigerator Ice Maker Problems, the reasons why it’s not working, and how to test and fix it.
Also Read: How to fix: When an ice maker is not making ice
TLDR: Common Ice Maker problems are usually caused by:
1. Temperature fluctuations (in the ice maker compartment)
2. Faulty water inlet valve
3. Broken ice maker or malfunctioning control board
4. Faulty ice maker fan in the freezer compartment.
Let’s start with a simple diagnostic test you can run that may provide some insight into what that problem could be.
If you have a Maytag or Whirlpool refrigerator, see here.
LG Refrigerator Ice Maker Problems: How To Reset And test An Ice Maker
If your ice maker is not making ice, you’ll want to first run the test mode. To run the ice maker test mode, first of all, pull the handle to open the ice room and remove the ice bucket.
There are two styles of LG refrigerator ice makers. On the first model below, find the POWER button.
Make sure it is turned ON. The TEST button is underneath.
Before pressing the TEST button, put a towel underneath to catch water or ice that may fall while testing.
Press and hold the Test button for about 3 seconds and the ice maker will begin to turn. The tray only holds about 4 or 5 oz of water. The towel should minimize any spillage.
Here’s another style of ice maker on this model above. There’s no POWER switch and no tray. Even though there’s no tray you should still place a towel below the ice maker before running the tests.
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On this type of ice maker, there is a tiny hole on the left side. This is a Test Button. Use a paperclip or piece of wire to press and hold the button for about 3 seconds until the arm starts to turn.
For the first 2 hours the refrigerator has been plugged in, the ice maker test can only be run once. If you wish to run the test mode a second time, unplug the unit for about 30 seconds to reset the ice maker.
This RESET procedure is also applied to the ice maker located in the bottom freezer.
Read: 3 ways how to reset a Samsung ice maker
Read: 3 common problems with Samsung french-door ice maker
If The Ice Maker Is Not Filling With Water
A New water Filter was Installed Incorrectly
If during the test mode, your ice maker didn’t fill with water, then check your
Without a filter or when the filter is installed improperly in the filter housing, water will not flow to the ice maker and water dispenser.
You just need to slide the filter into the housing, PUSH and TWIST to lock it.
Read: How to fix Amana ice maker not filling with water
IF YOU DISCOVER A LEAK AFTER CHANGING THE FILTER:
If you recently changed the
With a new filter, water will flow more freely and when it reached ice maker, the extra pressure may create a splash.
A small amount of water can leak from the ice maker compartment, and eventually end up on the floor.
Read: Why is my ice maker leaking water onto the floor?
Read: How to fix GE ice maker leaking water into bin
If you have a ball-type water valve behind the fridge, try to decrease incoming water pressure to the fridge by turning it at 45 or fewer degrees. You may need to play with it in order to reach a reasonable amount of water pressure.
To do this adjustment, turn the water valve to 45 degrees. Now push the water dispenser (with a cup underneath!) to check the flow rate. It might be nice to have someone else adjust the valve while you watch the pressure change.
This way you will be able to increase/decrease water pressure to a desirable level.
Another problem that may cause the ice maker to leak, is when ice cubes get stuck in the tray. Then, when fresh water fills the ice maker, it can overfill and some water will spill over the tray. Check for lodged cubes at the dispenser.
One more possibility is calcium buildup. Pull the ice maker out and clean the inner side of the tray and filler. You may find calcium buildup that is affecting the water fill mechanism.
Read: How to clean a GE ice maker
The water Inlet Valve Is Broken
A second reason you may not be getting water, is because the water inlet valve has failed. In order to check the inlet valve, you just need a Multimeter.
But keep in mind, that many LG fridges have 2 inlet valves. The main valve is on the back of the fridge, while the secondary valve (for the ice maker only) is on the left door.
You need to check them both. The secondary valve gets water from the main valve. But from my experience as an appliance technician, the secondary valve causes most of the problems with the ice maker.
That’s why your LG ice maker is not making ice, but at the same time, the water dispenser works.
Water Hose Kinked
Behind your
It’s a simple thing to check, but very important, in order to figure out why ice-maker is not working.
ice Maker malfunctioned
If the ice maker failed to perform the diagnostic test and you are not able to run it, then most likely the ice maker motor has failed.
Read: Why is your ice maker making a grinding noise?
Control board Malfunction
Every LG refrigerator has a control board. If the control board is not sending power to the ice maker, or one of the relays on the control board has failed, then the ice maker will not run.
Important: If all components mentioned above in the article are ok and the ice maker works ONLY when you press the RESET button (the ice maker should make a full turn and not make ice in automatic after that), then there is a possible problem with the main control board or ice level optical sensors on the ice maker itself.
Read: How to know if your refrigerator control board is bad
Make sure the control board fits the refrigerator model you have !!!
the Ice maker Is not producing Or Dumping ice
Another possible reason your ice maker is not making ice is due to a malfunctioning ice maker fan, which is located in the freezer compartment.
This fan blows cold air into the ice maker compartment and freezes the water.
If the temp in the ice maker compartment higher than -12C, ice will not be produced.
In order to check if this fan is working, you need to apply a magnet to simulate a closed door ( see the top side of the door where the magnet is located)
If you feel cold air coming out from the vents, the fan is good.
This is a picture of the back panel in the freezer compartment with the evaporator and ice maker fans.
Ice maker fan part# ADJ72911303
What should my LG freezer be set at to produce ice?
-2°F or -20°C is the recommended temperature setting for normal ice production. In order to adjust the temperature, press the FREEZER button to cycle through the range of available settings and set it to the desired temperature.
Other Ways To Reset The Ice Maker
In order to do a simple reset of the ice maker, unplug your refrigerator or turn the breaker OFF for at least 30 sec. This procedure will reset the ice maker, making it easier to troubleshoot.
Read: How To Fix LG Refrigerator Ice Maker Freezing Up
What Does “Ice Plus” Mean On My LG Refrigerator?
When all the ice in the refrigerator is used, it will take about 2 hours to produce the next bunch of ice cubs. Some LG models are equipped with an “Ice Plus” feature. This feature just speeds up the freezing process and allows it to produce ice cubes 2 times faster.
How long does it take to make ice?
It depends. If you just bought and installed a new refrigerator, then it may take about 24 hours. But after your refrigerator has operated for more than 24 hours, the ice maker will produce new ice cubes every 2 to 3 hours.
How Do I Test The Ice-Detecting Optical Sensor?
If the optical sensor is malfunctioning, your ice maker may not work in Automatic Mode.
The first thing you need to do is to visually check the ice-detecting optical sensors. They are located at the bottom of the ice maker, on each side.
- Remove Ice Bin from the compartment
- Close the left door
- Wait for 3 minutes
- Keep Freezer Door open
- Push Refrigerator button and Lock button at the same time
If “ETY” is shown on the display after the procedure above, the ice-detecting sensor is normal.
If “FULL” is shown on the display after the procedure above, the ice-detecting sensor is malfunctioning or something is blocking the clear path between sensors.
When it shows FULL with an empty ice bin, and nothing else obstructing the sensor path, then something is wrong with these sensors. If they are part of the ice maker assembly, you may have to replace the entire assembly. Otherwise, you may be able to replace the individual offending sensor(s).
I have a Elite Kenmore 79572053110 model fridge. The ice maker does not Dump ice in the bin. I have recently changed the filter and replaced the whole Ice Maker twice. The problem still persists. Please help.
Thanks!!
Our ice maker is in the bottom freezer compartment; not a door dispensed type. The ice maker quit running and we realized the ice was frozen solid in the ice maker; we could feel any of the blades, etc.. We emptied the bin, and poured hot water into the filling area until all of the ice floated up and into pieces. The ejector blades were positioned near the front of the ice maker and easy to move so we let it fill, dumped the extra water into the bin and it works!
My ice maker is in the door of my refrigerator. A few years ago, it started making ice less often than normally and eventually quit. When this happened, I tried the reset button and kept turning the power on and off. Now it does nothing. The tray does not move at all. Is this an electrical problem or should I just get a whole new ice maker?
Hard to say, maybe you need a new icemaker
I’ve replaced my icemaker and still have the same issue. Ice doesn’t fill up. Some ice fills up on the right side only. Also difficult to remove ice-bin, feels like its going to break. I wipe the optical sensors and reset the ice maker to no avail.
Since I already replace the ice-maker assembly, should I try replacing the control board?
I have a 1 yr old LG LFCC22426S with a bottom drawl freezer w ice maker. I replaced the water filter thats in the fridge and I stopped getting ice. I turn the ice maker on/off, hit the reset (it fully turns and empty). I did not move the fridge to kink the water cord in the back. What could be wrong?
You put the filter in wrong
I have a LG model number LFCS27596S which is 6 months old and time to replace filter for ice maker. After replacing filter with factory filter, it stopped producing ice. I tried unplugging the fridge and waiting a minute but still no ice. Help?
I have a LMXC23746D. The ice keeps clumping together on the right side of the ice bin and will not dispense unless we stick a wooden spoon down into the container and break it up. Sometimes we also need to put spoon handle up the dispenser opening to unclog the ice and ice debris that is stuck. This is a constant requirement to get any ice to dispense. Also, the ice bin will not come out. I feel that it would break if we pulled it hard enough to get it out.
1. Air leak somewhere, allowing warm air to get in
2. Temperature fluctuations
3. Icemaker filler tube spilling water on the filling cycle
So, how would I go about fixing this, if it was water spilling?
And why can I not get the bin to release and come out of the door, even if the icemaker bin is empty?
ice maker making or freezing partially then dumping unfrozen water and some ice in tray.
I have similar problem. Had LG authorized repair company replace compressor on refrigerator and everything is working (cooling) good except ice maker. Water supply is good and unit cycles, but instead of cubes it is producing frozen chunks with some cold water deposited in bottom of ice bin.
A few months ago the ice maker in the door began to jam, like the ice was melting a little before dispensing. I turned it off and began just using the ice dispenser in the freezer. This weekend the ice in the freezer started coming out in blocks of ice cubes. I can see that they cubes tried to form but didn’t fully separate. It also looks like they’ve melted a little.
Ice maker makes ice but will not dump ice. I have to push reset button to get it to dump the ice. I’ve tried temp set to 0, and also -2 same thing happens. I can get water from the door.
I have the similar problem – ice in the tray but doesn’t come out of it own into the bin – manual reset button dumps the ice. Water from the door is fine.
Same. Tested the icemaker full sensor. Shows empty correctly. Have freezer temp set below -2. Test button works fine, drops ice, fills water. Freezer door sensor must be working because icemaker full sensor test only works when freezer door open.
Maybe this is a temperature sensor issue?
I doubt that its a temperature sensor, but you can try
I have had a similar problem with my ice maker for a few years. One thing that has worked for me has been using a hair dryer and blowing warm air on the ice maker motor for 5 minutes. I have had to do this every few months in order for the motor to dump the ice automatically. I suspect the motor is faulty and I will need to replace the entire icemaker assembly.
lg lrfds3006s french door. Ice maker in refrigerator door works fine. Ice maker in freezer will not dump ice. When I push the ice maker reset button, it will cycle through, ie: arm comes down, ice will drop into the bin and refill with water. It will just not dump ice without manually recycling it.
1. Freezer door not fully closed
2. Freezer Temperature not cold enough
3. ice maker level arm set to OFF position
How do you set the level arm to ON position?
Put the arm down to turn it ON. Up position is OFF
How do you set the arm “down”? The arm on my unit is tucked up under the ice maker. When I try to move it down, it snaps back up under the unit. And the ice maker specifically states not to “force the arm” into any position.
Seems like you have a different style of ice maker, that’s why its not working for you
Thanks! I just received delivery on a LFXS26596S and the freezer ice maker was working and I had water to drink from the door but the door ice maker had no water. I powered it off and powered it back on, hit the test button and viola it filled the tray with ice. This helped!!!
New LG frigde, LRMVC2306S model; its been 48 hours since installation, but ice formation is very minimal.
installed on 6/8 at 4pm.
6/9 – no ice cubes, bottom freezer did not freeze
6/10 morning – ice cubes begin to form, bottom freezer is working.
But i have only seen 10 ice cubes so far, even by 6/10 evening 5pm.
How do i get ice cubes to form and fill ? I will definitely need more than 10 cubes at a time.
I have not started using the craft ice feature.
I have an LG model LFX25976SW that produces ice cubes but gets stuck making crushed ice when trying to dispense. The outside panel lets me select Ice Type ‘Crush’, but does not allow me to select ‘Cube’. When selecting ‘Crush’, the bright light displayed on the front panel illuminates brightly. When I select ‘Cube’, the ‘Crush’ indicator turns off, and the ‘Cube’ indicator is dimmed so low, one can barely see the selection.
It seems that when selecting the Cube type, crushed ice is dispensed regardless..
How can this be fixed? Please advise.
If you are not able to select ice type, then something wrong with the panel, I guess. And what you mean “gets stuck making crushed ice when trying to dispense”, does it make any sound or noise while trying to crush ice?
A grinding and crushing noise while the ice is supposed to be dispensed. Nothing comes out of the dispenser, but the ice is crushed into very small pieces, clogging the exit internally from the ice maker. Makes a real mess. Have to extract the ice maker from the frozen pieces and dislodge the blocked mess from within the internal chute where the grinding wheels are to crush the ice. I performed the ice maker tests as described in your blog. All with normal results.
Most of the ice cubes in the ice maker tray were clumped/fused together.
Thank you so much for your advice.
1. Ice maker temperature fluctuations.
2. Ice maker door chute has an air leak
3. Ice maker is somehow overfilling or dripping water from the faulty inlet valve, and water getting into ice tray
When the water flows into the ice maker it splashes over the side and drips into the bucket(containing ice cubes) which then freezes and makes the cubes stick together impairing the mechanism of the dispenser.
How can I resolve this?
1. Decrease water pressure, or
2. Replace water inlet valve, or
3. Clean fill tube before the ice maker
frozen chute and dispenser wheel. full of ice
Our ice maker will not fill with water.. We get water fine for the water dispenser. My husband has changed the entire ice maker, the inlet valve and the filter. It makes 1 tray fine after we unplug all the connectors and then reconnect them, then no water return. You can hear the water turn on during the test mode but none is dispensed. SO frustrating.
Dedicated Ice maker water valve located in the left door, not behind the fridge. is this what your husband replaced?
I wish I knew this. I replaced the icemaker assembly and the valve in the back.
Ice maker continues to dispense ice and will not shut off when container is removed. Had to lock wnit to stop flow.
ice dispenser button is stuck?
I have an LG model LFX25950SB frig, the ice maker only fills with enough water for 4 cubes at a time. The water dispenser flows fine. I have held the power button down to do the reset. The water flows into the icemaker, but only for approximately a second and a half. Help…
I have the same issue. Only fills enough for 4 cubes. How can I fix it?
My ice maker is not producing any ice. Test button tried but does not also work?
I would check power to the ice maker. if there is power, replace ice maker