Ice not forming in ice tray - Refrigerators

Hi - there are several problems that can cause this - but ultimately, if your freezer is keeping frozen foods frozen, the problem is lack of water flow.

Most automatic ice makers work on a timer. At a regular interval, if the ice maker arm is down to signal a "not full" ice bin, the heater on the bottom of the ice form turns on to break the bond between the ice and the mold. After a short time, the wiper linkage turns to allow the wipers push the individual cubes out of the mold and fall into the bin. After that, the solenoid on the water line is energized that will allow the water to flow to the ice maker to fill the mold, and then shuts off.

The water may pass through the filter inside your fridge (if equipped) and the filter may be clogged (if you can dispense water from your fridge and it works - this not likely to be the problem). Some fridges require a filter to be present - other will work without a filter - but none will work with a clogged (or frozen) filter. Make sure the fresh food compartment of the fridge is not freezing the filter.

Most of the ice maker functions are silent - except for the sounds of the ice dropping into the bin, and in some cases, the "snapping" or "clicking" of the water solenoid turning on and off (coupled with the sound of water running).

See if you can hear this happening. If you do, the problem could the either the flexible water line or the point of the water line attachment to the cold water pipe in the house. If you moved the fridge out for any reason, it is possible that the water line has been kinked or crushed when the fridge was moved back into position. If it has been undisturbed, it may be related to the valve that supplies water to the fridge. Sometimes, a clamp-on pipe piercing valve is used to connect the smaller fridge water line to the cold water pipe in the house. It is not unusual for these to give trouble after several years - particularly in areas with "hard" water. It may be worthwhile to replace this if it has been installed for some time.

Lastly, it may be the ice maker itself. It has heaters, switches and motors - any of which can fail and cause trouble. You could pour water into the the maker with a watering can or similar and let it make ice as normal. If ice is never dropped into the bin, then something on or cabling to the maker itself has failed and will likely require professional service or replacement as an assembly.

These should get you going and may pinpoint the issue - good luck!