For some reason, most Frigidaire refrigerators eventually run into a similar problem – the ice maker stops working. There are countless cases of Frigidaire refrigerator owners who say they’ve had this problem.
Here’s the good news – after working on used appliances for over a decade now, I can tell you that around 80% of all Frigidaire refrigerator ice makers that are not working are relatively easy to fix.
If you try each and every one of these solutions, I am extremely confident one of them will work for you.
Frigidaire Ice Maker Not Working
If your Frigidaire ice maker is not working, you need to defrost it. Start by pressing and holding option up and down at the same time, for 10 seconds. Then press the + temp button until you see “26”. Your Frigidaire ice maker will enter defrost mode, melting any excess ice buildup.
Keep in mind that this defrost cycle can take awhile. Just leave your fridge alone to do its thing.
You’ll see the temp slowly start to rise – that’s normal. Once it’s done, your Frigidaire ice maker should work again!
But honestly, before you even try this defrost cycle, you should make sure your ice maker is ON to begin with.
Confirm ice maker is ON and check temp
Yes, I know, this sounds obvious. But you’d be surprised by how many Frigidaire ice makers I got working again simply by turning them ON!
Start by looking around for your ice maker’s ON/OFF button.
NOTE: Depending on which model Frigidaire refrigerator you own, your ice maker may, or may not have an “ON/OFF” switch, and that’s OK!
Many Frigidaire refrigerators have a bail arm that acts as the ON/OFF mechanism for your ice maker. When the bail arm is down, it’s on. When it’s up, it’s off! It may look something like this:
On some older models you’ll find the ice maker ON/OFF button on the ice maker itself.
Regardless of which Frigidaire model refrigerator you own, just make sure you look for an ice maker ON/OFF button, and ensure it is ON.
If you can’t find a physical ON/OFF button on the ice maker itself, you likely have an ON/OFF button on the display on the front of your refrigerator door!
Confirm that your display shows ICE turned ON.
There are several different types of temperature controls depending on the Frigidaire model refrigerator you own. All of them are fairly straightforward to adjust.
While you’re at the refrigerator display, take a moment to ensure the refrigerator is at, or under 37°F and your freezer temp is at, or under -0°F.
This will allow your ice machine to perform better, especially during summer months when the ground water can reach temps of 70-75 degrees Fahrenheit!
After you make this adjustment, allow your refrigerator 24 hours to adjust.
Ok, now that we’ve made sure your ice maker is actually ON, and your refrigerator/freezer are set to the right temperature, let’s defrost it.
Defrost ice maker
Ok, now that we know your ice make is in fact ON, let’s defrost it.
If your Frigidaire ice maker looks like this, I can almost guarantee your ice maker is frozen over with ice (even if you can’t see it).
Most of the videos you’ll come across online will tell you to take this model ice maker apart. But I can tell you from experience that it is a PAIN due to its poor design. I wouldn’t bother.
These ice makers are known to freeze over very easily. When your ice maker gets frozen solid, water can’t fill the tray, the ice augur can’t move, etc.
You can usually fix it one of two ways.
The first involves taking a hair dryer and simply blowing warm air into the ice maker for 20 minutes or so, to thaw everything out.
Make sure to move the hair dryer around while you do this, you don’t want to melt the plastic.
The second way to thaw out the ice maker is by putting your Frigidaire ice maker into defrost mode using the touch panel.
Start by pressing and holding the option up and down at the same time, for 10 seconds.
Then press the + temp button until you see the number “26” and leave it on this number.
You’ll see the temperature reading slowly start to rise. Leave it alone to do its thing. When it’s done, your ice maker should be defrosted and working again.
Power-cycle ice maker
If defrosting your ice maker got it working again, great! If not, it’s time to power-cycle it. Power-cycling your Frigidaire ice maker is one of the easiest ways to get it working again.
To start, fully remove the ice bucket.
You already located the ON/OFF button in the previous step. Now simply turn the ice maker OFF, wait 60 seconds, then turn it back ON. You should see/hear the ice maker motor attempt to work.
If your Frigidaire refrigerator doesn’t have an ice maker ON/OFF switch, simply unplug your refrigerator from the wall and wait a full 2 minutes before plugging it back. This should reset your entire refrigerator, including the ice maker.
NOTE: I have also read forums where many Frigidaire refrigerator owners mentioned that turning their ice maker OFF using the front display, and keeping it off for 24 hours before turning it back ON has fixed their ice maker. Worth a shot.
Test ice maker
Ok, on to more involved troubleshooting steps. Let’s test your Frigidaire ice maker.
First reconfirm the ice maker is turned ON and the ice bucket is fully removed. You cannot test the ice maker with the ice bucket still installed!
Next, place a bath towel under the ice tray to catch any ice/water that may fall out.
On newer models of Frigidaire refrigerators you’ll want to press and hold ^ and + simultaneously for several seconds until the fridge enters test mode.
Then press + until you land on test 58. Test 58 will automatically test the ice maker and run it through a harvest cycle.
For older models, you just have to press and hold the ON/OFF button pictured below to the right for 15 seconds. This will also force your ice maker to enter “harvest mode”.
Clear out compacted ice from ice bucket
If, after power-cycling and resetting your Frigidaire ice maker, it still doesn’t work, it’s time to clear out your ice bucket.
Sometimes, the ice inside the ice bucket becomes compacted – it turns into a solid chunk of ice. This can happen if you’re opening and closing the door often, or if the ice hasn’t been used in awhile.
A chunk of ice can easily obstruct the ice dispenser/shoot, blocking any ice from being ejected.
The easiest thing to do here is take out and empty the ice bucket. Alternatively you could fish around the ice bucket and remove any chunks of ice you find.
Hopefully that frees up the ice maker and it starts working again.
Unblock the ice maker bail arm
Now that you’ve removed any compacted ice from the ice bucket, let’s make sure the bail arm isn’t jammed/blocked.
The bail arm occasionally rotates over the ice bucket. If it gets blocked as it is rotating, while hitting ice in the bucket for example, it knows the bucket is full and sends a signal to stop producing any more ice!
Sometimes, stray pieces of ice can fall and block this arm from rotating. If this arm can’t rotate, it thinks the ice bucket is full.
Note that depending on your refrigerator model, this component may be a “paddle arm” or IR sensor. While the name and look of all of these differ, their function and purpose are all the same.
You want to make sure nothing is blocking these from doing their jobs of checking how much ice is in the bucket!
And for ice makers with the bail arm and paddle arms, ensure the arms are down/in the resting position! If the arm is lifted, your ice maker won’t make ice.
Also keep in mind that each of these components may look a bit different depending on where the ice maker is located in your refrigerator! For example, the IR sensors in a freezer ice maker look a bit different than the sensors on a door ice maker.
Make sure water is on
Next, you’ll want to go ahead and double check that your water is turned on. You need water to make ice after-all!
If your Frigidaire refrigerator has a water dispenser, the easiest way to check if the water is ON and working is to simply fill up a glass with water.
If the dispenser doesn’t dispense any water, you have a problem!
There are few possible reasons why your refrigerator isn’t dispensing water. The first is a closed home water supply valve. Make sure this valve is connected, and in the OPEN position.
Once you’ve confirmed this valve is open, double check that there are no kinks in the refrigerator water lines.
Finally, water won’t dispense from the refrigerator if the fridge thinks one or more of the doors is open. Make sure nothing is blocking the doors from closing, then test the push switch on each door.
When this switch is pushed and held in, the light on that side of the refrigerator should turn off. If it doesn’t, this may indicate a loose connection underneath the top door hinge.
NOTE: if there isn’t a push switch on the door, it’s likely magnetic. You can still activate it by holding a magnet over that section of the door frame.
Check water pressure and change water filter
Now that we know the water is on, we need to confirm that the water pressure is sufficient.
Water pressure is critical when it comes to making ice! We’re looking for between 20-120 PSI without a water filter, and 40-120 PSI with a water filter installed.
Instead of hiring a plumber or technician, you can go to Home Depot or Lowe’s and purchase an affordable pressure gauge.
Simply connect this gauge to an outdoor water spigot, and see what kind of pressure (PSI) your home is getting!
Keep in mind that water filters can have a big impact on the water pressure your ice maker is receiving. That’s because Frigidaire manufactures their water filters to precisely control the feed rate of water into the ice maker.
During the ice making process, the ice maker water valve is opened for a moment, just long enough to fill the ice tray. If the water pressure is off, even by a little bit, you could experience problems.
If your water filter is older than 6 months, consider replacing it. Over time, minerals from the water supply can build up inside the filter and partially, or fully clog it.
I also suggest you avoid any after market water filters. After market filters are unlikely to have the correct specs, and may impact your Frigidaire refrigerator’s ability to create ice.
Your Frigidaire water filter location will vary depending on the model refrigerator you own. Most are located in one of two locations: in the grille at the base of the fridge or in the back upper-right corner of the interior.
If you do end up replacing the water filter, make sure you purge any excess air built up in the lines by filling up a few cups of water from the refrigerator door.
Finally, in rare cases, the water inlet valve/pump from the back, bottom of your Frigidaire refrigerator can fail. If it does, you may get low water pressure, or no water at all.
Defrost ice maker fill tube
Speaking of water pressure, it’s possible the water flow to your ice maker is low, or fully blocked due to a frozen fill tube.
The “fill tube” is just the tube that fills up the ice tray with water.
You’ll want to find where the water enters your ice maker (location will vary depending on model) and ensure that this fill tube is not frozen or obstructed in any way.
If it is frozen, try using a hair dryer to thaw it out. Be careful not to get the tube or any other component of the ice maker too hot as it may melt/deform it.
Refrigerator isn’t getting cold enough
It’s also possible that your Frigidaire refrigerator simply isn’t getting cool enough.
There are a number of steps you can take if your refrigerator is not getting cold enough to produce ice:
- Confirm that the power outlet is working
- Unplug refrigerator for 2 minutes before plugging back
- Lower the temperature setting
- Check that the refrigerator and freezer doors are closing fully
- Clean off the condenser vent and coils
- Make sure the condenser fan is working
- Check if the compressor relay failed
- Confirm that the defrost heater is working
- Make sure the defrost thermostat is working
- Check if the evaporator fan is working
- Unclog the defrost drain
You can click the link just above this list for a more detailed break down of each step.
How to order Frigidaire refrigerator replacement parts
Hopefully you were able to discover exactly what’s causing your Frigidaire ice maker not to work.
If you found a bad or defective part, you’ll need to replace it.
Start by opening up your refrigerator door and looking on the side wall. You should see a sticker with all the details regarding your appliance.
If you don’t see a sticker there, it’s likely in one of these other locations.
You’ll want to take down the exact model number of your refrigerator.
Finally, type that model number into Sears Parts Direct and locate the exact part you need.
Frigidaire refrigerator user manual
Now that you have your Frigidaire refrigerator model number, you can type it into the search bar of Frigidaire.com and pull up the user manual from your fridge.
The user manual will likely have some additional, model specific troubleshooting steps you can try in addition to what I’ve described here.
Frigidaire support
If your Frigidaire ice maker is still not working, you’ll likely need to replace the entire ice making unit.
Unfortunately, these types of fixes typically require a trained professional. I’d start by contacting Frigidaire support.
You can reach them at 1-800-374-4432.
- Mon-Fri, 8:30am – 8pm (EST)
You can also schedule time online for a certified service technician to come directly to you. In some cases, your warranty will cover the entire cost!
Conclusion
When your Frigidaire ice maker is not working, there are several proven ways to fix it:
- Confirm ice maker is ON
- Set refrigerator temperature to 37°F and the freezer to -0°F
- Defrost ice maker
- Turn ice maker OFF and then back ON again
- Run ice maker through a harvest test
- Clear out compacted ice from ice bin
- Unblock bail arm, paddle arm or IR sensors
- Make sure water is ON and pressure is between 40-120 PSI
- Replace water filter if it is more than 6 months old
- Defrost ice maker fill tube
- Investigate why your appliance isn’t getting cold enough
If you discover a faulty part, simply order a replacement.
If none of these fixes work, your best bet is to hire a certified technician to come and take a look.
