Is your refrigerator’s ice maker making ice but not dumping it? You probably don’t know what exactly to check, and it infuriates you as you cannot dispense the ice cubes and use them in your favorite drink.
Your ice maker produces ice but doesn’t eject it due to active child lock, ice clumping, insufficient or large ice, software glitch, or failed defrost function. And while speaking of ice clumping, the parts to check are the auger, ice bin, raker, ice chute, ice-bucket opening, and ejector’s arm.
With these six issues, you can identify your ice maker’s or refrigerator’s fault and troubleshoot it. So, the problem doesn’t necessarily require a fridge expert, as it’s often DIY.
This guide shall help you fix a non-dumping ice maker, regardless of the fridge model. We’ll after that look at specific models such as Samsung, Whirlpool, LG, and GE. So, let’s get into it!
In a rush? The quick troubleshooting guide below will enable you to fix your ice maker when it doesn’t eject ice despite making it.
Quick Troubleshooting Guide for an Ice Maker Making Ice But Not Dumping
| Likely Cause | Quick Fix | |
| 1. | Active Child Lock | Disable Child Lock |
| 2. | Ice Clumping (ice-clumped auger, ice bin, raker, ice chute, ejector arm, or ice-bucket opening) | Manually remove (or scrape off) the ice clog, but if it doesn’t, defrost the refrigerator |
| 3. | Insufficient Ice (insufficient ice-production time, blocked water line, non-closing door, higher freezer temperature, or faulty fan) | Give the ice maker up to 24 hours, unblock the water line, and ensure the freezer door closes properly. Lower the freezer temperature below 190F, and replace a faulty fan. |
| 4. | Large Ice Cubes | Adjust the size of the ice cube |
| 5. | Software Glitch | Reset the icemaker |
| 6. | Failed Defrost Function | Call a fridge pro |
Why Is My Refrigerator Making Ice But Not Dispensing?
Generally, your refrigerator won’t eject the produced ice due to one of these six reasons:
1. Active Child Lock
While Child Lock doesn’t prevent the ice maker from running and producing ice, it prevents the ice dispenser from ejecting the ice. This safety feature, whose function is to prevent kids from operating the refrigerator, should be OFF when you want to dispense ice lest it locks the dispenser.
Fix
Disable Child Lock if it’s ON to unlock the ice dispenser. That’s possible by pressing the switch for a few seconds in most fridges. You can check your refrigerator’s manual on how to do it just in case the trick doesn’t work.
2. Ice Clumping
If ice clumps in the ice bin, ejector arm, and other parts involved in the ice-dispensing, the ice won’t eject after production. Here are some parts that may jam or clog with ice and stop its dispensing:
- Auger – The auger’s job is to push out the produced ice when you press the ice dispenser. It, however, fails to do that when it becomes ice-obstructed, which may happen over time.
- Ice bin/bucket – Only crushed ice (not cubed ice) may dispense when the ice bin jams up with ice, or the ice may fail to dispense altogether. That’s why cleaning the bin as often as possible is advisable to prevent ice-clogging.
- Raker – The raker discourages ice chunks by evenly distributing the produced ice. Sadly, it cannot do that when it becomes ice-jammed, which could therefore be why your ice maker won’t dispense.
- Ice chute/dispenser – If the ice chute or dispenser is ice-clogged, it won’t allow ice to pass through. So, you also need to check the component for ice jamming.
- Ejector arm – The ejector arm will also prevent ice dispensing when it clogs up with the ice.
- Ice-bucket opening – The ice-bucket opening is another part to inspect for ice blockage. You wouldn’t want it to clog, as that prevents ice ejection.
Fix
Inspect all the above parts for ice clumping; if any of them is ice-clumped, try to remove the ice by hand. You can use a wooden or plastic scraper but not metal to avoid damaging the fridge. If that doesn’t work, defrost the refrigerator. You can check the steps in your manual.
3. Insufficient Ice
You cannot expect the ice maker to dump ice if it’s not making enough. So, you’ve to consider the possibility of something stopping the ice maker from producing sufficient ice, and it could be any of these:
- Insufficient ice-production time – It takes 24 hours for the fridge’s ice maker to make enough ice, especially a new unit. If that’s not the case, the produced ice may not be enough for dispensing.
- Blocked water line – A blockage in the waterline will reduce water flow to the ice maker. So, the ice maker won’t have enough raw material (water) to make enough ice.
- Non-closing door – If anything stops the freezer door from closing properly, the ice maker will fail to run properly and produce enough ice. Check a dirty or broken door seal and a faulty door switch.
- Higher freezer temperature – The ice maker will have a hard time making ice when the freezer temperature is above 190F.
- Faulty fan – The ice maker will also find it hard to make ice if the fan is defective. That means it won’t be able to cool the refrigerator, raising the freezer’s temperature.
Fix
Wait up to 24 hours for the ice maker to make enough ice before dispensing. Once 24 hours elapse, and the ice won’t dispense, check for possible waterline blockage and unblock it. It may mean stretching out the water line.
Meanwhile, ensure the freezer door is closed. If not, inspect the door seal for dirt-clogging and breakage and the door switch for fault. If the door seal is murky, clean it but if it’s broken, replace it.
Use a continuity-testing device such as a multimeter to check the door switch’s continuity. If it lacks it, it’s faulty and thus needs a replacement.
Then check the freezer temperature and ensure it is below 190F. And lastly, if the fan doesn’t turn, replace it.
4. Larger Ice Cubes
Sometimes the ice cubes won’t eject because they are too big. That’s often a case of the wrong setting.
Fix
Adjust the size of the ice cubes to ensure they are small enough to dispense. You can consult your refrigerator manual on how to do it.
5. Software Glitch
A software glitch is likely to occur when powering off the ice maker or during a power failure. It, however, doesn’t mean that something serious is wrong with the ice maker or the fridge.
Fix
Consider resetting the ice maker by unplugging the refrigerator for 5-10 minutes. You can also press the ice maker’s reset button or follow any procedure the manufacturer recommends in the manual.
6. Failed Defrost Function
Lastly, your ice maker might not be ejecting the ice because the defrost system is failing. If the defrost system has an issue, ice will clump and not dispense.
Fix
Call a fridge pro to inspect the defrost system for fault and fix it.
Troubleshooting a Samsung Ice Maker Making Ice But Not Dumping
Several issues could explain why your Samsung ice maker makes ice but won’t dispense it. It could be due to Child Lock, which locks the dispenser, or the ice-clumping of the auger, ice bin, raker, ice chute, or ejector’s arm.
If Child Lock is ON, disable it and manually remove or scrape off the ice if ice clumping occurs. But if it’s none of those issues, consider that you might be having a failed defrost system. In such a case, call a Samsung fridge pro.
Troubleshooting a Whirlpool Ice Maker Making Ice But Not Dumping
Your Whirlpool Ice Maker will most likely fail to dump the ice it produces due to a jammed ice chute, ice tray, ejector arm, or auger. In such cases, defrost the unit or manually remove the ice.
Also, check the ice cubes’ size, as they could be too big to dispense. And if they are, adjust the ice size using the manual.
Troubleshooting an LG Ice Maker Making Ice But Not Dumping
The LG refrigerator’s ice maker won’t dump ice if Child Lock is ON. So, check it and disable it.
Furthermore, the ice maker won’t eject ice if the auger is ice-jammed, which you can tell if its motor is noisy when running. If so, power off the unit, scrape off the ice or defrost the unit.
Troubleshooting a GE Ice Maker Making Ice But Not Dumping
Lastly, the GE ice maker may fail to eject the ice it makes due to a non-closing freezer door or an ice-clumped ice chute, ice bin, or auger.
So, start by checking the freezer door to ensure it’s not open. If it is, try closing it. Clean the door seal if it’s dirty but replace it if it looks damaged.
Then check the ice chute, ice bin, and ejector arm for ice obstruction and scrap it off or defrost the unit.
FAQs
1. Why Isn’t My Ice Maker Dumping the Ice?
Your ice maker makes ice but won’t dump it because of ice clumping in the ice bin, ice chute, or around the ejector’s arm, raker, or auger. It could also be due to an active child lock; a failing defrost system, or insufficient or large-sized ice cubes.
2. Why Is My Frigidaire Ice Maker Not Dumping Ice?
Your Frigidaire ice maker is not dumping ice because its display is locked, so you should unlock it. If that’s not it, it could be due to ice clogging or clumping around the auger or in the ice bin or ice dispenser. In the case of ice clumping, manually remove or scrape off the ice or defrost the fridge.
3. How Often Should the Ice Maker Dump Ice?
It usually takes up to 24 hours for the ice maker to make up to 3 lbs. of ice. However, it may take longer if issues prevent adequate water flow to the ice maker.
Closing Thought:
Above are the six reasons for the ice maker making ice but not dumping it. Ensure you disable Child Lock, remove any ice clumps, and that the ice maker makes enough ice and is the correct size. It may also help to reset the ice maker, but if none of those fixes work, call a pro to check the defrost system.
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