An ice maker needs three things to work: water arriving on demand, a compartment cold enough to freeze it on schedule, and a control that knows the bin is not already full. When ice stops, one of those three has usually changed, and two of them are things you can verify yourself.
Start With the Obvious Three
- Is it switched on? Depending on the model the control is a panel button, a physical switch inside the compartment, or a wire arm. Arms get pushed up by a bag of frozen peas and stay there.
- Is water getting to the refrigerator? Dispense a glass. Good flow at the dispenser means the supply and valve are broadly fine; no flow points at the shut-off valve, the filter or the inlet valve instead of the ice maker.
- Is the freezer cold enough? Ice production falls off when the compartment is warmer than about 0°F to 5°F. Measure it rather than assume, and treat a warm freezer as the real problem.
Then the Near-Misses
A newly fitted filter that is not seated to its stop will block the ice maker while still letting the dispenser trickle. A cartridge without the RFID chip on a model that expects one can stop ice altogether. A bin that has been left untouched for weeks can fuse into one block and hold the feeler arm out, which reads to the control as full. A unit that was just installed or just had its water connected needs a day of cycles before it produces normally, and the first batches belong in the bin.
Little Ice, Hollow Cubes or Slow Production
Partial production is a different symptom from none, and usually means restricted water rather than a dead ice maker: a filter near the end of its life, a partially closed supply valve, or a fill tube starting to frost. Note which one you are seeing when you call.
What Belongs With a Technician
A frozen fill tube will come back within days if the reason it froze is not corrected, so thawing it is not a repair. Do not use a heat gun, a hair dryer on high or a screwdriver against the tube: melted plastic and punctured lines turn a modest job into an expensive one. Ice-maker modules, fill valves, thermostats and the wiring behind the compartment wall need meter work and panel removal.
If the switch is on, the freezer is at temperature, the dispenser gives water and the filter is correct and seated, book ice maker repair. Mention whether you hear a fill attempt, a buzz, or nothing at all: that detail points a technician at the valve or the module before they arrive.