Unclog An Ice Maker Water Line

A clogged ice maker water line may sound like a bad problem to have, but most of the time the process of unclogging the water line isn’t very tough. The greatest challenge about this project is finding the cause of the problem, because unfortunately, there are many small things that can cause the refrigerator to stop producing ice.

Getting Started

Unplug the refrigerator and move it out from the wall. When you do this, you’ll also need to close the water line that leads to the ice maker. The valve should be near the back of the refrigerator. Then, disconnect the water line from the refrigerator. Put a bucket beneath the cold water connection to catch any water that falls from the pipe.

Troubleshooting

As already mentioned, there are many things that could be causing the clog in the water line.

Kinks: Run your hand along the water line to check for kinks in the hose. If a kink is the problem, the water line have straighten when you pull out the refrigerator. Feel the line for a faint fold in the plastic. If you can feel a fold, this is likely the source of your problem. If this is the case, straighten the line and put the refrigerator back in its place carefully to ensure that the line remains unkinked.
Ice: Feel along the plastic line for a cold lump inside. If you can feel a cold, hard lump along the plastic, this is probably ice. Give the ice time to melt and then push it out when it’s turned into a slush. If you can feel no ice in the water supply line, this could be because of ice blocking a pipe inside the freezer itself. If this is the case, you can fix the problem by defrosting the freezer. Remove everything frozen from the unit and allow the refrigerator to sit until the ice thaws.
Filter: If your refrigerator has a filter that doesn’t get changed very often, a clog in the filter could be the source of your problem. Buy a replacement filter for your model and replace the filter as per the manufacturer’s instructions.

When you’re finished troubleshooting the refrigerator, push the unit back into place and hook up the refrigerator by reversing the process you used to disconnect it from the wall. Give the refrigerator about 24 hours to produce ice.

If this doesn’t work, there could be a problem with the plumbing itself. Disconnect the refrigerator once more and turn on the water supply valve to let water out of the cold water pipe. If the water won’t come out of the pipe, could be the result of a blockage inside the pipe. If your home has hard water, a calcified lump inside the pipe could be blocking the flow.

When all else fails, try doing some additional online research.

Who to Call When Plumbing is the Problem

If you suspect that plumbing is the source of your refrigerator’s problem, contact Terry’s Plumbing. We have over 30 years in the business. If plumbing is the issue, we can definitely determine the source of your problem and perform any necessary repairs.