Is water getting through?
Start at the dispenser, if your fridge has one. The ice maker and the water dispenser usually share the supply line, the filter and the inlet valve, so they narrow the search together.
| Dispenser water | Ice | Look at |
|---|---|---|
| none or a trickle | none or small cubes | shut-off valve, kinked line, clogged filter, low house pressure, inlet valve |
| normal | none | ice maker switch or arm, frozen fill tube, ice maker module, freezer temperature |
| normal | made but not dropped | ice stuck in the mold or bin, module motor, ice jammed in the auger or chute |
| none | normal | dispenser line, dispenser switch or door-side tube frozen |
A refrigerator water dispenser not working while ice comes normally rules out the house supply and the inlet valve in most layouts. Fixr lists the dispenser as a repair at $170 to $500.
Checks you can do first
- Switch and arm. Many ice makers have an on/off switch, and older ones a wire arm that stops production when lifted. Make sure it is on and the arm is down.
- Water filter. A filter past its change date, or one that is not locked in fully, cuts the flow. Fixr lists filter replacement on an ice maker at $85 to $250 when a technician does it; many filters are a simple twist-in change.
- Supply. Check that the shut-off valve on the line is open and that the line behind the fridge is not kinked where the fridge was pushed back.
- Freezer temperature. An ice maker in a freezer that is not reaching 0°F makes little ice, slowly. If the freezer is warm too, the fault is cooling, not the ice maker.
- Ice in the bin. Break up clumps and empty the bin; a jammed bin or auger stops the dispenser even when the ice maker works.
Ice maker freezing up
A frozen fill tube is one of the common reasons for an ice maker not making ice. The tube carries water from the inlet valve into the mold; if water trickles in slowly, from low pressure or a valve that does not open cleanly, it freezes in the tube and seals it. Ice maker freezing up at the mold or in the chute also shows up in some in-door designs, where the ice compartment is kept cold separately from the freezer. Thawing the tube restores ice for a while, but the underlying cause, often the valve or the pressure, has to be fixed. Fixr lists a frozen water line at $85 to $200 and a fill tube at $85 to $125.
The inlet valve and the module
The water inlet valve is an electric valve at the bottom back of the fridge that opens when the ice maker calls for water. A valve that no longer opens gives no ice and, often, no dispenser water; one that sticks open overfills the mold and can leak. Fixr lists the water valve at $85 to $175 and the solenoid at $85 to $250. The ice maker module itself, the motor and gear that turn the ejector, is a replacement part; Fixr lists the motor at $200 to $400.
Door ice makers and warranty
Refrigerators with the ice maker built into the door have extra parts to fail: a separate cold-air duct, a heater and a seal between the compartment and the door. Owners of some Samsung French-door models sued in 2017 over ice buildup, slushy ice, stuck buckets and leaking water in Bianchi v. Samsung Electronics America; the case ended in December 2023 after certain owners accepted individual settlement offers. For newer units, Samsung's US refrigerator warranty lists two years of parts and labor on the ice maker, longer than the one year its base terms give the refrigerator as a whole, so check the purchase date before paying for a repair. The Samsung page covers the brand in more detail.
What ice maker repairs cost
| Problem or part | Parts and labor |
|---|---|
| Flooding | $75–$175 |
| Ice not ejected | $75–$350 |
| Not enough ice | $85–$200 |
| Water line frozen | $85–$200 |
| No ice at all | $100–$350 |
| Water valve | $85–$175 |
| Motor | $200–$400 |
Fixr ice maker repair guide, updated August 29, 2025. Fixr's refrigerator guide gives a higher $350 to $500 for ice maker work on built-in refrigerator units. Technicians charge $75 to $125 an hour or a flat $150 to $250 per repair, and a call-out fee of $50 to $100 may be waived if you go ahead with the repair.
Water on the floor along with the ice problem is covered on the refrigerator leaking water page. When you call, give the model number and say whether the ice maker is in the freezer or in the door.
Questions people ask next
How long does a new ice maker take to start making ice?
Longer than most people expect. The freezer has to be fully cold first, and the first few batches are often small or get dumped. Check the owner's manual for your model's timing before calling for a repair on a new installation.
Why are the cubes small or hollow?
Not enough water reaches the mold. A clogged or old water filter, low household water pressure, a kinked supply line or a partly frozen fill tube all cut the fill. Fixr lists low ice production at $85 to $200.
Is it cheaper to replace the ice maker than to fix it?
Sometimes. Fixr gives $150 to $250 for a typical repair and $100 to $2,500 for a replacement ice maker, depending on the type. For a refrigerator ice maker module, the price of the part for your model decides it; ask the technician for both numbers.
Sources
- How much does it cost to repair an ice maker?, Fixr, updated August 29, 2025.
- How much does it cost to repair a refrigerator?, Fixr, updated August 29, 2025.
- Limited warranty (U.S.A.), Samsung refrigerator, Samsung Electronics America, no date printed.
- Bianchi v. Samsung Electronics America, Inc., No. 2:17-cv-01263 (D.N.J.), docket, CourtListener, filed February 23, 2017, terminated December 28, 2023.
- Samsung refrigerator ice maker lawsuit, ClassAction.org, update of January 11, 2024.
Reviewed October 1, 2026. Spotted an error? Write to admin@compareappliancerepair.com.