An automatic ice maker is a feature that you will find on several refrigerator models, such as those from Whirlpool. A majority of them do a phenomenal job, work pretty efficiently, and are also quite reliable.
Then comes a time where something goes wrong with the ice maker, and you are left wondering what to do. Do you call a professional, or do you try fixing it yourself? How to reset Whirlpool ice makers?
Whether you are looking to know about resetting a Whirlpool ice maker or one from another brand, it is crucial that you first read through the user manual or visit the manufacturer’s website to have a clear idea. Thankfully, this is not a complicated procedure and is fairly straightforward.
What Is an Ice Maker?
If you live in the United States, you are most likely used to getting ice by simply pushing a button on your refrigerator. Most units come with built-in ice makers, and these have been around for decades.
In a nutshell, an ice maker is an appliance that can be either built-in to the refrigerator or an appliance itself that makes and dispenses ice cubes. The way it works is fairly simple, but there are quite a few moving parts within.
How Does It Work?
The machine will typically use a motor, a heating element, and a water valve to make the ice. This cycle will start as soon as the timer activates the water valve. This will fill the mold in a couple of seconds. Once the inbuilt thermostat in the machine determines that the ice is frozen, it will activate the heating element, which will warm the mold to make the edges of the cube softer.
After this, the motor will spin the shaft with small arms that will scoop out the ice cubes from the tray and then store it in the storage bin. Simultaneously, a shaft will raise the shut-off arm and prevent the ice-making process from starting again. Once the cubes are in the bin, the shut-off arm will fall back down.
If the shut-off arm does not hit any ice, then the whole ice-making cycle will begin again. If this runs up against the cold stuff, it will halt the cycle until you dispense more ice. This whole cycle will roughly take about two hours.
A Brief History on Ice Makers
The first ice maker was invented by Dr. John Gorrie back in 1850. However, the first ice maker that was commercially sold was made by Thaddeus Lowe back in 1866. That said, neither of them allowed people to make ice at home. It was only until 1953 that ice makers were built into refrigerators, allowing the users to make ice at home without having to use an ice tray. These were sold by Servel.
The very first in-door ice dispensing refrigerator was sold in stores in 1965. This groundbreaking tech was trotted out by Frigidaire. Thereafter, ice makers built within refrigerators have essentially remained unchanged until the introduction of French door fridges.
Since these types of refrigerators moved the freezer to the bottom part, they need a miniature freezer for the ice maker to be placed within the refrigerator compartment. You will typically see this placed towards the side of the refrigerator or on the inside to the door that contains the ice dispenser.
Benefits of Having an Ice Maker
If you are someone who likes adding ice to everything you drink, having an ice maker can be extremely beneficial to you. Let us list some of the top benefits of having an ice maker.
- Convenience
Ice makers are known for how convenient they are. These will be located on your refrigerator door or inside the freezer. At just the push of a button, the machine will dispense ice cubes. Since these are attached to the refrigerator, they don’t even take any additional space.
- Never-Ending Production of Ice Cubes
What’s great about ice makers in a refrigerator is that they come with a water inlet valve that automatically fills the mold with water to form ice cubes. The more you keep dispensing ice cubes, the more the machine will keep producing ice. Once the bin is full, it will sense that and not produce any more ice. There is no effort required from your end during this entire process.
- No Need to Buy Ice
Since there is a constant production of ice from the ice maker, you will no longer need to run to the local store to buy ice cubes when you are in need of them. Furthermore, since it uses the water from your home itself, you can be well assured that you have clean ice.
About Whirlpool
Whirlpool Corporation is a multinational manufacturer and marketer of home appliances. This is an American company that is headquartered in Michigan, United States. This company is one of the companies that belong in the Fortune 500 company list. They have about nine manufacturing facilities throughout the United States, and all of their products are sold around the world.
The company was founded more than a century ago in 1911 by Louis Upton and Emory Upton. Whirlpool is known for its wide range of home appliances, their phenomenal quality, and its outstanding customer care service.
Whirlpool Ice Makers
It’s no surprise that this giant home appliance company offers a wide range of ice makers. They come as inbuilt ice makers in their top-notch refrigerators and also as portable, stand-alone ice makers.
Regardless of which you opt for, we can say one thing, and that is you are guaranteed to get only a high-quality product when you buy from this company. Whirlpool ice makers are known for how efficiently they work and how reliable they are in the kitchen.
Then again, in those rare cases, your Whirlpool ice maker would also malfunction or develop some minor issues—ones you could solve yourself. This is where knowing how to reset it will help you a lot. Below, we will talk about how you can reset your Whirlpool ice maker.
How to Reset Whirlpool Ice Maker
In addition to knowing how to reset your ice maker, you will also need to know other things about it such as adjusting the feeler arm, locating the reset switch, and so on.
Step 1: Adjust the Feeler Arm
Your Whirlpool ice maker will have a feeler arm. This arm will function like the float in a toilet. The feeler arm shuts off the ice maker when it senses that the tray is full. It is spring-loaded and will fall when you dispense the ice cubes from the bin.
However, there could be a possibility that the feeler arm will get stuck due to it being frozen or not having enough lubrication. If so is the case, manually pull down the feeler arm to determine whether it is actually stuck or not. If it does come down, you should be able to hear the sound of the water that flows into your ice maker’s reservoir.
Step 2: Search for the Reset Button
The very first thing to do in order to reset your Whirlpool ice maker is to locate the reset button in it. Ideally, you will be able to find this easily. If you cannot, then we recommend that you check out the appliance’s user manual. After all, each model may differ slightly from each other.
In most cases, to access the reset button, you will need to take the ice tray out. Once that is done, you will be able to see a bright reset button. This will mostly be located on the bottom of your ice maker.
When you find this button, you will need to push it down and hold it for roughly for about 10 seconds. That will reset the ice maker. You can let go of holding down this button if:
- There is a chime sound inside the refrigerator
- The ice maker makes a noise and begins to operate again
Once your ice maker starts functioning again, it will eject all the content of the reservoir. You will need to replace the tray and then close the refrigerator in order to avoid spilling any partially frozen water on the floor.
Step 3: Use the On/Off Switch
In case your Whirlpool ice maker model does not come with a reset button, there will be an alternative provided. The machine will be equipped with an on/off switch instead. This will work in resetting the ice maker too.
To reset the ice maker with the help of this switch, you will need to remove the ice tray and also the cover plate from the front of the ice maker. This can simply be done by pulling it. Now just turn the switch off and then unplug your refrigerator. Leave it unplugged for about five to 10 minutes.
Now, you can switch it back on by plugging it back in, and this should solve the issue with the ice maker. By now, it should function normally again. Some models may also have the on/off switch much more easily accessible by only removing the ice tray and not the front cover.
Step 4: Unplug the Refrigerator
While this may be quite rare, those very old models of refrigerators and ice makers from Whirlpool may not have a reset button at all. However, don’t panic just yet if that’s the case for you, as there is a simple solution to that as well.
You can simply try unplugging your refrigerator for roughly half a minute and then plug it back in. After 15 to 20 seconds of your refrigerator turning back on, press the feeler arm inside at least three times in succession. By doing so, it will force the ice maker to run the water into the reservoir and will begin the production of ice cubes.
Trying Out Other Simple Fixes
Sometimes the issue with your ice maker may be much more minor than you would assume, which means that you don’t necessarily need to reset it. What do we mean by this? You see, more often than not, you will find that the problem is that the water line is frozen.
For that, all you need to do is use a blow dryer and melt the ice. Also, make sure that the water line is connected properly. That, too, is a common reason why an ice maker won’t work properly.
What to Do If the Ice Maker Just Won’t Reset?
While resetting your Whirlpool ice maker is an excellent solution for a majority of the issues you might encounter when using it, there is also a possibility that resetting it will do no good. This could be because the issue is due to lack of water, some type of mechanical malfunction, an electrical wiring problem, some part being damaged, or some external issues such as the power socket being unable to take the load of the refrigerator.
All of these cannot be solved by simply resetting the ice maker. Some will require you to go through the user manual to find another simple solution, while others may need you to replace a damaged part, such as a water valve or the solenoid.
After you trace the issue, try to gauge whether it can be solved without any professional help. If you do not think that is the case, then do not hesitate to get in touch with Whirlpool’s customer care service to request for an engineer, especially if your product is still under warranty. If it isn’t, you can also call your local appliance engineer to take a look at the issue.
Conclusion
We hope that, with this article, you now know how to reset Whirlpool ice makers. We would again like to remind you to always go through the user manual first to know exactly how to reset your ice maker before you actually do it as every model differs from one another.
As a final reminder, please do not try to solve an issue with an ice maker that clearly requires professional attention, as you may end up causing further damage to the machine. While not entirely necessary, you may also buy an extended warranty from the manufacturer to safeguard your ice maker.