Why Samsung Ice Maker Not Working But Water Does? – Troubleshooting Guide

It can be confusing to understand why your ice maker fails to work even though the water dispenser is fine. After all, both of those fridge components receive water from the same source, don’t they? So why would one fail but the other continue working?

When the ice maker doesn’t work even though the water dispenser does, check that the ice maker isn’t turned off. The ice maker could also be experiencing a minor error that can be cleared with a quick reset. Besides that, a clogged water line or low water pressure can prevent water from reaching the ice maker, preventing it from freezing ice like it usually does.

In this article, you’ll discover why the ice maker might not work even though the water does. Then, you’ll dive into each possible reason to learn why it happens and what you can do to get the ice maker working again.

Here are the reasons you’re having problems getting ice but not water from your Samsung refrigerator:

Ice Maker Is Turned Off

What it is: Your Samsung refrigerator ice maker is unique in that you can shut it on or off as needed, unlike most other fridge components.

For example, you can shut it off when you don’t want it to produce ice for you. You can also do that when there’s no incoming water supply.

When you decide to turn it on, however, you’ll have to give it at least 24 hours to fill the bucket with ice that’s ready to dispense.

What’s happening: When you find that the ice maker isn’t working even though the water dispenser does, the first thing you must check is whether or not the ice maker is turned on.

Remember: when the ice maker is off, it won’t freeze water into ice and fill up the ice bucket. However, water can still flow out from the dispenser in your Samsung fridge door.

How to fix it: Solving this problem is easy. You’ll have to turn the ice maker back on by pressing and holding the ice button on the fridge’s control panel. When that happens, you’ll hear water flowing into the ice tray to be frozen into ice cubes.

As you read above, you’ll have to wait at least 24 hours for there to be ice cubes ready to come out of the dispenser.

Read: How To Reset Samsung Refrigerator Control Panel? 3 Easy Steps

Ice Maker Needs A Reset

What it is: Like many other fridge components, you have the option to reset the ice maker. Doing so will get the ice maker to start over and potentially clear minor issues involving the motor or other parts.

What’s happening: The ice maker is likely experiencing a minor problem, such as a malfunctioning motor or ice buildups that affect its moving parts.

Although these aren’t major problems requiring new parts or heavy repairs, they are just bad enough to prevent the ice maker from functioning correctly despite the fridge having a steady water supply.

How to fix it: The solution to minor issues like that is a quick reset. You can perform a reset by pressing and holding the test button until you hear a chime. Depending on your Samsung fridge model, you might have to hold the button for up to 10 seconds for that to happen.

The test process takes about 6 minutes and involves the ice maker ejecting ice and filling it with water. You’ll know the test process and reset is complete when you hear another chime after that time.

Read: Why Samsung Refrigerator Control Panel Not Responding?

Clogged Water Line

What it is: Water is supplied throughout your Samsung refrigerator through water lines. Firstly, water enters the fridge through the water inlet valve before passing through the water filter. 

After being filtered, the water splits in two directions: through one water line to the ice maker and through another one heading to the water dispenser.

What’s happening: When your ice maker doesn’t seem to work even though the water dispenser does, one of the two water lines has likely become clogged. 

More specifically, the water line for the ice maker has become clogged and won’t let any water flow through.

The clog could be caused by dirt, debris, or sediment that somehow made it past the water filter. However, the same could happen if the water line somehow bent or pinched so much that water can’t flow through smoothly.

How to fix it: The solution to this problem is to clear the clog and get water moving again. That will require you to access the water line, flush it with water, and straighten any kinks or bends you might find.

It can be confusing to understand why your ice maker fails to work even though the water dispenser is fine. After all, both of those fridge components receive water from the same source, don’t they? So why would one fail but the other continue working?

When the ice maker doesn’t work even though the water dispenser does, check that the ice maker isn’t turned off. The ice maker could also be experiencing a minor error that can be cleared with a quick reset. Besides that, a clogged water line or low water pressure can prevent water from reaching the ice maker, preventing it from freezing ice like it usually does.

In this article, you’ll discover why the ice maker might not work even though the water does. Then, you’ll dive into each possible reason to learn why it happens and what you can do to get the ice maker working again.

Here are the reasons you’re having problems getting ice but not water from your Samsung refrigerator:

Ice Maker Is Turned Off

What it is: Your Samsung refrigerator ice maker is unique in that you can shut it on or off as needed, unlike most other fridge components.

For example, you can shut it off when you don’t want it to produce ice for you. You can also do that when there’s no incoming water supply.

When you decide to turn it on, however, you’ll have to give it at least 24 hours to fill the bucket with ice that’s ready to dispense.

What’s happening: When you find that the ice maker isn’t working even though the water dispenser does, the first thing you must check is whether or not the ice maker is turned on.

Remember: when the ice maker is off, it won’t freeze water into ice and fill up the ice bucket. However, water can still flow out from the dispenser in your Samsung fridge door.

How to fix it: Solving this problem is easy. You’ll have to turn the ice maker back on by pressing and holding the ice button on the fridge’s control panel. When that happens, you’ll hear water flowing into the ice tray to be frozen into ice cubes.

As you read above, you’ll have to wait at least 24 hours for there to be ice cubes ready to come out of the dispenser.

Read: How To Reset Samsung Refrigerator Control Panel? 3 Easy Steps

Ice Maker Needs A Reset

What it is: Like many other fridge components, you have the option to reset the ice maker. Doing so will get the ice maker to start over and potentially clear minor issues involving the motor or other parts.

What’s happening: The ice maker is likely experiencing a minor problem, such as a malfunctioning motor or ice buildups that affect its moving parts.

Although these aren’t major problems requiring new parts or heavy repairs, they are just bad enough to prevent the ice maker from functioning correctly despite the fridge having a steady water supply.

How to fix it: The solution to minor issues like that is a quick reset. You can perform a reset by pressing and holding the test button until you hear a chime. Depending on your Samsung fridge model, you might have to hold the button for up to 10 seconds for that to happen.

The test process takes about 6 minutes and involves the ice maker ejecting ice and filling it with water. You’ll know the test process and reset is complete when you hear another chime after that time.

Read: Why Samsung Refrigerator Control Panel Not Responding?

Clogged Water Line

What it is: Water is supplied throughout your Samsung refrigerator through water lines. Firstly, water enters the fridge through the water inlet valve before passing through the water filter. 

After being filtered, the water splits in two directions: through one water line to the ice maker and through another one heading to the water dispenser.

What’s happening: When your ice maker doesn’t seem to work even though the water dispenser does, one of the two water lines has likely become clogged. 

More specifically, the water line for the ice maker has become clogged and won’t let any water flow through.

The clog could be caused by dirt, debris, or sediment that somehow made it past the water filter. However, the same could happen if the water line somehow bent or pinched so much that water can’t flow through smoothly.

How to fix it: The solution to this problem is to clear the clog and get water moving again. That will require you to access the water line, flush it with water, and straighten any kinks or bends you might find.