The short answer
An ice maker that has stopped is far more often a water-supply or a temperature problem than a broken ice maker. On an imported mass-market cabinet the ranking below starts with the supply side because that is where the fault usually is and because it costs nothing to check.
What you observe
- The tray is empty and stays empty — Nothing is arriving, which points at the supply side rather than the mechanism.
- Small, hollow or partly formed cubes — Water is arriving but not enough of it, which is a restriction rather than a stoppage.
- NEAR MISS: cubes fused into one block in the bin — That is melt and refreeze from a door left ajar or a warm spell, not an ice-maker fault.
Causes, most likely first on this cabinet
- Water is not reaching the cabinet — A closed saddle valve, a kinked line behind the cabinet or a supply shut off during other work. Ranked first on Daewoo Electronics: these cabinets are built to a price on a deliberately plain platform, so the simple mechanical causes really are the common ones and the exotic ones really are rare, and the electronics-plate control generation adds a layer that the mechanical platform underneath does not.
- The shutoff arm or switch is in the off position — A wire arm knocked up by a bag of ice, or a switch left off after cleaning, stops the whole system silently. Ranked second: it sits here because it mimics the cause above it closely enough that checking in the wrong order wastes a visit.
- The fill valve is not opening — An electrically operated valve at the back of the cabinet that has stopped responding. Ranked third: it is placed here because it is the first cause that needs more than a look.
- The ice maker module itself — The motor, the thermostat or the harvest mechanism inside the assembly. Ranked last: it is last because it is genuinely uncommon on this platform, and because it is the one cause an owner cannot confirm or fix without licensed tools.
Check in this order, and why
- Trace the line from the tap to the back of the cabinet — Look for a closed valve and a kink where the cabinet was last pushed back.
- Look at the shutoff arm or the control switch — Arm down, or switch on, is the position that allows production.
- Listen for a short buzz at the back when the ice maker cycles — A buzz with no water is a valve or a supply problem; silence is upstream of that.
What an owner can safely check
- Check the supply valve and straighten the line behind the cabinet — Open the valve fully, take the kink out and leave a gentle loop so the line is not strained when the cabinet goes back.
About 15 min
- Set the shutoff arm down or switch the ice maker on and wait — Give it several hours before judging, because a cold start takes a full cycle or two to produce the first tray.
About 5 min
- STOP HERE if the next step needs a meter on live terminals or a panel off — That is where an owner check ends and a service call begins.
Before you open anything
Safety
Unplug the cabinet or switch off its breaker before reaching behind the rear panel or removing the ice maker cover, and leave it off while your hands are inside: a capacitor can hold a charge after the power is off and a harvest arm can move under power. Turn the water supply off before you disturb any fitting, and do not use a metal tool or a heat gun to clear ice from inside the cabinet.
When to call a technician
Call once the supply side, the filter and the freezer temperature have all been ruled out, because what is left is inside the assembly. Call sooner if you find water where it should not be, if the fill tube refreezes within days of being cleared, or if the freezer section itself is not holding temperature.
Nearest pages of this class
What this page does not cover
This page covers the Daewoo Electronics refrigerator as a class, not one model or production run. Any family- or model-specific page for your unit takes precedence over it. Not here: the filter part number, the ice maker assembly number and the fill timing for your specific cabinet, all of which are model-specific.
Lead Appliance Repair Technician · 12 years experience
Experienced technician with 12 years specializing in washing machine and dryer repairs across all major brands.
