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September 2, 2026

Nugget Report

Troubleshooting

Ice Maker Will Not Turn On

No lights, no sound, nothing. Work through these in order, and note the one about waiting after you unplug it, because it catches almost everyone.

By Scooter M.Updated September 2, 2026How we work
A power plug beside a wall socket

The checks, in order

  1. 1. Confirm the outlet is live

    Something else plugged into the same socket. If that is also dead, the machine is fine and your outlet is not.

  2. 2. Reset the GFCI

    Find the GFCI outlet on that circuit, often elsewhere in the kitchen or in a bathroom or garage, and press reset. Then re-test the outlet.

  3. 3. Check the breaker

    A tripped breaker is not always visibly different from a set one. Switch it fully off and back on.

  4. 4. Remove any extension cord

    Plug the machine directly into a wall outlet. Manufacturers advise against extension cords for refrigeration appliances, and voltage drop on a long thin cord can stop a compressor starting.

  5. 5. Wait, properly

    If you have been cycling power, leave the machine unplugged for several minutes. Compressors need internal pressures to equalize before they will restart, and rapid power cycling is the reason a machine sometimes refuses to come back at all.

  6. 6. Check the cord and plug

    Visible damage, a loose plug, discoloration or a burnt smell at the plug. Any of those means stop and get a qualified opinion rather than continuing to plug it in.

  7. 7. Check the machine's own controls

    Some machines have a power switch on the body separate from the touch controls, and some will not respond until the lid is properly closed or the bin is correctly seated.

  8. 8. Level and clearance

    Worth confirming while you are there. Neither will stop a machine powering on, but both cause the problems people go looking for next.

The waiting one, because it catches everyone

The instinct when an appliance misbehaves is to unplug it and plug it straight back in. On a refrigeration appliance that is the wrong move.

A compressor that has just stopped has high pressure on one side of the system and low on the other. Until those equalize, it cannot restart against the pressure difference: it will either refuse to start or start, stall and cut out. Several minutes of genuine waiting solves it, and it is not a fault.

What not to do

  • Do not open the machine. There is a sealed refrigeration system and a mains-powered motor in there. Neither is user-serviceable and neither is worth an injury.
  • Do not keep cycling power. If it did not start the first time after a proper wait, it will not start on the fifth attempt, and repeated stalled starts are hard on a compressor.
  • Do not use a different plug adapter or a splitter to test it. If the outlet is suspect, test the outlet, not the machine.
  • Do not ignore a burnt smell or a warm plug. Stop and get a qualified opinion. This is the one place on this site where the advice is unambiguously to stop.

If the outlet is fine and the machine is not

Then it is an internal electrical fault, and the question is repairability. That comes down to whether your manufacturer publishes a service procedure and sells parts: GE does for the Opal line, and KBice publishes a service manual for its self-dispensing unit. Most budget brands publish neither.

The economics are set out on how long these machines last, and if the answer is replacement, the current field is on the nugget roundup. There is no buy button on this page on purpose: the right first outcome here is a working machine, not a new one.

Questions people actually ask

My nugget ice maker will not turn on. What should I check first?

The outlet, with something else plugged into it. It sounds too obvious to bother with and it is the single most common cause, particularly on kitchen circuits with a GFCI outlet that has tripped somewhere else on the run and taken your counter with it.

Why will my ice maker not restart after I unplugged it?

Refrigeration appliances need their internal pressures to equalize before the compressor will start. If you unplug and immediately replug, the machine may refuse to start or start and stall. Leave it unplugged for several minutes, ideally longer, before trying again.

Can an extension cord stop an ice maker working?

It can. A long or thin cord drops voltage, and a compressor starting on low voltage draws more current and may fail to start at all. Manufacturers generally advise against extension cords for refrigeration appliances, and your manual will say so. Plug it straight into a wall outlet.

Is it worth repairing an ice maker that will not power on?

It depends entirely on whether your manufacturer publishes a service procedure and sells parts. GE publishes procedures for the Opal line and KBice publishes a service manual. For machines whose makers publish neither, a genuine electrical failure is usually the end of it. Do not open a sealed appliance yourself to find out.

Sources

  1. FirstBuild Opal Use & Care manual, Ver. 2/13/2017, p.12 (operating environment 55F-90F, clearances) (read 2026-09-02)
  2. Frigidaire EFIC255 Use & Care Manual (troubleshooting guide and FAQs) (read 2026-09-02)
  3. GE Profile Opal 2.0 Owner's Manual 49-9000029 Rev. 6 (read 2026-09-02)