Ice maker water dripping down back of freezer

The water inlet valve on the back of the unit where the water supply comes in can have a slow leak and will cause ice to buildup and block the fill tube. Disconnect the ice maker line from the valve and watch to see if it has a slow drip. It doesn't take much to eventually block the fill tube.

You are right. The water inlet valve is leaking a small drip and it freezes when it reaches the cold air in the freezer at the fill tube. Melt the ice in the tube with a hairdryer and replace the water inlet valve. It's on the back where the water supply connects to the back.

If it overfills and drips, look for an adjustment behind the plastic endcover with a +/- on it. - is less water.

If it continuously drips, replace the water inlet valve on the back where the house water supply comes in.
The water inlet valve on the back of the unit where the water supply comes in can have a slow leak and will cause ice to buildup and block the fill tube. Disconnect the ice maker line from the valve and watch to see if it has a slow drip. It doesn’t take much to eventually block the fill tube.

Try swapping the wires on the dual water inlet valve. Then try the water dispenser. The water should go to the ice maker. This will tell you weather or not the ice maker valve is working and if the line is clear.

The water inlet valve on the back of unit opens when the ice maker needs water. If the valve doesn't seal good because of sediment or wear it will continue to drip and when the water reaches the ice maker supply tube it will freeze. You can take the water line off the valve and watch to see if it drips.

If it overfills and drips, look for an adjustment behind the plastic endcover with a +/- on it. - is less water.

If it continuously drips, replace the water inlet valve on the back where the house water supply comes in.

Watch it when it fills with water. The fill tube could also be stopped up with ice. The water inlet valve on the back of unit opens when the ice maker needs water. If the valve doesn't seal good because of sediment or wear it will continue to drip and when the water reaches the ice maker supply tube it will freeze. You can take the water line off the valve and watch to see if it drips.

The water inlet valve on the back of the unit where the water supply comes in can have a slow leak and will cause ice to buildup and block the fill tube. Disconnect the ice maker line from the valve and watch to see if it has a slow drip. It doesn’t take much to eventually block the fill tube.
The valve can leak because of sediment in the water preventing it from closing or low water pressure.

check for levelness of the ice maker also make sure that the fill tube is inserted all the way into the unit

Hi TJ,

It'll cost around $65.00 to take care of this problem. The problem is the water inlet valve. The part number is 4389177 and can be picked up at your local appliance parts retailer or you can get one online maybe for a better price (just plug the part number into your favorite search engine).

Here's what's happening... The valve I mentioned is actually a "dual coil" unit. One coil supplies the cold water, the other feeds the ice maker. These "coils" are independant of each other, so one coil can fail and the other can keep on truckin', no problem. But what you have is an Ice Maker coil/valve that is weak and it's allowing water to bypass.

Basically the IM valve isn't closing shut completely. Imagine a dripping faucet... that's what it's like except you can't hear the drops, you can only see the results. Imagine drop by drop rising up that tube behind the fridge and into the IM. One drop at a time. These drops of water go into the freezer compartment through the IM fill tube. Now when these little ***** drops slide down the fill tube inside the freezer compartment they flash freeze before they reach the IM. One drop after another... drip drop drip drop. All these little droplets of water eventually form a glacier inside the fill tube. 

OK, now we're at the point of glatiation. The fill tube (just behind the ice maker) has completely frozen solid. Now... when the IM "calls" for water to refill itself, the (failed) valve opens up and lets full pressure through. But where is this water/pressure going to go? The pressure builds inside the 1/4" water line until it can't handle it any more, the pressure looks for the path of least resistance. That path is the connection that you found loose. It blew out because the fill tube (into the freezer) is blocked with ice and the reason it's blocked is because the valve isn't shutting off completely.

That's alot of words to say this... it's an easy fix. Get the valve (above). Pull the fridge out. Unplug it. Turn the water off at the wall. Remove the water line going into the valve and set aside. Remove the cardboard panel. Remove the 2 screws holding the valve to the fridge. Pull the valve out. Note the electrical and tubing connections carefully. Get your new valve out and install the electrical and tubing just like the old one. Then rebuild, turn on the water and look for any leaks (use a flashlight and take a minute or two here... finding a leak now will save you alot of misery later). Replace the cardboard and plug it back in.

There ya go! Your first major appliance repair job done successfully? Priceless.

SG

IF NO WATER IN ICE MAKER, CHECK FOR RESTRICTION IN FILL TUBE SUCH AS FROZEN OFF WITH ICE. REMOVE FILL TUBE AND RUN HOT WATER OVER IT TO MELT ICE IN TUBE.
WATCH FOR WATER COMING SLOWLY OUT PLASTIC FILL LINE ATTACHED TO TUBE ON BACK OF REFRIGERATOR.
IF WATER SLOWLY DRIPS OUT OF FILL LINE, REPLACE FILL VALVE( LOCATED WHERE HOUSE WATER LINE ATTACHES TO REFRIGERATOR.

IF ICE MAKER HAS WATER/ICE IN IT, PULL FRONT COVER OFF ICE MAKER TO ACCESS CONTROL HEAD. INSPECT LARGE WHITE GEAR ON FRONT OF CONTROL. IF THE RETAINING TAB IN THE CENTER IS BROKEN, REPLACE MODULE OR ENTIRE ICE MAKER. THERE SHOULD BE TWO
RETAINING TABS HOLDING THE GEAR IN PLACE.

THE FREEZER TEMP NEEDS TO BE A MINIMUM OF 10 DEGREES FOR THE ICE MAKER TO CYCLE. IF THE FREEZER TEMP IS NOT COLD ENOUGH WE WILL NEED TO FIND OUT WHY.

Tarena, it's been my experience with Amana that tells me you have a failed water inlet valve.

Here's how it works; Water comes from the wall into the fridge to the valve I'm talking about. Now this valve works like this... When you put a cup in the dispenser area to get cold water a switch sends 120 volts to the valve and it opens up allowing water to flow through it. When you remove the cup, power is shut off at the valve... the valve is supposed to close all the way, if it didn't there would be water dripping from the dispenser area, right? (Like a leaky faucet) If the valve is bad, it won't open at all. (Like a blown out light bulb)

The ice maker is similar. When it "harvests" ice and it drops into the ice bin, the IM will send 120 volts to the valve (for 5 seconds or so) to re-fill the ice mold so it can make another batch. Now when the power is removed from the valve, it's supposed to shut off all the way. If it didn't, there would be water dripping into the ice maker fill tube (in the freezer behind the ice maker). drip, drip drip... one after the other.

Let's assume that the ice maker valve didn't close all the way. What would happen then? As these drops of water enter the freezer compartment and are heading down the ice maker fill tube toward the ice maker, they don't make it all the way 'cause they FREEZE in the tube! One drop at a time, week after week. ('course you never notice it, 'cause it's in the freezer) Now... the ice maker is still trying to make ice, so every 45 minutes or so it sends 120 volts to the valve to get more water. But the water fill tube has ice in it because of the water drops that have accumulated there. This goes on over time and eventually the water fill tube becomes completely BLOCKED with ice due to those water drops.

Now what happens? The ice maker is still trying to make ice, but the fill tube is blocked... it can't get water through it. But when the water valve opens up to allow water to the ice maker, where does it go? Since the fill tube is blocked, all that water pressure builds up in the water line (tube) that feeds the ice maker and eventually it blows out! (you can verify this... pull the refrigerator out from the wall, look at the water line going to the ice maker. There's a connector back there for the tube to fit into. This is what's blown out.) Now the tube is just dangling there and not hooked up to the ice maker any longer. Since the ice maker is still running, every time it asks for water it sprays out and onto the wall and floor back there through this dangling tube.

The repair? Replace the valve. It's easy. The part number is 67005154 and it lists for about $21.00. You can find one at any appliance parts retailer. (you'll see where the valve is located... it's where the water line hooks up behind the fridge.) UNPLUG YOUR FRIDGE WHILE YOU WORK ON IT!!!

Just replacing the valve is only half the job. You'll still need to remove the ice build up in the ice maker fill tube. Do this by pulling it straight out the back of the refrigerator and putting it under warm running water. Then re-install it and hook the water tube back up to it.

On some models, you can not remove the fill tube. If you can't get it out the back, you'll have to do it from the freezer compartment behind the ice maker (a little more work, but still do-able). It's easiest by removing the ice maker.... pull the ice bin out and set it aside. Then remove the 3 screws holding the ice maker. You don't have to disconnect the wires, just try to get it out of your way the best you can. Now take a hair dryer and thaw out the fill tube until the ice slides out of there. Then rebuild it.

There ya go! Job time? about an hour. Part cost? about $21.00. Knowing that you fixed it yourself? Priceless.