Yesterday evening my, up until now, perfectly working ice maker failed to shut off the fill water and created a small flood in the kitchen. The ice maker had frozen cubes which hadn't dumped. I assume there is a fill valve with either a timer, or sensor that shuts the water off, but have never tried to repair a fridge before. Is this one I should tackle, or is it time to call in a pro?
aborcass - thanks for the response. We're talking continuous flow with about 10 gallons on the floor when I caught it. Sounds like the water valve was open and I'll need to get a valve and ice maker.aborcass - thanks for the response. We're talking continuous flow with about 10 gallons on the floor when I caught it. Sounds like the water valve was open and I'll need to get a valve and ice maker.
Ended up replacing the ice maker module and the water valve. All works correctly now. I have order a water sensor automatic shutoff to prevent the flood in the future.Ended up replacing the ice maker module and the water valve. All works correctly now. I have order a water sensor automatic shutoff to prevent the flood in the future.
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How much water we talkin here a cup or gallons?? the icemaker will only call for water after dumping cubes,SHOULD at least, if only a cup of water or so id say the ice maker has an issue and needs replacing(its an entire module), there is a valve behind the machine energized by the ice maker, if htat got stuck open in which case water continued to flow overnight i would repalce both ice maker and valve
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When the ice maker calls for water, the valve sends water to the ice maker in the appropriate amount and then shuts off, sending no more water until the ice maker calls for it again. If the water fill line is freezing up, this will cause a leak the next time the ice maker calls for water. The water has to go somewhere. The problem is more than likely the the water valve. It is not shutting off completely and it is allowing a small trickle of water to be constantly sent to the ice maker. This causes the fill line to freeze up and clog. Replace the water valve and defrost the water fill line and solve the problem.
What is the refrigerator model number? In most cases the dual water control valve with have a mechanical defect and cause the water to flow by the valve even when off. W10408179 Water Inlet Valve
If you can find your model number around the fresh food section door frame please post so I can insure I give you the correct part numbers, Thanks Sea Breeze
Good day,
For all reasons it is best to do a step by step procedure to get the ice maker up and running.
First step is to take a small paper cup of water and fill the cavity until it is near full. With the ice maker turned on, close freezer door and wait 3 hours to see if it harvests. If not, the ice maker is bad, and must be replaced. If the cubes harvest then....... Three possibilities. 1. The water supply from the house is not delivering water to the water valve. Shut off the house at the meter, disconnect the line going to the water valve, and with the line pointed into a bucket, have someone turn the valve back on for a 15 second count. The water should come out smartly. If not, the line and it's fittings will have to be replaced. 2. The fill tube from the back of the machine that feeds water into the back of the ice maker is frozen up. You will have to remove the ice maker to visually inspect that tube. If blocked, it needs to be defrosted, but use caution. Too much heat too fast will start to melt plastic and vinyl parts you don't want melted. If this is the case, then once cleaned out, you will have to change the water valve located in the back bottom rear of the machine because it is leaking during the off cycle. 3. If everything checks O.K. up to this point, you will have to purchase and install a new water valve, and install it.
P.S. Under very rare occasions the electric circuity in the ice maker will fail to send a signal to the water valve. Although rare, it can happen, in which case the best option is to replace the ice maker and water valve.
Good day, Could be air, but if 48 hours passes without ice, it's not the problem. To trouble shoot the ice maker, it is best to follow a step by step testing procedure. Ignore any step that does not apply.
First step is to take a small paper cup of water and fill the cavity until it is near full. With the ice maker turned on, close freezer door and wait 3 hours to see if it harvests. If not, the ice maker is bad, and must be replaced. If the cubes harvest then....... Three possibilities. 1. The water supply from the house is not delivering water to the water valve. Shut off the house at the meter, disconnect the line going to the water valve, and with the line pointed into a bucket, have someone turn the valve back on for a 15 second count. The water should come out smartly. If not, the line and it's fittings will have to be replaced. 2. The fill tube from the back of the machine that feeds water into the back of the ice maker is frozen up. You will have to remove the ice maker to visually inspect that tube. If blocked, it needs to be defrosted, but use caution. Too much heat too fast will start to melt plastic and vinyl parts you don't want melted. If this is the case, then once cleaned out, you will have to change the water valve located in the back bottom rear of the machine because it is leaking during the off cycle. 3. If everything checks O.K. up to this point, you will have to purchase and install a new water valve, and install it.
P.S. Under very rare occasions the electric circuity in the ice maker will fail to send a signal to the water valve. Although rare, it can happen, in which case the best option is to replace the ice maker and water valve.
Good day, If the fill pipe that fills the ice maker is in it's proper position, then it is a defective water fill valve located in the bottom rear of the machine. After harvesting the cubes the ice maker mechanism continues to rotate and turns the water valve on for 7 seconds. If it does not shut off smartly then it can cause the well to overfill, and flow water into the bucket. Do not let this go. A small leak could turn into a major overflow, even overnight causing serious problems to the machine and as I have seen the entire house.
Check the well in the ice maker to see if there is ice in it. If empty, with a small cup, pour water in the cavity until it is near full. With the ice maker turned on close freezer, and wait about 2 hours to see if it will harvest what you put in. If it harvests O.K.. then it is usually the dual water valve in the bottom rear of the machine, and will need to replaced. 2 exceptions. Rare but are possibilities. One. The fill tube that fills the ice maker has built ice up and will not let the water reach the ice maker. You have to remove the ice maker to inspect the tube, and if it's blocked with ice, must be defrosted but WITHOUT heat. A hair dryer or such will create havoc with the plastic parts. Two. There is a micro switch in the ice maker that can fail and fail to send info to the water valve to fill while it is going thru a harvest cycle. If it is exception One, the water valve still must be replaced as well, since it is leaking small amounts of water when the ice maker is off. If it is exception two, the ice maker must be replaced. These exceptions are rare but I've had to deal with them more than once.
Mark, your water valve has screwed the pooch. Replace it. The part number is 2199838.
What's happening is this... the valve that fills your ice maker is by-passing a small amount of water. This water has to flow through that tube, right? When very small amounts (drop by drop) go through the IM fill tube, they flash freeze. Eventually they (the frozen drops of water) form a big block of ice inside the fill tube. This ice creates a blockage which creates back-pressure whenever the IM "calls" for water. The back pressure eventually blows the tube off of the connection behind the fridge.
You say that this happened over night... no way. If you look closely at the ice cubes that you IM has been making, you'll see that they are hollow. Hollow cubes means that your IM isn't getting enough water... (because the fill tube is blocked).
aborcass - thanks for the response. We're talking continuous flow with about 10 gallons on the floor when I caught it. Sounds like the water valve was open and I'll need to get a valve and ice maker.
Ended up replacing the ice maker module and the water valve. All works correctly now. I have order a water sensor automatic shutoff to prevent the flood in the future.
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