GE Refrigerator Ice Maker Problem

[whirlcool]

One of our neighbors has an GE refrigerator, Model TFX22GRBCWW, Serial No. HV223661
that has icemaker problems.

First, when the ice tray used to fill up, the arm that shuts the ice production down doesn't work. It'll keep making ice even though the bin is full and overflowing.

Second, more recently it has slowed down considerably making ice. It now makes about 12 ice cubes in a 24 hour period and they are smaller in size than normal.

Could this be a frozen water inlet somewhere? The water line was removed from the back of the refrigerator to see if there was any debris clogging the line but there wasn't. The owner said this refrigerator is probably about 10 years old.

Is it time for a new ice maker? I think due to the symptoms it could be a water problem of some sort. Am I on the right track?

 

[mrb627]

Water issue

Sounds like it isn't getting enough water and/or the freezer isn't cold enough to produce ice.

Do they have a water filter inside the fridge?

Malcolm

 

[danemodsandy]

Whirlcool:

One of the best repair tips I ever got was from an appliance tech who told me:

"Never fool around with an icemaker - just replace it."

At about $100 for most (less if you luck out on eBay), it has proved to be sound advice. You can spend days putzing around with a malfunctioning one, and end up no wiser about the cause of the malfunction than when you started.

Do pay attention to Malcolm, though, and be sure the freezer is at correct operating temp, and make sure the water supply is okay.

 

[arbilab]

We know the arm switch or its mechanism is broken. But about the slowness, confirm the freezer fan is running. With compressor on, the fan should run when the door switch (if equipped) is pressed.

 

[rp2813]

The smaller size of the ice crescents makes me think the inlet could be frozen over.  That would sometimes happen on our mid-80's Whirlpool due to splashing or dripping of the water as it entered.  I would empty the bin and replace it, then dump hot tap water onto the built-up ice.  I don't know if ice accumulation could be impacting the on/off arm's switch though.  The slow ice making doesn't make sense with smaller crescents, unless size of the crescents is related to triggering of the mechanism that dumps them into the bin.

 

[whirlcool]

That's what I was thinking too. Maybe a water constriction. Tomorrow I'll take a freezer thermometer over there and check the freezer temp. I'll keep you posted and thanks again for your quick responses!

I just wanted to run this by you guys before telling the neighbors to buy an replacement ice maker.

 

[super32]

Either a temp problem or bad water valve. Possible leak also.

 

[paulg]

Paul's Whirlpool woes

Gee, just recently I was using my hairdryer to defrost my water inlet on my Kitchenaid (Whirlpool) icemaker. After about six years of use it has become a bit idiosyncratic.

Gotta have ice for those Friday night Manhattans!

While I cannot comment with intelligence on GE ice-makers, in the past I did observe my ice-maker becoming reallllly slow in making ice cubes.
I had become lazy and put off replacing the water filter for a long time. Then I started to notice that the ice-maker became really slow in making ice cubes. Replacing the water filter sped things up.
At $40 a pop, those water filters are a pain to the wallet. I can afford new water filters but even I am tempted to wring the last life out of them. I suspect people whose budgets are tight will put off replacing water filters until malfunctions occur.

While discussing icemakers, I did find out one reason why my Whirlpool ice-maker water inlet intermittently develops icicles causing water restriction.
My ex-boss just retired from our company and he was once the appliance service manager for a large department store chain that sold rebadged GE refrigerators. Before he left I remembered to ask him about my intermittent ice-maker water inlet freezing phenomenon.
Apparently when the water valve ages, it can develop a small pass-through leak and itsy bitsy amounts of water pass to the ice-maker when it shouldn't. Over time it makes icicles at the icemaker water inlet.
Hence, I just changed my water valves and the filter on the fridge. Hopefully it'll be bye-bye to icemaker woes.

 

[whirlcool]

Our new GE refrigerator comes with a filter bypass plug in case we are using an external water filter or if the one in use becomes clogged and you don't have a new one available. A nice touch I thought.

When we junked the old Whirlpool the ice maker was in perfect condition and always worked perfectly. The only thing on that refrigerator that was reliable. I should have pulled it out of the refrigerator before sending it to the dump.

We always kept that white Whirlpool clean inside and out. In the kitchen it looked white, but when they took it out of the house to put in the take away truck we can see that it had really yellowed over the past 9 years.

 

[DADoES]

 
Allen, if the GE ice maker of question is an electronic unit (with an on/off rocker switch and green LED), you can try forcing into a harvest cycle thusly (if needed for diagnostics, such as checking the water flow):  Turn the switch off for more than 20 seconds, turn it back on, then fully depress and release the sensor arm three times.

 

[whirlcool]

Nope, not an electronic model. No switches on the ice maker.

 

[mrb627]

Built in water filter

It could be just my perception, but it seems as If the original filter that came with my refrigerator far outlasted any of the replacements. I put a fresh on in back in March and I am already beginning to see a restriction in the flow from the ice water dispenser. It wouldn't surprise me if the replacements are designed to fail sooner than the originals.

Sons a bitches...

Malcolm

 

[whirlcool]

On our new GE we have two filters, a Culligan ice filter which hangs on the wall behind the refrigerator and a GE filter in the refrigerator itself. Does this result in double filtered water for through the door and ice or is it too redundant?

 

[DADoES]

 
It is redundant being as both ice-making and water-dispensing pass through the GE's internal filter ... but the GE filter maybe will catch what (if anything) the Culligan misses.