Ice Maker Messing Up Because of Hard Water?

[datalady]

Hello! I have a 3 year old Frigidaire side by side fridge that sucks. All the pieces are very thin plastic. A few months ago, my fridge stopped dropping completed ice cubes from the tray into the storage bin. My area has hard water. I have a whole house filter. I have tried to get a water softener but the logistics of draining the water are a challenge. An appliance repair person told me that the hard water makes the surface too rough and after a while and the ice doesn’t drop out as easily. Has anyone else had this problem? If so, did you figure it out? I don’t want to replace the ice maker just to have the same problem in 3 years.

Thanks!
Lynn

 

[appnut]

I had this exact problem in the 1980s and 1990s with my Whirlpool produced Kenmore fridge. The ice maker was based upon the experimental flex-tray approach to making ice. What I ended up doing was removing the tray that is involved in making the ice and cleaning it with CLR. Once the calcium bu8ild up was removed, it began dropping the cubes again as it was supposed to.

 

[whitewhiskers]

My house has very hard water. And I've had many an icemaker problem. Usually hard water buildup in the icemaker will cause nasty bits in the cubes. While it's true that hard water buildup will make the ice mold less than smooth, in my experience it won't effect the ejection of cubes.
There's a thermostat in the icemaker that sends a signal when the ice is of a temperature to harvest. Then a heater activates to heat the mold slightly, so the cubes can eject.
Either the thermostat in your icemaker has failed, or it's the heater.

You might want to also measure your freezer temperature. I use an inexpensive wireless thermometer. Put the transmitter in the freezer near the icemaker, and the receiver on a close countertop. Your freezer should be around 0 degrees F.

 

[vacerator]

Hard water, Fridgidare;

It's a good idea to install an external water line filter before the fridge if you have very hard water.
Fridgidare appliances have had poor service durability since AB Electrolux (Sweden) has owned them. Worse in the last decade and a half. That includes the high end Electrolux brand. A few low end ranges may be more depndable.
My neighbors SXS Frigidare lasted 12 years, had two control boards, and a damper door replacement prior to the compressor failing.

 

[datalady]

Thank so much!

Thank you for the great advice!! White Whiskers, I’ll check those things. I’m about to give up and just use trays. I don’t want to dump much money into this.

Vacerator, I do have a filter, but I know my water isn’t as soft as it could be. It’s somewhere between hard and soft. I HATE my refrigerator. All the drawers cracked and the tracks broke. Multiple shelves cracked and one broke off. We’ve had trouble with ice jamming in the ice line. Of course the drawers etc. aren’t covered by warranty but Frigidaire did send me some new ones after I left a scathing review of this fridge. I have a 2003 Whirlpool still going in the garage—just had to replace that compressor regulator switch, which was so easy! I’m so tempted to bring that in instead but it looks pretty rough. I’m keeping up on the reviews for fridges because I’m sure this one will go out long before it should.

The reviews were decent for Frigidaire at the time, and an appliance repair person said they were okay. I had a bad experience with another Whirlpool at another house so I went with Frigidaire. I wish I hadn’t!

 

[DADoES]

 
Filters don't soften water.

 

[vacerator]

Filters don't soften water but,

they do filter out the higher concentration of certain minerals and cryptosporydia in harder water.

 

[mark_wpduet]

My Whirlpool side x side

is right at 3 years old. No problems yet....Though I do use the Everydrop filter and replace it every six months. Lexington has moderately hard water, so they say. My previous Whirlpool side x side.....I never had a problem with ejecting cubes......what I noticed one day that there were bits of plastic on the cubes. I was like WTH is this? I learned that it's the molding that deteriorated and came off onto the cubes.....so we got a new ice maker and installed it ourselves and it lasted until that fridge died.....so the replacement ice maker was better than than the factory ice maker that came with the fridge from 2004, which, incidentally, lasted about 13 years.

 

[mattl]

Mark,

 

Are you aware the the "Replace Filter" light is a simple timer and has no relation to the condition of the filter?  I only use about a quart of water a day and replace the filter yearly.  Most of he filters are rated for 200-300 gallons of water so even at a year I'm good.