icemaker fill solenoid update

[passatdoc]

Hi folks, A few months ago I posted a problem about my icemaker not filling with water (while the door water dispenser worked fine) on my 2004 Frigidaire GHSC239DW0. A number of you posted very helpful replies on how to find the parts. The consensus was that the water inlet fill valve had broken, or at least the solenoid controlling water flow to the ice maker had died.

 

Allen/Whirlcool had suggested repairclinic.com and they stock what appears to be the OEM part by Electrolux. Even better, they have a video on the part's page that walks you through how to do the repair. Just what I needed. I think the video section may be new, as I found the part back in March and did not notice a video at that time. My local True Value Hardware store (part of a regional ten-store chain) used to have an appliance parts section staffed by an experienced former appliance repair guy, but after he passed away they did not continue the department (they couldn't find anyone with the former employee's skill level) and closed it down. Their prices of course were more than online, but prior to internet and how-to videos, this guy was great at teaching customers how to do their own repairs, and the added value from his teaching made the added price a bargain nonetheless. Now we have online parts stores with videos to walk you through the process, but I miss the guy at the hardware store!!

 

I've placed the order today and will proceed with repair once it arrives. With CA weather finally reaching spring temperature levels (though it was 47 F Sunday night while walking the dog---fleece weather!!), iced tea time will be here soon and I want to be sure I have ice on hand. (I rarely use ice in any drinks, only to drink ice water and iced tea).

 

One time, some stray ice cubes jammed in the wrong spot and prevented the revolving tray from returning to the full horizontal position. As a result, water began flowing and exited by the dispenser and on to the floor. I happened to be in the kitchen when this happened, and I don't know whether the water would have continued indefinitely (or whether the flow auto cuts off after a set amount of time because the solenoid thinks the tray is full). But that episode taught me a lesson: don't leave the ice maker switched on all the time. I tend to run it only when I'm home, and I run it about a day or so until the bin is perhaps 3/4 full. Then I switch it off and use the ice until the bin is nearly empty. I don't leave the switch on and keep a 100% full bin at all times, because the near-disaster above occurred when a few pieces of ice didn't drop into the full bin and jammed the ice maker tray's rotation.

[this post was last edited: 6/1/2011-14:16]

http://www.repairclinic.com/PartDetail/Water-Inlet-Valve/1259226?modelNumber=GHSC239DW0#repairHelpVideoTabs

 

[passatdoc]

ps

Repairclinic.com rates each part by Skill Level:

http://www.repairclinic.com/Layer/Skill-Level

 

The solenoid part in question is rated as two wrenches or "Do It Yourselfer" difficulty level, and that's how I'd rate myself.  No experience, but I can use tools and follow directions. The "one wrench" rating is designated "beginner" and says "screwdriver may be needed". LOL, I'm a bit above that level.

 

 

 

[rp2813]

I had to replace a similar part on the '85 Whirlpool we used to have.  It was an easy job.

 

I can relate to your feelings about True Value and the knowledgeable staff.  I will drive several miles to the ACE in my old neighborhood because the staff there provides good advice, and one guy in particular is always nice to look at.  Ask for advice at OSH or any big box store and all you get is a blank stare.

 

[passatdoc]

Agree. If it's a small job, where you aren't buying huge amounts of materials, better to go to the local store where they help you find things and have people who know what they are doing. The free advice is easily worth the added cost, in terms of doing things right the FIRST time.

 

The solenoid was in stock and will ship today, I used economy shipping so it may take a while to arrive. Watching the video was much better than just a vinyl bagged part with no instructions. The photo of the part suggests however that OEM Electrolux instructions are included. Since I will be removing the back panel, it will be a good time to clean the coils and compressor. I do that twice a year from the front but now realize I'm supposed to do it from the back as well. Just like a computer.

 

I found a non-OEM replacement part for about $10 less online at appliancepros.com, but for $10 extra, I'd rather have an OEM part, so that the instructions and how-to video match the part exactly. 

 

 

 

[cornutt]

It's an easy job. The valve should be right where the water line enters the fridge in the back. The assembly is probably secured to the fridge frame with one or two hex-head bolts. On my 16-year-old fridge (which is on its third valve) the water hoses are different sizes and the electrical connector is keyed, so everything only goes on one way and it's impossible to screw up.

Older fridges that use the Whirlpool-style ice maker (the one that makes crescent-shaped cubes) definitely do not have any kind of backup timer that shuts the water off if it's on too long. The water runs for as long as the mechanical timer inside the ice maker calls for water. If the rotation happens to jam at that point, you've got a problem. I've seen this happen, although it's rare (it has to jam at exactly the right spot). Newer fridges that control the ice maker electronically may have some backup anti-flood timer, although I don't know that for sure.

One thing that causes Whirlpool ice makers to jam is cubes that are too small, either because the fill level is too low or the fridge is not level on the floor. Low fill level can be caused by the cube size adjustment being turned too low, but it can also be caused by a sticking valve or a partially clogged line or the valve on the wall not being opened all the way. Cubes that are too small will, during the ejection cycle, fall back into the slots where the ejector fingers go into the mold, and get stuck there. Then, the next time the ice maker cycles, the ejector can't get past that stuck cube and it jams. However, this should not cause a flood since the ice maker hasn't gotten to where it lets in more water at this point.

However, depending on how the ice maker is positioned in the fridge relative to the ice bucket, it's possible that the wire bail won't sense when the bucket is full, and then if the ice level gets up over the top of the ice maker, as you saw, it can jam. Some freezer designs are deficient in that regard. If this is the case in your freezer, you *might* be able to bend the wire bail downwards to make it work.

 

[passatdoc]

@cornutt: thanks for your advice. My icemaker does make crescent or half circle shaped cubes. The time I had the water leak, there was a "perfect storm" situation. The bin was 100% full, some loose cubes prevented the wire bail from engaging the shut-off switch, and at some point the tray was prevented from returning to full horizontal and the water just flowed in. It showed no sign of stopping and definitely flowed for longer than it normally takes to refill the tray. Luckily I was home to stop it!!

I had been told in the past by others to "turn off your ice maker when you aren't using it" which I took to mean "turn it off in winter if you aren't using ice cubes". Now that I am aware of a potential design flaw, I never allow the bin to become 100% full. I'll turn it on in the evening and then shut it off the next morning. I thus keep the bin only 50-75% full. I'm not a heavy user of ice, and turning it on once a week keeps me supplied for my needs.

Yes, it "should" be fully automatic, but I've seen it fail once and the rather expensive counter depth unit is otherwise working fine (i.e. not anywhere even close to needing replacement). So I've learned to work within the machine's limits and am playing it safe, particularly since I don't need to have a 100% full bin at all times. I could have had a flood disaster had I not been home the one time the tray overfilled with water.

Re: repair....I have a full socket wrench set in the event that standard screws are not used. I like the fact that I am buying an OEM part so that everything matches exactly, instead of guessing which intake or plug on the original matches which part on the replacement.

Oddly, my father's GE side by side has a working icemaker but a water dispenser that won't work. When you try to activate the water flow by pushing the dispenser paddle, no noise is made, so I suspect the water dispenser solenoid in his machine is broken. So my next move will be to search for a replacement for his machine's intake valve, now that I'm an "expert" lol.

 

[passatdoc]

it came in the mail today

The parcel arrived and the inlet valve part looks just like the photo. It's an OEM part. It's easy to see the three solenoids. There is a brief one page Electrolux instruction sheet, but nowhere near the detail that is explained in the video on the vendor website.

I don't have time to install it in the next few days, but hope to have an uninterrupted hour to fix it over the weekend.

 

[passatdoc]

Completed the repair in about 15 minutes. Ice maker is back up and running.

The first set of cubes just plopped into the hopper.

 

I have the fridge pulled away from the wall to look for slow leaks. Also left the back panel off so I can (unplug and) clean the coils with a brush and vacuum.

 

Thanks to everyone who posted in the original post from March (when I noticed it wasn't working) and in the current post. The video was very helpful at repairclinic.com

 

[whirlcool]

Now wasn't that easy? And cheaper than a repairman too!

 

[passatdoc]

Absolutely. Plus I did it on <span style="text-decoration: underline;">my</span> schedule, not theirs, and didn't lose office time by being home for a repairman. The ice bin is now half full of cubes again. Just in time for iced tea weather.

Oddly enough, my parent's fridge has the reverse problem: makes ice but no water to the door. And no solenoid noise when the water paddle is pushed. I think they have the same problem except their dispenser solenoid---rather than the icemaker solenoid---blew. They have a GE. I am going to have them send me the model number and perhaps I can get theirs fixed too!! Hopefully Repair Clinic will have a video for their unit, in case the procedure is different. The printed instructions that came with the part (Electrolux OEM) were pretty sketchy---it was the video that put it all together for me.

 

Now that I see that it works fine, I think I will let it fill the bin to clear the lines and wash out any carbon from the new filter (installed yesterday as well----uses a PureSource II filter from Electrolux), then toss out those cubes and make a new bin full of ice. Then give the icemaker a rest. I once had an issue where the metal bale didn't cut off production, the cubes couldn't eject, and water flowed out the dispenser door from the ice chute. Fortunately I was home or it could have been a flood. Since that time, I just run the icemaker for a day or so, then shut it off, and don't keep the bin full at all times. I'm afraid of another flood situation.

 

[combo52]

ICEMAKER FILL VALVE

Jim when you had the flood is that when the ice-maker quit working? The solenoid coil on all newer ice-maker water valves will automatically burn itself out after about two minutes of continuous operation to prevent a big flood. If so your real problem may be in the IM itself, while I am the first person to encourage do it yourself repairs it is still often easier and sometimes just as cheap to get an expert as you may end up replacing that valve again.

 

[passatdoc]

@combo52: no, the mini flood was several years earlier, long before the icemaker solenoid quit. Some ice became lodged between the bin, the bale, and the bottom of the icemaker, so the icemaker did not switch off. There were so many cubes jammed up in there that the icemaker couldn't eject its cubes, then the water fill came in, and spilled out the bin into the dispenser (i.e. water came out the ICE chute, not via the water dispenser. Most likely the water would have cut off after a few seconds. I was working in the kitchen when it happened, so I was able to catch the overflow with a glass until it stopped. Most likely would have been one tray's worth of water.

I'm not sure when the icemaker quit. Usually I don't use any ice during the winter months, so I typically switch off the icemaker in November or December and use the ice until it's gone, then restart it when warmer weather hits and I want ice water or iced tea. This year, I switched it on in late March and no ice was made. Then I removed the bin cover and watched the icemaker. I could see it try to eject cubes, but then no water filled the tray afterward. After posting the problem here, whirlcool and other posted advice that probably the icemaker solenoid was burned out, especially since the door dispenser still worked. That proved to be correct, and I fixed the problem for $65 and a half hour of my time. On my own schedule (Saturday evening) rather than staying home from work to wait for a repair service.

 

[passatdoc]

PS I ought to add that I couldn't prove the issue lay in the icemaker solenoid back in March, though it seemed the most likely diagnosis. It wasn't until I installed the replacement OEM water inlet valve on Saturday night that I knew for sure that it was the solenoid. Now I have a bin full of ice!