Someone PLEASE help - My Ice Maker Fill Tube is Frozen!

[mark_wpduet]

I just noticed this and I found a YouTube video in which the person as the Kenmore version of my Whirlpool and he had the same problem. It looks easy enough to fix.....But my problem is at the back of the fridge where he takes the water hose off so that he can take the fill tube out from the back and remove the ice, the back of my fridge is different. I can't figure out how to get this off so that I can get the fill tube out......Here's a pic of mine, can someone tell me how this comes out? Watch the video as well and you can see how his is different on the back, but the inside looks exactly like mine......Here's a pic of the back of mine. I'm thinking it just pops out but I don't want to risk popping that out if it's not supposed to come out......thanks

http://https//www.youtube.com/watch?v=zYbEWgzrUd8

 

[toploader55]

Similar Problem

About 4 years ago I went to my Dad's house. He has a GE Profile with Water and Ice in the door. The water dispenser froze.  So we called a local repair company.

 

They told us that it was a design flaw and the only way to remedy the situation was to replace the freezer door to the tune of $845 dollars.

 

Of course this was out of the question so I pulled up a YouTube on this problem.  This guy suggested  using a blow dryer on the door/dispenser part. Draping a towel over the Hair Dryer to concentrate the heat in the area.

 

Well, it worked.  So, My suggestion is to unplug the fridge and blast heat on the interior where the water port is. Heat it for like 15-20 minutes. Then maybe heat the back of the fridge where the water line goes into the freezer.

 

I hope this helps. It's certainly worth a try.

 

[mark_wpduet]

Well the dispenser is working

water and ice are coming out. I think the ice maker itself is working too, it's just that frozen fill thingy where the water runs down to the ice maker is frozen, so I was hoping I could just take the fill tube out like he did in the video. I guess I could use heat but was hoping not to have to do that.

 

[mark_wpduet]

So I got the hair dryer out

pulled the fridge out, unplugged it, and blew the heat in that area.......all the ice looked to be clear from the tube when I was done - I had to shine a flash light.....I did this for about ten minutes......But I think in the very back where the water enters, I could still see a little bit of ice......I plugged it back in and about 45 minutes later, I heard the ice maker drop ice and then the water came on to fill the ice maker. I wonder what caused it to freeze? In over ten years it's never done that. The water comes out of the dispenser fine. I change the filter every 6 mos and it doesn't seem clogged as far as pressure of the water coming out of the dispenser.....Oh well, I guess I'll see how it works now....I may have to thaw it more later, I dunno.

 

[coldspot66]

Sounds like you need a new dual icemaker inlet valve. usually when ice forms in the fill tube going to the icemaker, it's because the valve isn't fully seated closed, and lets a tiny bit of water flow when it shouldn't. Then the water will freeze and eventually block water from reaching the icemaker...then no ice.

 

[whirlcool]

Those inlet vslves are pretty cheap and a snap to install. I'd go for it.

 

[mark_wpduet]

Thanks -

Well ever since I thawed it it has been making ice. I caught it dropping ice and ran and opened the freezer to look to see the water come on. You hear the water come on, see it running down the tube and when it drops the ice, the ice is the same size it always has been, and it doesn't look like it's freezing up.

I was having a problem this past winter where when you dispensed water, it would drip, to get the drip to stop, you had to turn the dispenser on and back off again.....It did this ALL winter, but what's strange is that it has completely stopped dripping now.....

is there a video how to do this? What is simple for some of you guys would probably be difficult for me when it comes to repairing appliances.

 

[volsboy1]

I had some water hoses on some appliances that I fixed that you had turn the water off and press down on the red thing that surrounds the tube..There

was teeth in there that grab the plastic water tube and held it... Took me forever to figure that out also until I recalled my water filter and cut off valve also

just bites that plastic and that was it..To make it release I pressed on the red and pulled the tube out..

 

[whirlcool]

I have replaced several water fill valves on refrigerators. They use push in connectors. What I had to do was cut off those hoses from the old valve as close to the connector as possible. Remove two screws that mount the valve to the refrigerator case and then remove the valve. Then mount the new valve, put the two screws in and tighten them. Then just push the hose into the connectors. That was all there was to it.

I found my part on Ebay. It was about $16.00 for an FSP branded water valve.

Video:

 

[sudsmaster]

I had a similar recurring problem with the circa 2000 Kitchenaid side by side. I would fix it by warming the inside top of the freezer compartment with a hair dryer, cause that's where the water tube runs on its way to the ice maker.

 

Eventually I figured out that if I blocked the cold air port at the top of the refrigeration compartment from the freezer compartment, the water tube would ice up. Since I've been careful not to block that area, no more icing problems.