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Thu 4 Nov, 2004 05:39 pm
Two problems started on my two-year old Kenmore fridge a few months after rerplacing the filter. First off, the icemaker is making hollow ice. I'm assuming that it isn't freezing all the way, and the water is simply running out of the ice into the bottom of the ice cube tray, solidifying later (visual inspection would seem to support that). Does anyone know, do these icemakers simply run on timers, and if the freezer isn't cold enough, could cause this?
Secondly, after replacing the filter (the original of which was really, really gross), the water flow through the door has substantially degraded over a period of three months. Looking at the new filter, it doesn't seem to be all that dirty, at least compared to the old. Should I replace the filter again and see what happens, or look elsewhere? The filters run about $40 and are supposed to last at least six months, the "new" one has been in there for three.
The refer should have come with a bypass plug if you still have it put that in instead of the filter and see if the water pressure improves through the door. If it doesn't or you don't have it disconnect the water line and run some water into a bucket and see how strong the pressure is. The water line itself might be clogged.
I was wondering about a bypass - I don't remember ever seeing such a thing.
Sorry I can't help CJ. I'm curious to see what the problem is. I just have to know everything about home improvements., lol.
I figured I could make a bypass out of some drip watering 1/4" tubing and mini-clamps.
Do you have the old filter? You might be able to fashion some sort of bypass using the twist fitting from that. Where does the water feed from? If a self piercing saddle valve was used you may want to change that. They are prone to clogging up because the hole they make is too small.
No, I've been procrastinating.
It is so slow it can literally hypnotize you. My daughter had a friend over and she was getting some water, the next thing we knew, she had fainted and was on the floor. !!!
It may also be the water valve (located on the back of the refrigerator with the water line connected) needs replacing.
Hollow ice would say to me it's not cold enough.
Yeah, that's what I thought, so I kicked it down a notch temp-wise, still the same.
Sorry. When I did my search it took me to a page on that site that said hollow cubes are caused by not enough water. Now I'm going to do another search to look for solutions.
That's a pretty good rundown, edgar. I think my approach would be to work backwards one link at a time from the final stage water inlet to the icemaker mechansim itself all the way back through each stage in the chain to the main water inlet tap attached to the house water system, paying attention all the way along for crimps or kinks in the line as I go. Definitely sounds like a water fill problem to me. It might even be due to scale and residue buildup within the fridge's water line ... which likely would call for replacing the entire line system.
Questions for cjhsa - do you have a water softener system, and, if so, does it treat the water going to the fridge? And is the fridge's waterline system copper, aluminum, plastic, or a combination? If the fridge's waterlines, your house water lines, or fittings anywhere in the chain, are different metals, then electrolysis could be a problem.
In my experience, most waterflow problems have involved replacing the water valve, although the other problems mentioned should be checked also.
No water softener. Pretty much all copper. The first thing to try is the filter - everything is downstream from there. Thanks everyone!
Ok, so I finally made the trip over to Sears and plunked down $40 for a new filter. But you know what? It was worth it. The water dispenser and icemaker are both back to normal.
The thing is, I replaced that filter previously on July 31. By the end of August, it was already slowing down big time. I'm going to monitor this new one closely and throw a big fit with Sears if it happens again. They say the filters are good for 400-600 gallons of water. No way we did that much in month. Perhaps I just got a defective one.
Good to hear. You might want to dump the first batch of ice, it tends to have charcoal in it. Any questions about appliances feel free to ask. It just so happens that I install them for a living.
It's a very annoying one to witness this. Hope to get something credible
@rubbywilliams,
You are twelve years too late, rubby.
Chjsa has since retired, grown his hair long on one side and is currently working as an after dinner lookalike for someone called 'The Donald'.
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