Icemaker water overflow - no overflow switch?

[Ken]

I have a Kenmore side by side fridge (106.51554104) made by Whirlpool with ice bucket in the door. This appliance is one year old. I came home from work and water was dripping out of the ice dispenser in the door. The ice tray was full or ice and the extractor arm seemed frozen to the ice. The icemaker was filling the tray without emptying the ice. After I cleaned up I removed the ice maker, thawed it out and re-installed it. Things seem Ok now. It's been running for 24 hours.

Isn't there a overflow switch to keep this from happening? How could the ice maker have cycled with the extractor arm frozen? This fridge also has a water filter built into the grill. If the filter needs to be replaced, would poor water pressure cause the solenoid to act funny?

Any tips would be helpful. I would like to leave the house again someday. I'm running out of groceries. :-)

--Ken

[Doug]

Sounds like your arm hit the ice and froze to it jamming the switch open causing it to malfunction. I would possibly turn the temp up in the fridge a notch and this would help I'm sure. The ice should not be liquid to the slightest degree even on the surface of the cubes. Make sure the arm works freely up and down with no problems or clicks. If you would still like to monitor this, simply lift the arm into the disable position while your away, and put it back down when you return and keep your eye on it.

I'm not a fridge tech by any stretch but I hope this helps. Just running off common sense and my limited knowledge and what makes sense. Maybe someone else will have some insight as well.

Good luck,

Doug

[Dan O.]

No. The icemaker opens the water valve for a set length of time only, there are no other safety devices.

I wouldn't think it would be possible.

Too low of water pressure can cause the water valve to not close fully but internal water filters are in the line *after* the water valves so I can't see how that could affect them.

If the icemaker was continuing to drip after a fill had finished, I would look into the fridge's water valve or the water supply to the fridge. In the latter case if a 'self piercing' saddle valve was installed on the house water line or any kind of saddle valve was installed on the underside of a horizontal water pipe, I would make sure it wasn't plugged with lime or scale, etc. or just replace it with a proper valve to be safe.

JMO

Dan O.

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[jeff]

Hi,

Kinda -sounds- like the refrigerator thawed out??....esp if some of the cubes/ice water water like??

Icemaker has a bucket level switch to know when the bucket is full of cubes, but like all mechanical things they can break/stick :(

Normally it wouldn't, but ?may? have been jammed in the fill mode??

Yes!! Are the freezer and fridge temps ok? Any hollow/small cubes ?( this would indicate low pressure fills ).

jeff. Appliance Repair Aid