IceMaker line springs leak

[timbirr]

Folks, I drifted by my mom's house (she's 86) a few days ago and she had been busily sweeping water out the backdoor for about an hour.

The icemaker line sprung a pinhole leak about 2 inches above the floor behind the refrigerator.

It's a white plastic line 1/4" I guess and the leak in the line was above floor level where the line comes up from the house's crawlspace. So, it was filling up the kitchen pretty well.

I turned off the main water supply valve at the street, crawled under the house and disconnected the icemaker compression fitting from the main water line and capped the tee on the main line with some teflon tape and a brass cap.

For the timebeing, I molded some reynolds foil wrap around the end of the now disconnected icemaker line and then took a plastic baggie and put that over the foil and twisted tight with a twist-tie.

I went back outside, turned on the main water supply and crawled back under the house. No leak from my capping job. I was done.

Now, she doesn't even use ice, so I don't plan on reconnecting the icemaker. Anyway, replacing the line would be a nasty job because the crawlspace gets pretty tight as you go deeper under the house.

I am wondering though if I need to do anything else. I turned off the icemaker inside the freezer (it has some sort of metal bar that you push up to turn off the icemaker...or a build up of ice in the tray has the same effect).

Anything to be worried about?

[PipeDown]

No problem if your intention is to discontinue using the icemaker, you did all you need to. A twist tie can ensire the bar does not accidently fall but even if it does, the ice maker will go through its paces and without water it will not actually make ice but no damage should occur.

If you wanted a bit more freezer space you may be able to remove the ice maker alltogether. On some models you can just rip it right out and use the freezer right away but on other models you may have to replace the ice maker with a timer module if the timer was integrated into the ice maker. Easy, job, usually just a screwdriver is needed. all connections are via plugs, no bare wires.

If you want to do this, note the model number and call or visit your nearest appliance parts store. They can tell you if you need a timer or not.

[timbirr]

Thanks, I hadn't really thought about removing the icemaker, it would increase freezer space significantly. I'll look into it.

[Terry]

I don't know why, but the instructions for our Kenmore fridge/freezer specifically warn against running the icemaker without a water supply. It also has a physical switch that you can turn off to turn off the ice maker (in addition to the metal bar).

Terry

[PipeDown]

Probably because (on some models) just before the ice ejects, a small heater comes on and melts the bottom of the cube so it will fall out without excessive force. If this happens with an empty tray it could eventually discolor or begin to melt the ice cups. I doubt fire is a significant risk or UL wouldn't label it.

There should be a schematic on the back or under the fridge that would tell you if a heater or timer is used in the design.

[HarryS]

If you turn off the water supply, the ice maker will run more or less continuously because it's the warm water coming in (plus the heat from the previous cycle) that signals the maker to stop the cycle until the water is frozen. This continuous process wastes energy because each time the maker cycles through, it heats up the tray and that heat winds up in the freezer compartment, where you don't really need it if you're not making ice, not to mention the energy required to run the maker motor and energize the water valve each time the maker cycles.

Harry

[James]

This is not true if you turn the icemaker off with that bar thingy on the side............

-------------------------

If you turn off the water supply, the ice maker will run more or less continuously because it's the warm water coming in (plus the heat from the previous cycle) that signals the maker to stop the cycle until the water is frozen. This continuous process wastes energy because each time the maker cycles through, it heats up the tray and that heat winds up in the freezer compartment, where you don't really need it if you're not making ice, not to mention the energy required to run the maker motor and energize the water valve each time the maker cycles.

Harry