I have a GE side-by-side refrigerator with a ice maker and water dispenser. In the last 3-4 months the water dispenser shuts off intermittently, but comes back to life on its own. I have changed the water filter as well as cleaned the water line, but haven't been able to identify the problem. The ice maker works fine.
Any thoughts?
Thanks

I have the same problem with my refrigerator. I used to happen only intermittently every couple of months but now it does it on a dialy basis. I hope someone replies with a solution.

Sounds like you have some crud in the line somewhere. Shut the water off, remove the filter element, and blow air in the water dispenser. If that doesn't do it, remove the line after the shut off, and blow air in before the filter.

I wonder if it could be that there is air in the line. My kitchenaid gathers air and will not dispense water for a few seconds then will mysteriously start. The problem is that is once it starts it won't stop running. The air pressure or full water line allows the on off mechanism to work properly.

Anyone have suggestions on taking the air out of the line permanently?

Try what labman said if that doesn't work, the solenoid may be bad.

I am wondering if there is a problem with the valve. The water passing where the line taps off will create a suction. It could pull water out of the line if air can leak in the valve. It would vary with how much water is drawn ondown the line. Might try replacing the washer or cartridge in the valve.

Anyone still having trouble?

I've had the same problem. My ice despenser works fine but the water dispenser works off and on. I did notice that it has a double outlet water valve in the back. Maybe one of the valves has failed.

Here is the part.

http://www.partselect.com/xq/aspx/In...lNum=GSS22JEMC


I've also found out that certain GE fridges are involved in a Class Action Lawsuit. It's a moisture problem so I don't know if it relates to this problem.

http://www.bringgoodthingstolife.org/

The way to test the water valve is to set a volt/ohm meter to the proper scale and insert the meter leads into the water valve connector plug and see if you have 120vac when the dispenser cradle is depressed (don't disconnect the valve). Make sure the meter lead ends are touching the terminals inside the plug, and you might tape them to hold them there during your test. If you have voltage but no water, you either have a frozen line or water filter somewhere that isn't allowing the water to pass through or you have a bad valve. If you have no voltage, you have an electrical problem elsewhere, such as cradle switch, molex plug at top or bottom FZ door hinge, etc. You can disconnect the plastic lines from the valve by exherting inward force on the tubing, pushing in on the collar around the tubing and pulling out on the tubing. It should come out easily, and make sure to trim (not too much) the end before you push the tubing back into the valve for a good seal. After the tubing is removed, place a bucket under the outlet of the valve and depress the cradle. If water comes through, you have a frozen line somewhere. If it doesn't, you have a bad valve. Because this is an intermittent problem, you will probably have to "catch" it when it isn't working. You can try to draw massive amounts of water through the door to see if it fails, but that is quite an unfair test. I usually recommend that you use it as you normally would, and keep the meter handy. Also make sure both controls are set in a median position. I found one of these last week that the control was set so cold, the filter froze. Let me know how it goes, would you? Thanks.

Any idea, how to find the frozen line. I have GE- GSL25JFPC. I tried all the things mentioned on forum, but still have similar problem,Like the water get freeze after2-3 days and show up gain once you shut down refrigerator for 6 hours.
Any idea??

I have the same refrigerator and similar problem with the water dispenser. I replaced the solenoid valve (the valve has three ports, one supply water inlet and two outlets). The water dispenser worked for a week and now it's stopped again. I noticed that the water line to the dispenser enters the refrigerator and coils in the lower right corner of the friz (inside, you have to remove the uppper vegetable bin to see it). The line can either freeze here or inside the door just before it gets to the dispenser. There is a temperature adjustment at the vegetable bin. I've lower the level to min, hopefully this will unfreeze the line. If the problem is in the coil, I think it can be solved by just pulling he whole plastic coil out and tie it to the back of the friz. The consequence would be warm water coming out of the dispenser - but who cares, just drop a few ice cubes in the glass prior to filling it with water) If the probem is in the left door, it would be more complex. I partially removed the gasket to see if there are any screws but did not see any. I think the door was glued together. If you've found any solution please post it.

Thank you

Quote:

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Originally Posted by lesu

I have the same refrigerator and similar problem with the water dispenser. I replaced the solenoid valve (the valve has three ports, one supply water inlet and two outlets). The water dispenser worked for a week and now it's stopped again. I noticed that the water line to the dispenser enters the refrigerator and coils in the lower right corner of the friz (inside, you have to remove the uppper vegetable bin to see it). The line can either freeze here or inside the door just before it gets to the dispenser. there is a temperature adjustment at the vegetable bin. I've lower the level to min, hopefully this will unfreeze the line. If the problem is in the coil, I think it can be solved by just pulling he whole plastic coil out and tie it to the back of the friz. The consequence would be warm water coming out of the dispenser - but who cares, just drop a few ice cubes in the glass prior to filling it with water) If the probem is in the left door, it would be more complex. I partially removed the gasket to see if there are any screws but did not see any. I think the door was glued together. If you've found any solution please post it.

Thank you

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Update:

I've checked the water line up to the quick disconnect at the bottom of the left door (freezer side) and everything seems to be OK - I removed the water tube from the quick disconnect, activate the dispenser, and there was water flowing through the tube. That means the line from the bottom of the door to the dispenser is frozen somewhere inside the door. I've previously blown hot air on the back surface of the door and was able to unfreeze the line. But it worked for a couple days and stopped again. I've lowered the freezer section temperature setting but it did not help either. The problem now is to access that secion of the line and insulate it. I'd appreciate any suggestion on how to do so.

Thank you

In response to the Frozen water dispenser line: I have found the same results when I defrost the line, it will dispense fine for a day or so, but the problem always returned. Getting irritated, I called GE, and they said that someone could come out (for a fee of course).

The permanent solution I have come up with is so simple, it is beautiful! After the water line is defrosted, I have placed a 10 inch length of weed eater type line up through the dispenser nozzle. I leave about 1 inch of the line protruding from the nozzle, and the water dispenses without interruption. The line will still freeze as the root cause (poor insulation) was not addressed; however, the 1 inch of line serves as a handle to pull the ice plug out.

Very little effort is required to remove the plug, and the water starts flowing as normal when it is removed. Once you fill your glass, just re-insert the line, and continue using the dispenser as normal until you have to "Pull the Plug" again. Seeing how the fix was so cheap and easy, my wife loves me even more now :p

Timmy_bimmy:

That was a great fix that you came up with. Maybe you can send it to GE customer support so they can forward it to the owners of the same frig. I was very frustrated with the problem and am very disappointed with GE. It was a poor design, and being that big (company size) they should have fix the problem instead of ignoring it.

Thanks again,

I also have the same problem. Service man just left and said GE said to replace the door at $500+. Anyone had any satisfaction getting GE to replace this fault?

Same deal. After finding this thread, I disconnected the quick-release below the freezer door, found good water flow. Tried blowing out the line going up into the freezer door without any success.

After finally biting the bullet, I emptied the freezer (needed cleaning anyway), and thawed the freezer door. Now my water dispenser works great again.

I agree that GE made a major screwup in the design of the side-by-side refrigerators with water dispensers. Interestingly, we have never had a problem with freezing in the water supply to the ice maker. This tells me that GE knows how to insulate tubing to prevent freezing, they just chose not to.

Thanks to y'all for posting your experiences; had I not found this thread I would not have figured out the fix.

I had this problem. It started w/ the water dispenser not working right away and a few seconds later it would work. The same thing with the ice. After about a month, it got worse and worse until finally it wouldn't work at all. When I noticed it quit working, one morning the floor was soaked. My fridge and freezer completely quit. I knew it was some sort of electrical issue and the repair man said it was a bad circuit board. It was replaced and now works fine.

I've had this same problem with my GE front load dryer. The main board went bad. I've never had problems with any appliances except for GE.

GE Side by Side Refrigerator
MODEL # GSH22KGPB
PURCHASED 8/25/2003
PRICE $1,030

I had the same problem - the water dispenser line is freezing up. Fridge is 4 years old and this just started happening now. The ice maker and ice dispenser works fine.

To unfreeze the water dispenser line, I rigged up this contraption. Unfroze the line with the freezer door closed in less than 60 seconds and cost me $3.00.

To make it, you will need:
- Thin clear plastic tubing (I bought mine in Home Depot for $3 – it is Power Care Fuel Line 3/32” I.D. by 3/16” O.D. by 2 feet long, and is by the lawn mower & string trimmer accessories section in the store).
- A clean, empty Hershey’s Chocolate syrup squeeze bottle
- Some electrical tape

Take the flip cap off the Hershey’s bottle, and feed one end of the plastic tubing through the opening in the flip cap on the Hershey’s bottle, in the direction heading out of the bottle. It will be a little bit loose fit, so wrap 3-4 turns of electrical tape around the other end of the plastic tubing and pull it into the opening on the underside of the flip cap on the Hershey’s bottle, should be snug and leak-proof now.
(You could also use a Heinz ketchup bottle 32 oz – the new one that stands up on the cap – it is a perfect fit for the plastic tubing, no need to tape it up)

Now, fill the Hershey’s bottle with hot water, put the cap on, and insert the end of the plastic tubing into the water dispenser outlet on the front of the fridge, keep inserting until it hits the ice plug. On my fridge the ice plug was about 4 inches inside the dispenser tube. Squeeze the bottle gently, and keep a cup or small pot under the water dispenser to catch the drips. Push the plastic tubing further in every 5 seconds or so, and before you know if the ice in the dispenser line is gone. Start to finish for my fridge was about 40 seconds.

Then run the water dispenser for a few minutes to flush it out.

That was the good news. The bad news is the line froze up again in 5 hours, so I did this again and put the trimmer line is as advised above!

Is it worth complaining to GE about this? I am going to anyway, but will they do anything to fix the icing problem without charge?

Thanks,
Mike

To all,

I have GE model number GSL25JFPA BS. About 4 yrs old. Water dispenser started to intermitently work about 2 years ago. The GE owners manual said this could happen due to AIR in the line. What BS. The owners manual said to hold the dispenser open for about 1 hr and it should work. Sometimes it did , sometimes it did not.

Ice maker has always worked fine so I agree GE poorly insulated the water dispenser line. They wanted to have cool water come out but did not design it right, who cares anyway as just add some ice cubes to it, better that then have water not work.

I have another solution. Use a hair dryer. When it stops working just use a kitchen item like a large plastic serving spoon to hold open the dispenser. Then use a hair dryer and direct the hot air towards the water nozzled for about 5 min. If no water do it again, it will work.

Note: I tried this a couple of times and it worked. However, the line would just freeze the next day so it got frusterating to keep doing it. Also, the last time I did it, it seemed the mechanism to keep the ice dispensing door shut got weakened. Now sometimes after I get ice the door remains open which means about a 3" diamter hole leading to the freezer so cold air leaks out. I now have to push the ice door shut manually after I get ice. Not sure if the heat from the hair dryer weakened it. Try just setting the hair dryer on warm not HOT.

I am going to complain to GE as well. They should fix or offer a solution.

We own GSL25JFPA BF for four years now, the last two years had been tough, coz' the water intermittent issues. We tried all kind of things including: replacing the Filter several time, fixing the water line, removing air, etc.

My wife has been nagging for quite some time, so I decided to look in the Net and found this forum. The symptoms is very similar: Crushed Ice and Cubes are working great. Only water will work for few days, and stop again for months. Before something happen, and the water will work again. Nothing in particular.

I think we have enough case to file complaint to GE to request a fix for free, because it seems like it is a design defect.

We will attempt to contact GE about this, and if we didn't get a good response, we would like to inform more people about this issue.

I have the same problem. The water line keeps freezing. The ice maker works fine!
We narrowed down the problem to where it keeps freezing. Its in the door. I thought the seal broke or something, So its kinda good to hear others are having the same problem. I think GE needs to think of something that can work without costing much!

Thanks rockhopr (Mike). I used your idea to create my own contraption (with a yogurt smoothie bottle instead) and was able to clear the line. I have had my GE GSH25KGPC BB for 4 years also. This is the first time it has happened. I had a GE dishwasher about the same amount of time and earlier this year it melted on the inside. It was one of the recalled units. Not too impressed with GE at the moment.

My GE Refrigerator Model #: GSS25WGPHCC
Purchased: In 2004
Model: Side-by-Side

This refrigerator came with the house from the builder. This builder has placed these models in lots of other houses.

Started having trouble with the water dispenser over the last 6 months. After some trouble shooting, the problem was isolated to the freezer door. The water flow is normal till the hose gets to the freezer door. After that it is a sealed/glued box. There is no easy way to access the hose inside the door. Tried opening the console in the front but did not go much further with all the plastic tabs and hooks.

Will try the hot water bottle/hose and the weed eater technique suggested

My way to thaw the hose is to shut off the freezer (this shuts off the Fridge as well) for couple of hours and the dispenser started working again. Some times it took 4-5hrs to get the water dispenser working. This did not spoil any of the food in the Fridge or the Freezer.

Removing the water filter to increase the line pressure so that it will not freeze didn't help much.

I have tried to contact GE, but they only gave the contact to their service department.

I called up GE and the rep says that they are not aware of any known problems with the Side-by-side refrigerator water dispenser (Frozen line). But she says that from what I was able to tell her, it is a frozen line issue and a GE service rep has to come and take a look. I am filing a complaint with GE Consumer relations. 1-800-386-1215.

If few of us launch a complaint, at least GE will start noticing the issue. So please call the above number and file your complaints on the water dispenser problem.

THX

Thanks for the help on this guys. I have the same issue. Freezing in the door. Verified by disconnecting at the bottom of the door and water flows freely. I'm going to try turning the freezer temp down and see if that helps.

My model number is GE - GSS25WPGA

As most folks seemed to have figured out, the problem here is that the water in the line is freezing. More specifically, the line that diverts to the back of the refrigeration section so that the water that's dispensed in "chilled". Unfortunately, the manufacturer failed to find the proper balance of insulation (or lack thereof) sufficient to allow the water to chill vs freezing. This is especially problematic if you don't use the water dispenser on a regular basis (promotes freezing). These units tend to run cold in the first place, and while increasing the temperature may help for a period, it will freeze again. THE EASIEST FIX IS TO BY-PASS THE CHILL LINE as follows:

1. Remove the lower panel at the back of the unit.
2. Locate the solenoid that's attached to the lower left of the unit (when viewed from the back) and remove the hold down screw (this will give you more slack in the lines and make the following steps easier).
3. Locate the water line that exits the solenoid and runs up into the back of the unit, disappears, then reappears and runs along the bottom of the unit towards the dispenser. It will be "whitish/opaque" in appearance. This is the "chill line". For orientation purposes, I'll call the section that's attached to the solenoid the chill "IN" line, and the section that reappears from the back of the unit (and eventually runs to the dispenser) the chill "OUT" line.
4. Cut the chill "OUT" line about 3-4 inches from the point where it "reappears" from the back of the unit. Other than maybe a few drops, water will not leak from this line since it's regulated by the solenoid, and will only "open" (allowing water to flow) when the dispenser is activated.
5. Remove the chill "IN" line from the solenoid. On my unit, the line is removed by pushing the lock collar at the based of the connector in, and simply pulling out the line. If you have a different style, I suspect line removal should be equally easy to figure out. Again, don't worry about water leaking when you disconnnect the line.
6. Finally, connect the freshly cut chill "OUT" line to the solenoid. Of course, you want to connect the section of chill "OUT" line the runs to the dispenser. If you have the same style of connector as me, simply insert the line into the connector and move the collar back into the lock position. NOTE: If there's not enough slack in the line to connect the chill "OUT" line to the solenoid, go to the front of the unit and loosen the water line from the plastic hold-downs as it runs along the base of the unit (towards the dispenser). There is plenty of line here to work with.

ONCE YOU'VE ORIENTED YOURSELF TO THE WATER FLOW PATTERN AND CORRECTLY IDENTIFIED THE DIFFERENT LINES, THIS FIX SHOULD ONLY TAKE 5 MIN!

I inserted plugs into the ends of the now by-passed chill line if the line thaws and releases any stored water. Fat chance though as our line has been frozen since we bought it nearly 4 years ago! I beg to differ that GE doesn't know about this problem. They just ignore it.

And yes, we now have flowing water from our dispener. As for losing the chill feature, what good is it if it doesn't work! Add a few ice cubes!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by FLYnVFR

As most folks seemed to have figured out, the problem here is that the water in the line is freezing. More specifically, the line that diverts to the back of the refrigeration section so that the water that's dispensed in "chilled".

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On re-reading some of the responses in this thread I realized that some folks seem to think the problem is in the water line that passes through the freezer door just before terminating at the dispenser. As I indicated in my original response, I localized the problem with my refrigerator to the "chill line" that runs "hidden" behind the back wall of the refrigerator, NOT the line that passes through the freezer door. And I suspect the "chill line" is the culprit in ALL cases. Let me know if you have any questions.

ab6619

We purchased a side by side in Dec. 2003 Model #GSS25UFPEWW. We started having problems with water not dispensing through door. Set up a service call with a repair service company. After seeing the problem, they told us it was a frozen line in the door and we would have to call GE for a service call. They could not fix it.

Called GE and found out it's under warranty. They will either place a defrost line in the door or replace both doors.

Cost us $85.00 for the service call, but it might be worth it if it helps other consumers with same problem.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by FLYnVFR

On re-reading some of the responses in this thread I realized that some folks seem to think the problem is in the water line that passes through the freezer door just before terminating at the dispenser. As I indicated in my original response, I localized the problem with my refrigerator to the "chill line" that runs "hidden" behind the back wall of the refrigerator, NOT the line that passes through the freezer door. And I suspect the "chill line" is the culprit in ALL cases. Let me know if you have any questions.

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OK, I just did it. First of all, after I cut the chill line I found that it was not frozen, especially because it appears to run into the refrigerator compartment, not the freezer. I'll get a union and fix that.

Now, the actual problem was in the freezer door approx 1 foot from the ground. A hair dryer on high right on the outside edge of the freezer door, letting the metal get warm did the trick.

As for GE, can you say DESIGN FLAW? BTW, I gave corporate customer service such hard time, they sent me a free door. But since I don't have the service manuel I'm not anxious to change it out.

I guess the moral of the story is "don't buy GE."

Hi all. I found this thread 2 days ago and solved my frozen water line in my GSL25JP that I purchased in July 2004 as a result. The line froze (which I now know was the problem a few months ago.) By reading this thread and another that I found I came up with the following.

I disconnected the tube under the door, and discovered that we happened to have a brand new unused condiment bottle in the cabinet. I needed to find a tube that would fit in the tip. I had a spray bottle that had only had water in it and took the tube out. It fit in the dispenser tube coming out of the door, as well as the bottle. I then opened the tip of the condiment bottle enough to fit the tube through. I filled it with hot water and alternated between squeezing from the top then the bottom. From the top the tube would only go in about 3 inches. From the bottom I was able to push all 10 inches of it in and could actually see it go into the bottom of the door.

I did it about 4 times. I put a up in the dispenser to catch the water that came back out. Well, finally the tube pushed all the way in through the dispenser, and the towel I had on the floor caught the flow as the ice plug melted and the water that I squeezed in came out the bottom. Hooked the line back up and success. My wife and daughters think I am a hero. Thanks for all the ideas. I will post again in a few weeks and let you know if I freeze up again. I have increased the temp a little in the freezer as well.

Is it me or has anyone else noticed that a lot of this units were bought in 2004?

Hi All,
It seems there is a solution from GE for this frozen dispenser water line problem. As per the service rep, GE has come up with this fix recently. GE has made arrangements to have this installed on my refrigerator on 31 Dec 2007. Now the dispenser seem to function fine. Previously it use to freeze everyday and I use to thaw it by turning the freezer off and later used the trimmer line trick suggested in this chain. Hopefully the new heaeter works without problems.

Here are the details:
GE is aware of this problem and has come up with a fix. The fix is called "Water Dispenser Heater". Even though my unit is out of warranty, I have filed a written complaint to GE Consumer Affairs as this seems to be a fleet wide problem. GE responded very quickly (within a week) and resolved the problem.

As per the installation sheet that came with this heater part, some of the new refrigerators seems to have a provision for a water dispenser heater. It calls for the old one to be replaced or add one if one does not exist.

PS: In my case the water line is definitely frozen in the freezer door as I have water flow in the line till it enters the freezer door.

Hope this helps

Good Luck
Suren

Suren, do you have warranty on your fridge? Or did you just go ahead with complaining the comsumer affairs and GE responded? I am having the same problem but my 1 year warranty just got over.:(

As I posted earlier, I purchased the unit in Dec 2005. Since this not an isolated incident and is a fleet wide problem I have asked GE to resolve the issue even though the warranty on my unit has expired late 2006.

My phone calls to the GE customer service did not help. I ended up faxing a letter to GE at

Consumer Action Handbook - Corporate Consumer Contacts Beginning with the Letter G

Based on the sample letter from the link below.

Consumer Self-Help - Tips & Resources to Resolve Consumer Complaints - California Department of Consumer Affairs

Good Luck
Suren

Glad I found these posts - as I have just crawled out from behind my GSS25JFPDWW that I bought in 2004. Since the water flows freely after removing the quick disconnect at the bottom of the freezer door, I tried pushing floral wire up the tubing - it made it almost all the way from the bottom up. Tried the same thing through the dispenser spout - it made it in about 4 inches. So now I'm off to grab my hair dryer and try defrosting. If that works, I'll grab some weedeater trim line and rig a freeze line.

Think I'll also contact GE too.

Many thanks!
Leslie

Quote:

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Originally Posted by lesliekirk

Glad I found these posts - as I have just crawled out from behind my GSS25JFPDWW that I bought in 2004. Since the water flows freely after removing the quick disconnect at the bottom of the freezer door, I tried pushing floral wire up the tubing - it made it almost all the way from the bottom up. Tried the same thing through the dispenser spout - it made it in about 4 inches. So now I'm off to grab my hair dryer and try defrosting. If that works, I'll grab some weedeater trim line and rig a freeze line.

Think I'll also contact GE too.

Many thanks!
Leslie

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Hi Leslie,
The water dispense heater that GE installed on my refrigerator couple of weeks back is just at the back of the water dispenser sprout. This tells me that the water dispenser line freeze is at the top, close to the dispenser sprout. This water dispense heater is a recent fix that GE came up with. The service person installed it and out of our house in less that 30mins.

PS: I tried the trimmer line from the top and it worked fine. As per the GE service guy the freeze is at the top where the inside is exposed more so that the ice cubes can fall info the dispenser.

Good Luck
Suren

I will be calling GE tomorrow and getting mine taken care of. Note the time of this post and my first post. That's how long it took to get mine unfrozen - with a hairdryer.

Again thanks!
Leslie

I fixed mine by leaving the light on the dispenser on. It took about 6 hrs, but the heat from the light bulb was enough to defrost the water line.

Until I just found this site, I was convinced I was crazy, since the water had stopped and the ice was working fine... I just did a combo of the hair dryer light bulb... it took about an hour, but things seem to be OK now.. (I guess we will see how long it lasts though)...

Thanks all

Yep. Problem is definitely frozen ice in the door. Purchased in May 2004 (GSS25WGPD BB) Like many others, I had tried changing filter first.

Fastest way to confirm with out disconnecting anything is to feed test line (weedeater type) into dispenser spout in front of door. There is no valve in the door, so it should go in at least 4 feet. If it stops before that, water is frozen in door.

I tried taping heating pad to inside of door at level where freeze was apparent. After an hour, I was able to advance an additional 3/4 inch, but not all the way through. I then placed container of boiling water in compartment where water dispenses. After about 10 minutes, I finally broke through. Good to go again.

Now implementing timmy_bimmy's freeze line idea for quickly alleviate future frezzing. Thanks Timmy!