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Did any of you folks notice that this post is 2 years old? I think many people through their own question into someone else's post and then it just keeps rolloing along. A good rule of thumb is to never add your post to another person's post. Always ask you own question as a new post.
What are you talking about ballenger? Everyone is talking about the same thing except you. It doesn't matter how long ago the original post was. Only the most recent.
I am pointing out that this is not a blog or bulletin board. A poster asked a question 2 years ago and it was answered. Somehow a new person jumped on a year or two later and started with more questions and answers. My rule of thumb " to never add your post to another person's post. Always ask you own question as a new post." is actually how the desk owners instruct us to use the site. They have several rules but many people are unaware of them so I was throwing in a friendly reminder or correction. I see you are new to AMHD so maybe you were not aware of how the site operates.
Oh. My bad. I thought it WAS a blog. We sure abused it as one. However, I did appreciate getting all of those responses in one stream.
Since it isn't a blog, the webmaster should probably cut off additional entries after x amount of time has expired.
I have had the same problem with my water line freezing. I hired a guy to come out and thaw out the line and he used a steamer and shot hot air up the line. That worked great and he said if it ever happens again, to just do the same thing. What he did not tell me was that if you are not careful, the hot air can blow a hole in the side of the water line and now that is what has happened. Does anyone know how to remove the panel behind the door so that I can replace the whole line? I love the weedeater idea, great job and I will definetatly use that idea when I get the line fixed...
GE has a repair for this for under $200.00 that will thaw out the frozen area and completely correct the problem. Part number is WR49x10173. You can save by installing the part yourself, but you get a 5 year part warranty if GE does it. Call 1-800 GE CARES or go geappliances.com.
I have a GE Model# GSS25JFPE WW side by side with the same problem. Every 2 hours without fail the delivery tube freezes up about 2 to 3 inches in from the end. Mine also is about 4 years old, and just started this freezing business. Why after four or so years does this seem to be chronic problem with so many freezers? My guess is that moisture has migrated down the filler tube and soaked the insulation rendering it useless. If injected foam was used that would not be the case, but I think that there is some fiberglass insulation used behind the ice dispenser. After seeing the black mold that had formed on the ice door and had been dripping on the delivery tube I am convinced that it is a moisture problem. I totally disassembled the dispenser so it could be cleaned and thawed out the tube. Put it back together and two hours later it froze. I tried the string trimmer tick, real good idea, but had to use plier to pull the string out. So I had to come up with a idea that my wife could handle or I was going to eat the pliers. I certainly was not going to fork $500.00 plus for a new door. I took some 1/8" foil duct insulation (looks like bubble wrap sandwiched between 2 pieces of foil) and some white duct tape, and taped it on the inside of the freezer door right where the ice dispenser is located.
1. Thaw pipe with blow dryer. Be careful not to get the blow dryer to close or the ABS plastic will distort. Put your hand on the dispenser handle every once in awhile to make sure its not getting to HOT!!
2.Open the freezer door and warm the door area where the ice dispenser is and make sure all of the moisture is gone or tape won't stick.
3. Start at the top of where the ice shoot is about 1/2" down. Cut a piece to cover the ice shoot. Don't wrap the insulation around the sides or the door won't close. You will have to cut the piece down the middle and pull the pieces together to get it to conform to the shape. Tape the center together.
4. Cover the flat area with another piece. Make sure both of these area are covered and that the insulation is as tight as possible. Don't be cheap with the tape
IT AIN'T PRETTY BUT IT SEEMS TO WORK. Its now been five days and still has not froze again. Like I said it was freezing every 2 hours. Freezer and frig are at same setting when this started #5. With this posting I probably put the kiss of death on it.
Good Luck! Hope this helps
The part mentioned will also eliminate mildew build up. Again, the part # is WR49X10173 and it WILL STOP the frozen water line issue completely. Call 1-800-GE CARES or go to www.geappliances.com.:rolleyes:
I checked GE Appliances Home, kitchen appliances, refrigerator, water filter, dishwasher, freezer, top rated the other day. Came up with 0 results for WR49X10173Do you know what this part is? Unless its some sort of a fan I don't see how it will eliminate moisture on the ice door. The added insulation appears to have stopped the condensation for now. The main problem, line freeze is fixed. The real test for moisture will be when the weather gets warm. The best part? $15.00 BUCKS!
I work in the appliance industry. The part is a small heater. It completely fixes the issue. Why ask any more? You've been given the FIX. Buy the part. Order that part number. If not from GE then !st Source Parts or Repair Clinic. When given the answer, why ask more?:eek:
While recent posts have noted an official "GE fix" - a $200 part to fix their product defect, like McGyver's notes above, I like a cheaper fix that doesn't involve putting any more $$ into GE's hands. I have a 3 year old GE GSL25 refrigerator with the water/ice dispenser on the freezer door and the water dispenser line would freeze every few weeks. I used the hair dryer recommendation to unfreeze the line by heating the flat area of the freezer door directly behind the water dispenser area (~10 min did it). The trick to keep it from freezing up again involved buying a cheap foam sleeping bag mattress (~1/3 inch or 1 cm thick) made of a polyurethane foam (pretty dense). I cut it to match the flat area of the freezer door behind the water dispenser and taped it to the door with packing tape. For the past 3 weeks (even with freezer at #4 setting), my water is flowing freely. Personally, I think this solves a product defect with insufficient insulation in the freezer door near the dispenser water line.
I have the same problem. The GE refrigerator, model # GSH25SGPC SS, is about 2 years old and I have had no problems until the last three months. The water supply in the door stopped working. Someone told me to take a hair dryer and heat the plastic tubing behind the crisper (not too hot so as to melt the tubing). I did this and also blew warm air around the back of the freezer door where the water is dispensed. Nothing happened until about 15 minutes later when it started working. It worked for a few days and stopped again. I have tried turning the air off that flows to the crisper area, tried turning the temperature up in both the refrigerator and freezer to no avail. I then heated all the same areas again and within an hour it stared dispensing water again. The third time I just went in and pushed and pulled on the tubing and about 20 minutes later it started working again. This time it worked for about four days. I have even tried moving food around in both sides with no results. I have household appliance insurance American Home Shield and they said that the water supply is not covered. I am extremely disgusted and unless something changes, this will be my last GE appliance!Quote:
Originally Posted by michfly1976
Folks, I would suggest that if you have similar problem you should start you own question and not tag along on someone else's post. You are entitled to your own and you'll get better answers with a new post. You are tagging on a post was was done 2.5 years ago, its dead. AMHD is more of a real time help desk rather than a blog.
Mallard
I am understanding you problem to be that the water line to you icemaker is becoming blocked with ice. I have just experienced the same problem and have deternined that the water valve is defective and is allowing a small amount of water probably only a few drops a minute, to pass when closed. This water then freezes in the input line, builds up an blocks th eline. Solution replace water valve.
Thanks, then just forget my question!Quote:
Originally Posted by ballengerb1
Thanks to the gentleman who recommended putting the weed-eater line in the water spout! What a great and inexpensive fix! My fridge has only frozen up 2 times since I have done that about 4 months ago. It was freezing every two days. So now when it freezes all I do is use some needlenose plyers to pull the weed-eater line out, run the water, and stick the line back in. The whole process takes about 20 seconds. The first time I had someone come out and look at it, it cost me $100 bucks. That was just to look at it! They told me it would be hundreds of dollars to fix it. I promptly sent them on their way. I knew there had to be a better way. Then sure enough, I found this site and saw the weed-eater line suggestion. Brilliant! You have virtually eliminated the problem for $2.99 (the cost for a spoll of weed-eater line). You can't even see it slightly sticking out, so nobody has to know the difference! Thank you, Thank you, Thank you! :)
I agree, the weed eater line was a brilliant fix. Mine still freezes up about once a week but a little tug on the line and I'm good for another week. One other thing I have noticed is that the water freezes up much more frequently if frozen food is occupying the space directly behind the dispenser. I cleared out the space and it helped a lot. As for the appliance, I called GE and they said they never heard of the problem but would gladly send out a technician at my expense to look at it. Thanks GE! They are simply sticking their head in the sand because it might cost them some money to fix their inferior product. Where is consumer protection. I for one have purchased my very last GE product.
The water line is freezing up about 4" inside the dispenser. GE has recognized the problem and offered a solution. It is a small 12v heater that mounts behind the dispenser face but outside the freezer door. They do not offer it free however. It is part number GHPWR49X10173 "DISPENSOR WATER TUBE HEATER. It is available for appliance parts dealer. Mine charges 41.65. I have ordered it but have not received it yet. I assume it will work. It comes with instructions. Must splice into two wires at behind the dispenser face. I have found nothing else that lasts. Hairdryers, etc.Quote:
Originally Posted by sboku
Welcome to the club. I had the GE repair service "fix" my frozen water dispenser problem to the tune of $ 216.00. $79 for a house call, $63.00 for the part and $105 for "labor".
It took him 20 minutes to install the part. It is a heat tape that attaches to the inner edge of the dispenser just under the spout. It has a plug that goes into the switch card for water/cubes/crushed. Part #WR49X101173 - you'll find it on-line for $42 at any appliance repair site.
Remove the square plastic cover ( pops off with a screw driver), undo the four screws on the inner panel and swing out the switchplate. The part has sticky stuff on it so just press it into the U shape under the nozzle. Pug it into the circuit board and reassemble. Your done.
I've called and written to GE and their response has been "we have no recalls on that model, have a nice day". If anyone has any other places that I can "bad mouth" GE just let me know.
I have had several bad experiences with companies such as GE and Home Depot that think a few dissatisfied customers can never really hurt their business. Many fallen businesses have thought the same thing. We, the consumer, are much more powerful than they think. One upset customer tells ten people, those ten each tell ten etc. GE liars told me the same thing, we have had no reports of trouble with that model but we will be glad to send a service man at your cost (to fix their junk). I have had excellent success by reporting bad experiences like this one to the Better Business Bureau which you can access on line. They are very helpful, they get all over the company and keep track of the complaints. From no on I plan to check with them regarding how many complaints they have had about a company before I use them. I am tired of being taken advantage of by big companies!
I have a GE GSL25JFPA that had the water issue, but is now not making ice either. It started with just water over the past year or so, now it is apparently hitting the ice maker. Anybody else seeing the same issue?
:) :) Well, my first time at this site. I'll be back again regularly!
My Water was not working ice maker works fine.
I got my blow dryer and turned the fridge to zero and freezer to zero (that's like off, not the temp.) stuck some weed wacker line up the nozzle and started blow drying through the flap where the ice dispenses.
I was getting excited, so I pulled out the veggie drawers and wiggled the 200 feet or so of plastic water line (I presume) and I had that water running in less than 10 minute's time.
Then I spent the next hour scrubbing the fridge, but Hey! I'm a woman... I go above and beyond!
Thanks everyone for all your great advice. By the way it is a GE side by side about 4 years old.
Bless you! My husband had the repair guys out three different techs. They suggested he buy a new door for $500!!
That's above and beyond whatever he paid for the guys to come out.
Nancy:) :)
I don't understand why GE sticks their head in the sand and pretends there is no problem instead of standing behind their product. I for one will NEVER purchase another GE appliance. There are too many other manufacturers out there that will support their products.
Any way, I did the blow dryer thing but it got to be a pain in the neck and I also was afraid of melting some of the plastic components. The weed trimmer solution works the best. Just give it a little tug every day or so. One thing I did find out is that the freeze up is worse if you have frozen food close behind the area where the water dispenser is. It makes the time between the freezing much longer if you keep the area behind the dispenser clear so that the air can circulate better at that point.
I bought my GE side by side (GSL25QGPD BS) in October 2004. I began experiencing a slow flow from the water dispenser just after it was installed. The installers blamed it on my home water line. Eventually, the water dispenser stopped working. I found this site a few days ago and detached the line where it enters the freezer door. Sure enough, the water line to the freezer door is fine, but the water freezes inside of the door.
The unit is out of GE's stingy warranty. GE offered free parts to fix the problem if I pay for the labor. The seller/installer will not help.
I wrote a letter to GE and the seller asking them to pay for the labor. We'll see what the response is.
Since the GE people don't stand behind their design errors and don't mind losing customers, I have given this some thought. The weed eater string woks the best but it still freezes up almost every day now. I pull the string in and out a few times and I'm good to go for another day. I moved some of the frozen food from directly behind the door at the water service location and it seems to help. I think it allows more air movement. I am going to try and apply a piece of 3/4" thick styrofoam insulation board to the back of the door to insulate the water lines from the freezer. I will get back after I see if this works.
I found this site after complete frustration with our GE Profile Refrigerator. We bought it 4+ years ago, and purchased the extended warranty, for at least 3 years. We had technicians come out at least 5 times to fix the dispensing problem with the water from the door. One changed some parts, and it worked for a while, another changed a solonoid? Or something and it worked for a while, each time.. parts were ordered or replaced... but result, it never worked right. We tried leaving the door open, using a blowdryer... nothing fixed the problem. Then recently I began to notice it was getting my vegetable bin food frozen... so I called again for help?
I did not pay for the extended warranty anymore for the last year or so because what was the point.. nobody fixes anything and I get to pay them $150 a year for that? MAIN problem... and everyone needs to hear this one... We bought ours at Sears, so have continued to deal with them for help (! )
They said they would reimburse for a tech to come out and cover labor and up to $100 for parts, so we tried once again.
This appliance is in a 2nd home, so we go weekends. I called for service 3/28 or so. On 3/31, my daughter-in-law went to the house to borrow something and found the entire downstairs flooded.The tech was set to come on 4/5/08. My husband went up to the home, the Fire Dept had removed all the furniture, and they had a company and the insurance assess damages. All carpet, walls, fireplace tiles, drapery, furniture... everything is out and the place is gutted.
The repairman came anyway... said it was a defective valve that caused the water filter to freeze and flood the house.(he wrote that on his bill!) hmmmm.. Sears claims they have no record of ever coming out before that date(5 times! ), but since I have no more warranty, they will do no more than $100 towards parts. They say it has not been a problem before... and I read all the messages about how to fix our own problem... hoses, dryers,. a defect is a defect! I also found a lawsuit pending with GE re: same deal...
Evidently they are quite aware of the issue but are happily selling the product and the warranty and figure each will just deal with it? I don't even understand how the company can do that. My insurance will cover my house damages... but it is one HUGE mess that did NOT have to happen, and I am tired of hearing the 'party line' of they will only cover $100... geesh... fix the darn problem or replace the appliance. I now have to find all the receipts from trips they said they never made... and I have the numbers, so I can get those. But should we have to do things like this?
I did not realize this was as widespread as it evidently is, and wanted to warn those who are patching and plugging and trying to make-do, to beware of what happened to us! Don't let it happen to you! No water dispensing... things starting to freeze... watch out!!
Very descriptive & accurate! Thank you! You saved me a repair bill...
Same problem here with the water line freezing in a 4-year old GE side by side fridge. Will try the weed whacker line idea. Thanks!
Since my last posting, I have used double sided tape and fastened a piece of "residential foam sheathing insulation" to the back of the freezer door directly behind the water dispenser.
This is a foam insulation board about 3/4 " thick and blue in color. This can be purchased at Lowe's or Home Depot. I have tried the weed eater string, the blow dryer etc. and they only fixed the problem temporarily before it started again. I have had this foam in place for about two weeks and so far the water has not frozen up and the water is dispensing as it should. It doesn't look great when you open the door but I would rather have my water working.
Just to let you know, we have AHS "American Home Shield" homeowner insurance which is supposed to cover all of the house-hold appliances and costs about $50 a month. When I called them about this problem, I was told that the policy didn't cover water service and the wouldn't pay to have someone come out to look at it.
It appears that I have fixed my problem however I suggest that we all boycott GE appliances as well as passing the word about their lack of customer care and not standing behind their product. One person tells ten and each of those ten tell another ten and so on. If dissatisfied customers band together, it is definitely possible to make these big companies squirm. I would be pleased to add my name to any list of dissatisfied customers which we could send to the Better Business Bureau and GE.
I just found this link today. I have a gss25wgpd since 2004 I have the problem with the water dispenser line freezing. I thought I found the perfect answer and inserted about 12" of nylon from a weed wacker spool. But now it freezes very quickly and I have to pull out the nylon to get a glass of water. Is that what everyone says is a great answer?
I just went to: GE Contact Us: Voicing a concern about an appliance or an experience with GE
I entered the following comment. I'll post any answer that I might get. Would all of you please do the same?
Please don't tell me that you haven't heard of this issue. There are hundreds of people with this problem. See https://www.askmehelpdesk.com/advice/t-14182.html
The problem is that the insulation on the water dispenser line that runs through the freezer door has broken down. Now the water line freezes often and requires 2 hours of blow-dryer use to defrost same.
Do you stand behind your product or do you choose to hide your head in the sand?
Here is the automated answer I just received:
"[email protected]" to me
Show details 9:23 am (3 minutes ago)
Please include the following line in all replies.
Tracking number: AT20080501_0000000122
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I emailed GE about this problem. I actually received a return call, However, the person calling me was simply a warm body they hired to return the call and tell me that they have never had any reports of this type problem. They would however send a service person out at my expense to look at it. I told her in a few words what I thought of GE. I did this kindly because she only answers the phone and doesn't know which end of a refrigerator sits on the floor.
With all of that said, I posted something that I tried for a fix on my refrigerator because the weed eater string was still freezing up. If you go back and read my post you will see that I attached some foam insulation to the back of the freezer door directly behind the water dispenser. I think it has been in place about two months now and I have had zero freeze-ups and the water is working fine. Foam insulation, double sided tape and about 10 minutes work. As far as I'm concerned, my problem id fixed, no thanks to GE.
I also insulated the inside area of the freezer door. I cut the top of a styrofoam cooler 3/8" thick. I used medical adhesive tape to hold it in place. I'll post again if it freezes. I might have to use some construction adhesive if the tape doesn't stay in place.
GE refused to pay for the labor, citing their 1-year warranty. The seller, however, stepped up and agreed to pay for the labor. So GE provided the free part (a small heating mechanism which is described in previous posts) and the seller paid the $160 labor fee (what a joke that fee is -- it took the repairman less than 20 minutes to install the part).Quote:
Originally Posted by Jose Jones
My suggestion is to put as much pressure on the seller as possible to have them pay to fix the problem. GE has a one year warranty they try to hide behind, but most sellers have not adopted this warranty. All sellers provide an implied warranty under state law. If your claim is not time-barred (statute of limitations) and if the seller has not disclaimed the implied warranty like GE did, you have a pretty good shot of winning a small claims suit against the seller.
Okay I'm not crazy. Our water dispenser went out a couple of months ago, but the icemaker has continued working. We got this GE side-by-side as a warranty exchange for the first one we bought dying in only 10 months. The first one was bought in March 2003, the replacement arrived in January 2004. I'll try the weedeater test to see where the line is frozen, then might look into the heater part.
As for the comments about not piggy-backing on another question... I think that's BS. I think it's great that I have been able to scroll through so many responses and fixes from so many other people with the same problem from the same fridge. I also think this is great ammo for a complaint, to be able to reference this one tread and point ot the number of people with the same problem, from the same type of refrigerator, all bought within a few months of each other.
Keep posting fellow disgruntled GE consumers!
You might want to look back at one of my earlier responses. I tried the weedeater and it didn't work, it still froze up but just took longer. I used a piece of foam insulation board and fastened it to the door on the back of the water dispenser in the freezer campartment. I used double sided tape to stick it to the door. Since I put this on I have had absolutely no more problems. A very inexpensive fix compared to the heater. My problem has been solved, no thanks to GE. (General Evasion)
My GE Profile side by side water dispenser is not working also. I have been reading your posts. Did you water filter freeze also? Mine has slush in it, I changed it 2 weeks ago, still happening. GE of course has not solution other than to send a service rep out. I asked for the water heater part, but they had no idea what I was speaking of, surprise. Didn't know if your foam fix would solve the frozen filter too.
I have not had a problem with the filter. The foam will not fix the filter freezing up because the filter is in the refrigerator section. You might try and raise the temperature in the refrigerator some. When I called GE they told me the same thing. First, they never heard of this problem even though you can see many people have called them regarding it. Second, I asked them about the heater and they never heard of it. I suspect they don't want to say there is a heater because that would be admitting that there was a problem. The people they have answering the phones are clueless. I believe they are just warm bodies that pick up the phone when it rings and are programmed to deny any problems. I wish we someone would start a petition for us all to sign and send to the better business bureau. I would be happy to help with it. I am tired of these large corporations dumping on the consumer and not standing behind their products from which they are making hoards of money.
I just coughed up $255.00 to install the heater that defrosts my water line. I'm writing to the BBB. This is nuts.
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