My ice dispenser works but no water will come out Problem - GE GSL25JFPBS Side by Side Refrigerator
Hi Leaving the light on worked for me! Awesome solution!! Our water line did not work but the ice cubes still were made. It took our refrig about 24 hours with the light on to work. Thank you for the simple suggestion!
I fixed mine by leaving the light on the dispenser on. It took about 6 hrs, but the little heat from the light bulb was enough to defrost the water line.
Called GE and they were going to send a tech and it would cost $75 just to look at it. On top of that, they will charge labor per hour and any parts that they will replace. I didn't agree with that so I did the Hair dryer thing which to me made sense. AND IT WORKED.. the cause of the problem was my wife stuck too much inside like she was preparing for a 10 year supply. Perfect, I used my wife's hair dryer to solve the issue that she created anyway and I was able to rub it on her face and used the money that we were going to spend for the repair to something more useful.. BEER :)
OK guys, GE does have a solution to this problem and it's EXPENSIVE. I goofed and called GE repair. $263 later it was fixed. Here's what I've done to villify them:
General Electric Company March 31, 2008
3135 Easton Turnpike
Fairfield, CT 06828-0001
Attn: J. Immelt
Dear sir or madam, or whoever opens this because I know Jeff Immelt won't be the actual person to open it. This has already been sent to GE Corporation Appliance Park 6, Room 129
Louisville, KY. 40224 so don't send it to them. Send it to someone who may actually do something about this problem.
I have a GE refrigerator, Model GSS25WGPAWW, S# AF 217252 which has had a continuing problem for several years. My first error was in not reporting this sooner. My home is in a gated community in which the developer used GE appliances exclusively. What I have determined now (after I paid for the repair) is that many residents have had the exact same problem: the in-door water dispenser freezes solid.
The second mistake I made was calling GE repair to fix the problem. I was charged a total of $ 263.15 for the repair; $ 63.30 for the part, a flat rate of $79.95 for the repairman to show up and then $105.00 labor cost plus tax.
Our community has an Internet based communications system ( Googlelist) and I posted the following message there. . My fellow residents responded that GE did fix many of the same problems at no charge after they call GE Customer Care rather than GE repair. Several others have paid for the repair. I then reported this to your sales http://www.geappliances.com/service_and_support/contact/form_service.htm) department up until the 25th of March , I have received no reply.
____________________________________________________________________________
TO:http://www.geappliances.com/service_and_support/contact/form_service.htm
Just thought you'd like to know:
I live in a gated community with over 1400 residents and they all got the following message:
Posted on Googlelist-at Herons Glen
So my water line to the in-door dispenser kept freezing up. I'd have to turn the fridge off and open the freezer door for up to 5 hours for it to melt. Then 3 or 4 days later it would freeze again.
So the GE repair guy came and installed a $63 part in about 20 minutes. It was a heat tape applied inside the dispenser cover. Now for the fun part: $79 just to show up and then $105 "labor" ??? That's about $315 per hour - my kind of job. Oh yea, another $14.90 in taxes.
Once I had the part number, I found the part on-line for $42.
Forget about it really being a manufacturing defect that should be covered by warrantee. GE does not care! They advertise how "energy conscious" they are and then solve a defect with a heat tape that adds heat to an appliance that's supposed to be cold! Go figure!
If this offends any ex-GE employees....GOOD
_____________________________________________________________________________________
When I subsequently called GE customer Care on March 25th I was told "we have no recalls on that model and there is nothing we can do". I've gone on-line and searched for "GE water dispenser" problems and, WOW, you've got lots of problems.
On March 26 I got a reply from
From:
[email protected]
They gave me a Tracking Number and another phone number to call 1-888-348-7563. I called that number on 3-27-08 and got the same answer: "we have no recalls on that model, have a nice day".
My question is: Will GE do something about this? I have $ 263.15 out of pocket cost, a copy of the repair bill is enclosed, for what appears to be a design flaw and that flaw has been repaired for others "at no cost".
Sincerely,
Tom Morookian
20729 Mystic Way
No. Ft. Myers, FL
33917
239-731-3452
[email protected]
encl: (1)
The real problem is that the water line is supposed to be installed against the front panel of the freezer door. During assembly they don't do this so some of the lines are against the inside edge of the door, they then "foam" the door and they freeze. The heat tape does fix the problem and you can do it yourself. I'm "GEsucks" for a real good reason. I've posted this on several web-sites and I'm looking for a lawyer to file a class action suit!
I have a 3 year old GE GSL25 refrigerator with the water/ice dispenser on
the freezer door. Even when setting the freezer at 2 and turning the
fridge's lower drawer to the warmer "cheese" setting, the water
dispenser line would freeze every few weeks. If you have this problem,
first verify that the water filter (back of the fridge) is not clogged
and that water flows from the water line at the bottom left corner of
the freezer door (disconnect and press water delivery dispenser-see
owners manual).
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 if 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.
Thanks, hesshouse, I actually thought about trying that myself. I'll give it a try. I'm currently running with my fridge section turned down to a '4' and the freezer section down to a '2' and so far, so good. I have a digital thermometer in the freezer section to make sure my freezer is staying cold enough at that setting and it appears to average at zero.
I'm wondering if the problem is that the freezer side theromostat is no longer functioning properly and is keeping that section too cold and hence freezing the line?
Thanks for your input, chem-prof!
As an update, turning down the freezer and fridge sections did not solve the problem for me. Since the last freeze up (which, BTW only takes about 2 mins of hair dryer work, then just wait another 10 mins or so, and magically the water flows again), I have left the dispenser light on as suggested by hesshouse and it's been about 2 weeks and no freeze-ups. Since I like having the light on as a nite-light, I'll probably stick with that solution unless replacing burnt out bulbs becomes cost prohibitive, then off to the sporting goods store I'll go. I just don't want to give my wife another reason to want to replace that fridge (anyone like how the ice hits the water dispenser on the way out and scatters everwhere?).
What really bugs me about this issue is that it hadn't been a problem until recently. It makes me wonder if the insulation within the door itself has failed over time in some way.
Anyway, if anyone knows where to find an exploded drawing showing the layout of the lines, etc. within the door, I'd love to take a look at it. I gotta believe that would help speed thawing it out if we knew exactly where that line runs inside the door.
You need to heat the panel from the inside. You don't need to heat it for 10 mins, though, 3-4 mins has been sufficient for me. I've been trying to isolate specifically where on the panel to heat but my patience runs out before I get to it. DON'T heat the panel until the water starts running again, you're only wasting energy if you do! Heat it until it's warm to the touch, then shut the door and wait about 10-15 mins. It should start flowing again by then.
I get to do this every couple of months since the cleaning lady always turns the dispenser light off and we don't notice until the water freezes up again. We've had the dispenser light on continuously now for over a year and the bulb hasn't failed yet, so it seems to be a cost-effective solution so far.
As another update, leaving the light on occasionally is not enough. Along similar lines to the foam padding solution, I took two layers of small-bubble bubblewrap and attached it to the flat area behind the ice/water dispenser. I positioned the bubblewrap with the bubble sides facing eachother. Remember, for insulation you need dead air space. The bubbles themselves provide some and when two layers are layed against each other, the spaces between the bubbles add more dead air space.
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Tried both light and hair dryer and solenid switch with no results. Any Idea on how to get to switches in the door panel?
I had the same problem (water wouldn't dispense, ice dispensed fine) on my 9 year old GE side by side Profile. I suspect the problem was a large pie that my wife had on one of the middle shelves of the freezer last month. The problem didn't go away though when the pie did.
Anyways, tried the turning the dispense light on, and presto, the water started flowing again within 10 minutes.
I shut the light off, and the water is still working a week later. We'll see how things go long term, but thought I'd post this.
Thanks all for your suggestions to cure this problem. Saved me several hundred bucks in a service call!
Most likely, the water line inside the fridge is frozen.
You can do the following:
Remove the smart water filter and or replace it with a new one.
Before reinstalling the filter, empty it out ( or if it is a new filter) and fill it up with hot or warm water up to 3/4.
Install the filter.
Turn off the freezer( dial to zero)
wait 12 hours or check the water dispenser periodically if the the line is not frozen anymore.
It usually, take for my refrigerator overnight before I water again
I used the hair dryer n the back of the door panel for about 10 minutes and it worked.
The problem we are having is everything in the bottom is freezing and everything in the top is getting warm.
I found out that the motor DC evaporator fan quit working, so that the cold air stayed in the bottom, froze the water line and warm in the top.
I'm so happy I found this site. We have a GE side by side and we have Ice and light but NO ice.
We turned the freezer down but I think is a defect. Why can't I set my freezer high and still have water?
I paid $2,800 for a GR refrig that does not give me water and a $1,399 dishwasher that does not dry my dishes.
GE has really gone downhill. Guess now we know why they are selling the appliance unit.
They must be too bust builing nuclear bombs for Iran.
Two possibilities are water solenoids on back of refrigerator. Switch the wiring on the two solenoids so when you ask for ice it will dispense water. If you get water when you ask for ice the solenoid is bad. If still nothing happens the control switch in the door were you switch from water to ice may be bad. When you determin you have found the problem return the wires to there correct solenoids. Hope this helps, Sea Breeze
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I've had the same problem twice now (no water but ice and light work fine). The first time, after verifying the solenoid in the back was functioning, that water was making it successfully all the way up to the connection at the door hinge, and taking everything apart that could come apart, the water mysteriously started flowing again.
Today I spotted this site, saw the recommendation about using the hair dryer, and voila, about 3 mins of warming the inside of the door and waiting another 5-10 mins, the water started flowing again.
This problem seems to have coincided with adjusting the freezer temp lower. I've bumped it back to where it used to be to see if the problem goes away.
After just over two years my water dispenser line froze for the first time. Ice maker still producing.
I turned down the temp. in the freezer and fridge. Where on the door do you reccomend using the blow dryer ?
my water dispenser is not working but my ice is fine
there's no water on the dispenser and no ice making right now, do i need to wait to get a water or something wrong with the line of the water. please advise.
Same as many others...ice and light work, but the water does not on the fridge door dispenser. One point is that when I press the button for the water, the light comes on. Does this remove the requirement to check the solenoids, or is the light that comes on when you ask for water powered from a different solenoid? I'll turn up the temp in the freezer to see if that helps. The problem did start after a week of not using it.
We have GE side by side refrigerator I don't know the serial or model number. The problem we are having is the everything in the bottom is freezing and everything in the top is getting warm we even had chicken lunch meat grow mold on it and it was in the top shelf of the door, there is condensation on the back wall of the freezer and we can't get any water from the door. In the past we have always had a problem with the ice maker making too much ice and the ice freezing up making it hard to dispense but up until recently the water has always run.
I have this problem of no water from the dispenser but the ice maker is fine. Mine is a Samsung US Fridge Freezer. Can you help? Regards. Sue
Both crushed and cubed ice work, but no water flow...all lights work
I have the GE Monogram, .the door dispensor has stopped working and when I press the dispenser, water comes out of some place in the back, NOT the control solenoid device. Â Apparently the icemaker is still working..time will tell on that. Â I am now trying the door light attack but why the leak??
I have the same problem. A technician verified the electrical parts and told me that the problem was a failure in the insulation in the freezer door. We used a heat gun to heat the inside of the door between the bottom and where the water is dispensed. With a little patience, the tubing thawed and the water started working again. The problem eventually returned when the door got cold enough again. This is with the freezer on the warmest setting. The only real solution is to replace the door, which is very expensive (not worth it).
I have an 2-year old LG side-by-side fridge/freezer. We are not getting water out of the door dispenser but do get ice. I am curious if there are some obvious answers or obviously NOT answers out there. Thanks.
We just sold our house with our good ol' GE GSL Fridge included. The water line has not been working for the past year or so (off and on). The ice and light are fine. We have the buyers home inspection this week and i just know that they're gonna check that the fridge works. Good thing I found this site! We're trying the hair-dryer and leaving the light on methods right now. I hope it works like it has for all of the others...
In my house i'll be getting a Kenmore or LG fridge. Damn you GE!!! I've had to fill up that Damn Brita with the sink for the past few years. My wife is yelling right now, "IT WORKS"!!!!
hi my name is sonny i have a side by side ge refrigerator about 3 year old my water dispenser not working but ice OK i called A&E service first the technician told me the water valve is failed so i replaced it still not working and this time he told me the tubing inside the freezer door froze up. A&E charged me 70$ just to look at it. my question is can i take the apart and wrap some insulation on the tubing. Please help thank you.
You guys are pure genius!!! Landlord had the same problem and did the water line check and sure enough we had water, so did the hair dryer at the back panel of the freezer door for about 10 minutes and voila! We have water!
THANK YOU EVERYONE who posted responses to this site so I could locate and diagnose the problem asap!
you guys rock, this site is so cool. my ice worked fine but my water did not work at all on my hotpoint frig. i tried the hair dryer for about 10 minutes one evening and it still did not work, however in the morning the water worked like a charm. so glad i did not call a repair man
do you heat the resevoir panel from the outside or the inside of the refrigerator?
My water dispenser line froze up (again) and instead of unplugging it for 12 hours like before, I just tried blowing the hair dryer on the panel behind the dispense (inside the freezer) and voila! It worked! I'll try leaving the light on to see if it will prevent it from freezing up again. Thanks for posting the solution.
THANK YOU! The only extra tip I would add to this is if your water doesn't start running right away, hold a glass in the dispenser until it does. I had the dispenser depressed for about 2 minutes before the water finally started flowing. I could hear the tube defrosting as I did this, sort of a crackling sound. Once the water started, it was filled with air pockets so I had to flush the line with about 6-7 full glasses of water.
I have a GE model GSL25JFPD BS fridge that does not dispense water. The ice maker is still making ice. I changed the internal filter and still no water. Any suggestions?
Read all the blogs...guess what? Blow dryer worked!!! Thanks all.
I had the same problem until I read your answers and wow!, the hair dryer worked. It only took about 2 minutes. I could hear the ice crackling as the hair dryer warmed up the door.
Thanks again
You saved our day...
you all are GODS--
fixed my water line with my hairdryer all by myself and i couldnt be prouder...dh will just about fall over when he comes home tonight.
thank you ALL for the wonderful solution!!
I more sucessful fix. From no water to water in 10-15 mins. Thanks for all your assistance. Also thanks to those who commented on their sucess
Water stops flowing from door dispenser on GE Side-by-side GHS25JSTA; ice was fine, checked flow on back at solenoid valve, it was fine. Ran hair dryer for approximately 8-10 minutes over the protruding portion (opposite the water dispenser) inside the freezer and bada-bing, water flows again! Thanks to all for posting and advice.
I have the same problem... this has been driving me crazy. I've never been so excited to use a hairdryer in my life! Thanks for the input. The internet is a great thing.
Hey, I just tried the hair dryer remedy and I can say it worked within 10 minutes, THANKS!!
What I can add is that this is correlated to cold wheather....that is, this never happened until late Feb of this year (moved into this house in last June, fridge was already installed). We turn down the thermostat to 52F and heat with elec heaters for the kids rooms and a down comfortor for my my old lady and I, the house is cold during the day as well while we are at work. Chances are that this problem would have went away within a few weeks since it is warmer now. MH
I have a hot point side-by-side HSS25GFPDWW the ice mker is fine but the water disp. will not work you can here a noise when you push the water butten
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