Kenmore 795.79049.313 icemaker fill tube keeps freezing up

[dont_panic]

I have had this problem off and on for awhile, close to a year.   This is a Kenmore fridge with bottom-mount freezer, model 795.79049.313.  

The icemaker fill tube freezes up at the very tip; I get about a 1/2" plug of ice in there.  I thaw it with a hair dryer, and then cycle the icemaker several times to make sure the line is clear.  I do not see any dribbling water.  The unit will make ice for several hours, sometimes days, with no issue.  Then it will randomly freeze up again.  When the tube is frozen again, I can hear it trying to cycle, and I can hear the solenoid working, but the tube frozen.  I have checked the solenoid itself and get 400 Ohms across the terminals.   I hate to replace the valve and hose, and then it still freezes up again.  Then I cannot return the part because the appliance parts store does not allow returns on electrical parts.

Could the hose itself be calcified?  Is there a heater on this unit to keep the tube warm during ice harvest cycle?  

What should I do?

 

Thanks.

Hans

[Vance R]

1 hour ago, dont_panic said:

Could the hose itself be calcified?  Is there a heater on this unit to keep the tube warm during ice harvest cycle?  

Always possible to have mineral build up. Main board con 7 pins 7 to 9 if for the fill tube heater. 

[dont_panic]

So how do I test that the heater is working?  And if it needs replacing, where is it, how do I replace it?  What is the part number?  Can you share a page from the service manual on this?  

On a related note, a friend of mine called a friend who worked for service at LG and had also heard of this problem.  He mentioned a service bulletin that mentioned making some kind of modification to the end of the tube and/or the spout area which would help it not freeze up.  I never got the specific info from that guy, so I could not follow up on that lead.  Anyone ever heard of that??

Thanks in advance.

Hans

[Vance R]

The service manual only shows it in the wire diagram. No specs or voltages are given.  As far as service bulletin believe that was for a different model, none were listed at LG site.  Picture for that area of the main board. 

[dont_panic]

Does this sound like a way to test the heater - Disconnect the harness connector to expose the red terminals (7 & 9) going out to the heater.  Put an ohmmeter across these terminals and if there is continuity, the heater must be good.   Sound good?  

Similarly, do you think I can put a voltmeter on the 7 & 9 terminals on the board side to see if a voltage pops up during a harvest cycle?  Or perhaps the heater is always on?  

Thanks for your help.

 

H

[Vance R]

Looks like good ideas. When checking for voltage try both ac and dc. 

[dont_panic]

Well, I made it worse.  I tried removing the fill hose from the rear of the fridge.  It would not budge.  It finally broke with some of the tubing still inside.   The black rubber sleeve appears to be stuck in there with it.  How do I fix this please?  Large drill bit?

On a related note, the heater appears to be OK, showing 124 ohms.  

H

[Vance R]

Need to melt the ice in the tube. Google ice surrender kit if you don't know what is looks like.  Next is how far into the cabinet did it break?  Once the ices is melted you should be able to use a long screw to get inside the tubing and remove the rest of the tubing.

[dont_panic]

The saga continues.  As mentioned previously, I had to replace the ice tube line.  So in Sept. 2023 I ended up replacing the water solenoid valve and the complete tube.  I was thinking perhaps the valve wasn't closing completely, so I figured why not replace it.  Anyway, the new hose will not protrude enough to reach the little spout above the icemaker tray, so some water leaks and dribbles beside the spout and drips directly into the ice bucket below, creating a huge block of ice.  And the problem of the hose freezing up again seems to have returned, although I think this is due to the excess water freezing up behind the spout itself. 

I thought about trying to pull the hose further forward to try and get it to protrude better into the spout, but won't this just expose more of the tip and cause it to freeze that much easier?  

Any thoughts?

H