Jump to content
Click here to check out our on-demand appliance repair training webinars.

FAQs | Repair Videos | Academy | Newsletter | Contact


DISCLOSURE: We may earn a commission when you use one of our coupons/links to make a purchase.
  • Upcoming Events

    • 30 March 2024 02:00 PM Until 03:00 PM
      0  
      All Appliantology tech members are invited to join in this workshop on all things Appliantological: bidness, customers, tools, troubleshooting, flavorite brewski, whatever. Webcams and microphones are open and live!
      This workshop is also a great time for any students at Master Samurai Tech to bring any and all questions about the coursework. We're happy to walk through any concepts you're having trouble with. Think of it like office hours with your teachers. 
      If you have a specific appliance problem you'd like us to talk about, post it here! We need a problem statement and a PDF of the tech sheet or schematic so we can all see it on screen share. If you have a PDF that isn't already in the File library here at Appliantology, send it to us by attaching it to the contact form. 
      Also, follow this Calendar Event so you'll get notified of new posts here. Look for the "Follow" button either at the top of the topic on desktop or below the topic on mobile.
      Who: This workshop is only available to tech members at Appliantology.
      When: Saturday, March 30 @10:00 AM Eastern Time.
      Where: Online via Zoom
      How:
      Click here to go to the forum topic with the registration link. If you're interested, register now. Arrive a couple minutes early to make sure your connection is working. Set a reminder for yourself for this workshop so you don’t miss it.  And check out past workshops here: https://appliantology.org/announcement/33-webinar-recordings-index-page/

GE PWE23K Ice Maker Leaking - Making Solid Block of Ice


Nickrivers

Recommended Posts

Nickrivers
Hello all! Found little to no information online about my model number, so figured I'd post a question here for myself and future troubleshooters.

My ice bin had been leaking slightly causing ice cubes to melt together. After noticing the problem I cleaned out the ice bin and reinserted it in the top drawer and inspected the ice maker for anything unusual. I noticed ice wasn't being made as efficient as usual but continued to use it as normal. A few days later about 1/3 of the ice bin as well as about an 1/8" of the freezer drawer was solid ice. I have since removed the drawer and bin and cleaned them. There is no ice on the bottom drawer, or bottom panel of the unit. There is no water leaking out on to the floor. The only water is the solid block formed in the ice bin and its respective drawer that it sits in.

I have seen quite a few things about defrosting the drain tube, lowering temperatures so the ice stays dry, and other remedies. I am not sure which ones apply to my model as most info I've came across refers to side-by-side units or units with dispensers. Before I pull out the toolbox and dig in I wanted to ask for any opinions on the cause of the problem.

I have heard sudden changes in water pressure can be a problem. I live on a ranch with a well and we've had a string of water tank issues in the days prior to the ice maker debacle. These issues have been fixed but I'm not sure if this is a direct cause of the problem as we've ran out of water in the past 2 years of owning the fridge without any problems to the ice maker.

If this sounds like a defrosting issue, wouldn't I be able to disconnect the fridge and allow the SoCal heat defrost it for a few hours?

Please advise... - Nick
 
 
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Replies 4
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

  • Nickrivers

    3

  • Vance R

    2

Top Posters In This Topic

16 hours ago, Nickrivers said:

only water is the solid block formed in the ice bin and its respective drawer that it sits in.

Since there is no ice on the floor of the freezer section the defrost drain is ok.  Either your water valve is leaking or ice maker is over filling. Easy test would be to clean out ice bin and turn off ice maker.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Nickrivers
48 minutes ago, Vance R said:

Since there is no ice on the floor of the freezer section the defrost drain is ok.  Either your water valve is leaking or ice maker is over filling. Easy test would be to clean out ice bin and turn off ice maker.

So I did that twice now and it still seems to be happening, Its leaking water quite fast but I visually can not see the leak due to its awkward location. Is there any manuals or videos online that show the assembly?

 

Thanks for your response!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

15 minutes ago, Nickrivers said:

Is there any manuals or videos online that show the assembly?

Never looked online for video's. That ice maker is in a horrible location to access.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Nickrivers
3 hours ago, Vance R said:

Never looked online for video's. That ice maker is in a horrible location to access.

Found the issue. 

I was very reluctant to disassemble anything. So after sticking my fingers back there looking for a blockage I was able to find a huge block of ice in the funnel that guides the water from the feed tube into the tray. Its completely covered in plastic and therefor hard to find unless you feel for it from behind. 

Its sort of a upside down pyramid object, and after tempering it with a blow dryer I was able to pull the block out. I should mention that this part seems to be removable but by horrible design it does not clear the water line above it. You would have to disconnect the whole ice maker assembly to just disengage the plastic tab, rinse the funnel under hot water, and put it back in. What a pain.

I'm positive the cause had to do something with me living in a rural area. I had been disconnected from power so my utility company  could replace power lines for a few days in a row, also shutting down my water pump. I believe this constant shut off and powering back up of both water and energy caused a tiny block to freeze over at the small end of the funnel and rapidly snowballed into a whiskey glass ice block 🥶

Thanks for the responses! Time to make some margaritas. - Nick

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now

×
×
  • Create New...