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GE Side by Side - Water Dispenser Not Working

Discussion in 'Homeowners Corner' started by Go Skins, Mar 20, 2008.

  1. Go Skins

    Go Skins New Member

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    As a lot of us get to deal with the "well-crafted" GE side by side fridge/freezer, I thought I'd share this quick fix that I found online as it prevented me from calling the GE repair man.

    Problem - Fridge/freezer operating as normal. Ice maker working (aka water is moving into the fridge and then to the freezer from the wall). Water dispenser on freezer door not working. Likely cause = frozen water line as the water line runs into the freezer and GE did a poor job insulating it (known issue - you can actually buy a little heater to attach to the line now).

    Solution - Ensure water is moving through the tubes when the water lever is pressed (you can easily disconnect the hose behind the kick plate on the front of the fridge to test this). Turn on the light that's located on the front panel of the freezer, the one that kicks on when you try to get water/ice, for about 24 hours. Apparently this generates enough heat to free up the water line. Worked for us and we now have water...
     
  2. SW Hokie

    SW Hokie New Member

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    Go Skins, thank you for posting!! We have had the same problem now for a few months and just kind of gave up (figured the cost of repair would not be worth it). Will definitely try this and see if it works!
     
  3. snoopy

    snoopy Senior Member

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    It really is amazing how many things go wrong with these GE fridge :madflame:

    Thanks for sharing your trouble shooting.
     
  4. backtothewoooo

    backtothewoooo Member

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    Thank you. I will try this today. I always had to defrost for an hour or so to make the water dispenser work, so this is going to be an easier solution. Thanks, again.
     
  5. suzvel

    suzvel New Member

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    Ours gives us water no problem, but has stopped making ice. Does anyone have a solution for that?

    Suzanne
     
  6. L0stS0ul

    L0stS0ul hmmmm

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    ours stopped giving us water a few months ago. I moved to an in fridge britta and I'm much happier. I think I'll give this a try though to see if I can't get ours flowing again.

    Thanks for the tip!
     
  7. jmbranch

    jmbranch New Member

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    ours sometimes won't stop giving water unless we open the door. anyone have this problem or a fix for it.
     
  8. rich351854

    rich351854 New Member

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    We were able to have GE replace the CPU unit as the water stopped flowing - and have never had a problem since - they fixed it for free.....(GE Profile)
     
  9. hberg

    hberg give me some of your tots

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    rich351854 - most homeowners don't know that this is a well known and documented problem with GE Profiles, depending on the person you speak to on the phone for GE customer service, you should get the repair free as rich351854. Now if you are starting to find your icemaker full to the point of jamming ice and find frost outside the mouth of the auger hole, that is a very - very serious problem that has caused more than one class action law suit due to the shards of clear plastic it releases into drinks.....
     
  10. JJB

    JJB Active Member

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    Ironically, the water stopped flowing in our side by side last weekend. It is 3 yrs old. When it happened, I started googling searches for what the potential issue might be but didn’t find an appropriate answer. I put off additional activity until “she who must be obeyed” (SWMBO) dug the manuals out of her hiding place.

    After seeing this thread, I tried leaving the light on overnight as indicated in an earlier reply. To my surprise and amazement, it worked; the water is flowing again. SWMBO now thinks I am a genius again.

    All of this leaves me with the question; did GE replace the CPU free of charge as indicated in some of the other replies?
     
  11. klewis

    klewis New Member

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    Wow, I really like the light idea so much better than emptying out the freezer to leave the door open for a few hours or overnight. We've had to do that twice in the past year when the water line froze. Thankfully we avoided the service fee when we made an appt with GE and the service guy called in advance to tell us to try that first.

    The other week though, GE was out here and replaced a board but I don't know if it was the CPU. We were hearing a howling sound and apparently GE knows of the bad boards. Instead of putting out a mass recall, they are replacing them for free when customers call in with complaints/repairs.
     
  12. suzvel

    suzvel New Member

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    Does the board control the icemaker too, or just the water. I am going to trying calling GE and see if I can get a free repair too.

    Suzanne
     
  13. rich351854

    rich351854 New Member

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    The board does both
     
  14. Go Skins

    Go Skins New Member

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    Klewis - What exactly was the howling noise and did they state what causes it? We've had GE 3 times b/c of a howling noise and each time are told that it's the coolant moving through the system. I'm eager to put them on the spot to get it fixed.
     
  15. klewis

    klewis New Member

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    They told my husband that the howling sound was caused by the fan, which wasn't operating properly because of the bad board. We were also told the bad fan operations were causing the temperature fluctuations we were seeing. Unfortunately I think the temp is still fluctuating :(
     
  16. suzvel

    suzvel New Member

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    Thanks for this info. I called and set up an appt but the person I talked to didn't know anything about doing it for free. Do you think the repair man will know or do I need to contact someone else before they come out.

    Suzanne
     
  17. L0stS0ul

    L0stS0ul hmmmm

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    well I tried keeping the light on and it did not free up the water. I can now hear it kicking in, something I've not heard in a while, but it's still not producing water :(
     
  18. Go Skins

    Go Skins New Member

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    Of course it could always be another issue but have you taken off the kickplate and disconnected the water line to ensure water moves when you push the lever? There's a tag on the line under there that tells you how to disconnect it. Make sure you put the end of the hose coming out of the fridge into a bucket b/f pressing the water dispenser.
     
  19. L0stS0ul

    L0stS0ul hmmmm

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    I've not checked that yet. It's probably the board but that's already been replaced once when the fridge went nuts and lost it's ability to cool. I'm happy with the britta for now. We're replacing the fridge soon anyway.
     
  20. qzpmal

    qzpmal New Member

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    We had the same thing happen to our fridge and when we contacted GE, they told us it was still under waranty. The water line basically froze and it is a common problem in this model. Basically they needed to replace the whole door. However, it did not cost us anything. Just call them up and give them your serial number and they can look up the waranty.

    http://www.geappliances.com/service_and_support/

    qzpmal
     

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