Troubleshooting a GE water dispenser and installing a GE heater element

[1veggies]

This totally works! female with no technical experience...though i tend to be able to fix things easily with instruction. I did have a bit of struggle getting the splicers to fit and the wiring to be long enough after splicing...but after a bit of maneuvering i made it work. Thanks much! this saved me probably a 300$ visit by GE. Now i am going to go get a glass of filtered water and sit down and relax. :)

[wernerpd]

@1veggies I'm glad you found the video useful. Although it was not my intention, in the end I committed a few mistakes myself and I made every attempt to capture those mistakes (or gotchas) and more importantly tried to provide work-arounds. Since I have made this video I have not had one single freeze up of the line. So far, so good.

[TheWaterman1000]

I've had two tech's inform me It has to be a ice blockage. I've replace the valve assembly and It wasn't the problem. Should have pulled the water line off at the door and tested there for water flow first. Would have saved some money on that part. The water flows thru the tube when you press the flapper. There's no other valve, etc.,.. I'm going to take the front panel off and put a heating pad on low to see If I can thaw the blockage out. Now to find a heater kit. They want $60.00 here.

[TheWaterman1000]

Thanks for the video. It helped when I took the panel apart. Noticed sloppy work from the factory. I'm trying to get the water flowing again before first. I bought a new valve just to find out

the old one was working. I tried to warm the area around the hose with a hair dry and still get no water. I tried air up the hose in the door and feel's like It's blocked. What about running something up the hose to check? I tried the light on also.

[wernerpd]

@TheWaterman1000 I think you may be reaching the upper limits of what is available for troubleshooting without the factory manuals. I am not sure running something up the water tube is necessarily a good idea. I am just guessing here, but there has to be some type of solenoid or valve that is electrically activated when you depress the lever in the back with your glass. That valve may be bad, or possibly the electronics that control it.

[TheWaterman1000]

Is the heater on all the time?

[wernerpd]

@TheWaterman1000 As far as I know, the heater will be on all the time. It is basically a resistor that when current runs through it will create resistance, which in turn creates heat. The amount of heat and resistance is relatively small and should not draw a lot of current. Frankly, the worst thing that could happen is it will just burn out and you will have to replace it again.

[rccarey1850]

This is a great video. I just received the part and wasn't really sure how to proceed based on the instructions. Your video cleared everything up - thank you very much!

[wernerpd]

@rccarey1850 I also hope a few of my mistakes and how I did the workarounds will help as well. The reality is that every time you do any job, there is always the potential that something will go wrong. It's nice to know up front what could go wrong and how to go about fixing it. Good luck!

[wernerpd]

I think you will find it works reasonably well. I was surprised that turning on the light and letting it sit for five hours was enough to get the water flowing. It was not what I would consider a long term solution, but it did save me further troubleshooting steps and put me on the path to install the heater. One of the good things about the video is I inadvertently showed you some "gotchas" and how to overcome them.

[ptk43075]

I've had this problem every winter for years! The kitchen gets too cold and doesn't offset the insulation issues. Thanks for the tutorial! Fixed it easy, now just hoping it works.