I might have "blown" my ice maker seals

[nutherblond]

I had my hot water heater replaced a few months ago and the plumber told me to turn off (raise the lever) the ice maker until the repair was complete to avoid damage by water pressure when the water was turned back on. My husband apparently had problems reading the note taped to the freezer door and lowered the ice maker lever anyway. Of course when the water was turned back on, water spewed from the ice maker. Would it be best to replace the complete ice maker or could this be a less expensive quick fix?

[HayZee518]

go to www dot repairclinic dot com and get a quote on a new icemaker

[nutherblond]

I guess that reply means that the ice maker is a total goner and needs to be put out to pasture?

[HayZee518]

by the time you figure out which seals are bad the cost of replacement parts may exceed the cost of a new icemaker. I have a frigidaire side by side and the rubber boot that directs the ice into the glass cost me about 20 bucks. plus the new icemaker has everything you'll need. repair clinic also has a rebuild kit if you want to go that route.

[Dan O.]

Water valve

the plumber told me to turn off (raise the lever) the ice maker until the repair was complete to avoid damage by water pressure when the water was turned back on. My husband lowered the ice maker lever anyway. Of course when the water was turned back on, water spewed from the ice maker.

Would it be best to replace the complete icemaker?

The only thing that could have been damaged by high water pressure would be the water fill valve on the back of the fridge. It shouldn't/couldn't have affected the icemaker mechanism itself.

You can read about how those water valves work at the following link.

LINK > How do I test a water fill valve?

Which one yours uses would depend on the fridge's brand and exact model number. You can find tips for locating the model number identification tag on your appliances in the 'Repair Parts' section of my web site linked below.

my hot water heater replaced a few months ago

So it is only now you're getting around to look into it or is there more to the story??

Dan O.
www.Appliance411.com
The Appliance Information Site
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[LazyPup]

It is more likely that air got into the icemaker water line during the repair then when the ice maker went through a harvest cycle it ejected the ice but did not receive enough water.

If you check your ice maker instructions booklet it will have a proceedure to manually trip a cycle. Repeating this action a couple times should be sufficient to force any air out of the line and restore normal operation.

[Dan O.]

when the ice maker went through a harvest cycle it ejected the ice but did not receive enough water.

That is exactly the opposite of what I got from the OP's statement, "when the water was turned back on, water spewed from the ice maker."

Maybe the OP should clarify exactly what is or is not occurring and where???

JMO

Dan O.
www.Appliance411.com
The Appliance Information Site
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[LazyPup]

Most of the air in the line should have vented through the faucett when they restored the service however there could be air in the small diameter line from the faucett angle stop to the refrigerator location. That air would have been compressed when the water pressure was restored and the compressed air would cause any residual water in the feed line or the line from the refrigerator fill valve up to the ice maker to spew out. However the refrigerator fill valve is regulated by a time, not a volume or flow device. Typically the timer only allows the valve to be open about 15 to 20 seconds per cycle and that may not have been open long enough to bleed all the air and restore a full flow of water thus I suggested manually tripping the fill cycle a couple times to insure any air in the line would be purged out and restore a full flow of water to the ice maker.

[nutherblond]

Thanks, to everyone for the input. I've been a little busy with a bathroom redo and just got back to the fridge problem. I got a new water valve off EBAY delivered today. I changed out the old with the new and voila, ice maker is getting water and making ice like it should.

[Dan O.]

I got a new water valve. I changed out the old with the new and voila, ice maker is getting water and making ice like it should.

Glad to hear it, thanks for the follow up.

Dan O.
www.Appliance411.com
The Appliance Information Site
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[HayZee518]

Dryer belt

Dan O - thanks for your help with my customer's dryer belt problem. "Jeff" from Canada steered me in the right direction with the reeving of the belt against the idler. Customer's happy now! - HayZee