[jeaton]

Hello All,

I need your expertise to solve a leak that I'm experiencing the day after fixing/replacing the ice chute door.

I have a Kenmore/Whirlpool side-by-side and the drain pan (evaporator tray) overflows and leaves a large puddle on the floor. I vacuumed all the water out of the tray, checked the door seal, freezer drain and water source inlet connections and all look good. When I had the freezer pulled away from the wall, looking in at the bottom of the unit, I could observe that at times water would trickle out of the drain tube into the evap tray and a pretty good pace, but then stop for a while and then start again. I would guess perhaps an ounce each time.

The day prior, I had replaced the ice door chute by taking off the front panel, disconnecting the main connector and the door chute connector (note the original ice door chute had a small heater ribbon circuit to evaporate condensation). I installed the new door chute (2180353) which doesn't have the heater circuit, reassembled the front panel and all controls work okay. And I no longer have the frosting/crystalization around the upper portion of the chute.

Is there a connection between the two? Could removing the door chute heater connector from the circuit be a factor, or is just a coincidence? Is it possible that a tube/pipe on the interior cracked while moving the unit out of and back into position? I haven't removed the rear panel yet, but expect that is the next logical step. Since turning off the water source, the drain pan doesn't fill and overflow, which leads me to think there's a cracked tube on the inside.

Let me know if this makes sense or if the ice chute door repair/replacement is a factor.

Thanks for your input!

Jon

[woodchuckie]

The water filter will bypass to the drain pan if the filter is stopped up. (If you have a filter that is. I don't think It could have anything to do with the work you did.

[jeaton]

Thanks WoodChuckie. I do have a filter, but water flows okay from the water dispenser. Would the bypass flow go through the main drain pipe that I see on the back, bottom side of the unit?

J

[woodchuckie]

I don't think It would come out the drain tube if it was a leaky water line. See if your diagram will help. >KENMORE | Model #10652544101 | SIDE-BY-SIDE REFRIGERATOR | ********************************.com

[jeaton]

Thanks. I'd looked at the diagram, earlier, but didn't get a whole lot from it. Once I remove the back panel and turn the water source on again, I hope it will be obvious where the leak is.

[jeaton]

woodchuckie,

I'm finally getting to this. Should the main galvanized metal panel/cover on the back come off? If so, can you advise how as it appears to be tucked under the edge on the top and sides. Or should the internal water lines all be visible when the lower ventilation panel in the rear is removed? TIA

[jeaton]

More info... just turned the water back on and with extra eyes observing from the front, back and inside, we see a slow but steady (every 10 seconds or so) drip at the back of the water filter housing and the two front-most of the two tubes and the grey connector.

The water filled the ice maker tray with an appropriate amount of water and did not overfill. I'm going to observe a defrost cycle to see if I can again see water streaming out of the drain pipe into the pan as I did when the problem first happened.

So, at least I know I need to fix the connection(s) to the water filter housing. Hopefully this is pretty straight forward.

[jeaton]

woodchuckie,

Can you advise if the housing can be repaired or do I need to replace it? I see it is leaking from the bottom of the body, not just from the connection.

For now, I've removed the water filter and confirmed that it doesn't leak, even from the connection which dripped verry slowly when the water was first turned on. Perhaps it is the o-rings on the filter? I'm going to replace the filter to see if that solves the problem. If it doesn't, then I'll fix or replace the housing.


TIA

[woodchuckie]

You may can repair it with an epoxy made for the same material. It may be worth a try since the new part cost 50 dollars.

[jeaton]

Thanks. If it still leaks with the new filter, I'll repair or replace the housing. I left the water source on overnight and no water on the floor. I'm wondering if you were right on with your initial idea that the filter was stopped-up.