Whirpool Ice Maker Corroding Black debris in ice

Refrigerator & Freezer Repair
1

Replaced icemaker about two years ago due to corrosion at end of the u-shaped silver tube underneath where the ice cubes form.

The second icemaker now has corrosion on one end of the u shaped tube and is dropping corrosion into the ice bin.

I seem to recall that when I asked the last time someone suggested that the water valve / solenoid may be overfilling tray, causing leakage to bottom and the water is corroding the silver tube.

Sorry for the complete non-technical explanation.

The first two pictures are as the unit looked when first pulled. The second two are after a little cleaning with some CLR and a toothbrush. In Surprise Arizona, water is very hard here.

Any advice would be appreciated.
As pulled 1.jpg (92.7 KB)
As pulled 2.jpg (84.5 KB)
After CLR-1.jpg (71.4 KB)
After CLR-2.jpg (75.3 KB)

2

You’ll need to replace the ice maker again.

3

Thanks.

What I’m hoping for is some advice as to what might be causing this. Is the ice-maker itself just poorly designed?

In checking for the warranty, this unit was ordered and installed in July 2011. Just a few months over a year old. I would think they should last longer than 18 months.

At the time we replaced the ice-maker, we also installed a new water valve (AP4303451 (67003753)) as advice on this forum (as I recall) was that the ice-maker may be getting over filled.

So if I may be so bold as to ask, is anyone aware of what might be an underlying cause of this problem?

Or is the whirlpool ice-maker just junk? If it is the icemaker itself, is there some other model or make that could be used in this refrigerator?

Thanks in advance for any advice or opinions, any help is greatly appreciated.

4

I usually see this in aftermarket ice makers. These are cheap or less expensive ice makers offered as a direct replacement for the FSP ice maker. If it is a FSP machine (Whirlpool) it’s not a common problem. Make sure the ice maker is level in the refrigerator and when the ice is ejected they aren’t falling back behind it occasionally.

5

[QUOTE=rickgburton;782478]I usually see this in aftermarket ice makers. These are cheap or less expensive ice makers offered as a direct replacement for the FSP ice maker. If it is a FSP machine (Whirlpool) it’s not a common problem. Make sure the ice maker is level in the refrigerator and when the ice is ejected they aren’t falling back behind it occasionally.[/QUOTE]

Thank you so much. It happened in the one that was stock in the refrigerator, so it was OEM.

I believe that the one we put in in July of 2011 was also OEM. We ordered it from Appliance Parts Pros.

Once we put a new one in, I’ll verify that the fridge is level and watch for backward falling cubes. Thank you again for your time and advice.