GFE24JYKFS GE Refrigerator - Black particulate in the icemaker and water dispenser. Multiple bad XWFE filters?

[BlueSkye]

Model Number

GFE24JYKFS

Brand

GE

Age

Less than 1 year

Greetings. I have a new GE refrigerator, GFE24JYKFS, that's a couple of months old and I have been having problems with black stuff in the ice makers output as well as the water dispenser. I have tried three different GE XWFE filters and all filters seem to be producing the black stuff to varying degrees. It does appear that I may have been having problems with multiple XWFE filters because, after two service calls and being sent a filter bypass gadget, the ice and water now seems to be particulate-free with the bypass installed.

Do these OEM filters generally shed their charcoal innards or did I just luck up and get three bad filters in a row? Are there any other brands of filters that are recommended. Note that this filter has an RFID device embedded that I need to make the reefer dispense water.

Thank you.

 

[Jake]

Did this problem start from Day 1 when you bought the refrigerator brand new, with the brand new water filter that came with it?

Are you getting the water filters from GE or another site?

This is the first I've heard of this issue on a brand new refrigerator.

Here's the OEM water filter: https://www.repairclinic.com/PartDetail/Water-Filter/XWFE/4958771

 

[BlueSkye]

Hi Jake and thanks for taking the time to respond.

Yes this started on day 1 after the refrigerator was purchased brand new and installed. Two weeks after installation I was still getting black crud and I called for the first on-site repair and the GE tech came out, tried to replace the filter with an XWF, not the E, and of course it didn't work. He ordered a bypass for me and it came about a week later. During the time I was waiting for the bypass, I begged Home Depot, the original seller, for a replacement XWFE and they gave me one in GE packaging and labeling so, unless, HD has gotten bogus filters, I have to assume that it is OEM GE. I installed the 2nd filter and ran it for approximately five (5) minutes to purge the filter of any loose particulate that was in there. After the five minutes, the water was visibly clear after an initial rush of black matter so I figured I was good to go with the 2nd filter. I was wrong in that, even after dumping the first two containers full of ice and the initial five minute purge, there is still the black stuff. Although I can't see any black stuff in the cold water dispenser, what you see in my photos is what remains after a glass full of ice melts down into water.

I also contacted GE consumer relations and they graciously sent me one directly from GE. The same thing is happening on the third filter. I looked at the link that you provided and the filter looks to be the same one that I received from HD and directly from GE.

I am back on the bypass and the water and ice are both crystal clear. At my wit's end and grasping at straws, I am wondering if the water pressure in the house is so high that it's blowing the filters apart although there are no indications that the water pressure has risen to outrageous levels.

 

[Jake]

I think its just a batch of bad water filters, nothing else would really cause this issue.

I am wondering if the water pressure in the house is so high that it's blowing the filters apart

No, that shouldn't cause it.

Just keep in contact with GE about this, because in the 1st warranty they have to fix it or you can demand a refund and buy a different brand like Whirlpool.

 

[Dan O.]

Is there any chance the filter housing might be puncturing the filter, releasing its inners? Have a look to see if there might be damage to the problematic filters.

Note that this filter has an RFID device embedded that I need to make the reefer dispense water.

You said you received a bypass. Will the dispenser work with it in place of a filter? Just curious.


Dan O.

 

[BlueSkye]

Hi Dan. Yes, the unit appears to run clean with the bypass in place. I put the third filter in place and it still puts out the black stuff. I will call GE out once again for the third time.

There appears to be no discernible damage to the filters I have removed other than faint indications of black residue. The gaskets or o-rings in the housing are black rubber so maybe they are breaking down.

Thanks for the thoughts.

 

[BlueSkye]

Just got off the phone with GE. They are sending a tech out a third time. They said if it can't be fixed then they will consider replacing the refrigerator. But because the ice and water is clean with the bypass installed, it's got to be something possibly wrong with the filter holder assembly that Dan O. suggested.

The customer service rep asked my why don't you just run the refrigerator with the bypass installed. I told him that I'd like the refrigerator to actually work as designed.

 

[BlueSkye]

Tech came out for the third time today. The tech probed the "filter head" where the black o-rings are with his finger and said he found some black stuff. He intends to order that part but, as my luck would have it, his "system" was down and he could not place the order.

Also, regarding one of the XWFE filters I have, it started putting our error messages that the Tech had never seen before. The display panel appeared to be putting out L E A S H or something to that effect. Anyone with an XWFE filter know that that possible error message was?

 

[Jake]

Thanks for keeping us updated on this situation,

The tech probed the "filter head" where the black o-rings are with his finger and said he found some black stuff. He intends to order that part

Yes, @Dan O. and the GE tech seem to be on the right track for the cause of this problem.

Also, regarding one of the XWFE filters I have, it started putting our error messages that the Tech had never seen before. The display panel appeared to be putting out L E A S H or something to that effect. Anyone with an XWFE filter know that that possible error message was?

That I've not seen before either. Hopefully another tech. or member that's seen that before, can shed some light on that for you.

 

[BlueSkye]

Update:

The XWFE Manifold and Housing, p/n WR14X34688, was replaced and, after dumping two full "buckets" of ice, the black particulate continues to be produced visibly in the ice after the ice melts. I can not see the black stuff coming from the water dispenser after filling a large container with water and allowing it to stand overnight. It can only be seen from water after the ice is melted.

That leads me to think that maybe the ice maker itself is shedding black stuff internally. Is it possible, and this is a stretch, that the act of freezing the water precipitates something in the water? I'd love to be able to get an analysis of the water to see what exactly it is but don't know how to get that accomplished. Although I can't see anything in the ice maker that is made of black plastic or rubber (such as O-rings or seals) is there anything inside the ice maker colored black that could be breaking down?

Regarding the XWFE throwing that odd "L E A H" error, the tech said that was the filter or sensor assembly in the refrigerator thinking that there is a "L E A K". Probably a bad filter as a new filter or the bypass plug worked properly.

I'll continue to report back as the troubleshooting progresses.

 

[bigbuck]

• Leak Detected: If a leak has been detected, the ice and water systems are disabled. Pressing the Filter Status pad when a leak has been detected will cause the display to scroll LEAK and blink the filter status LED. If the dispenser paddle switch is activated while the system is in a leak detected state, LEAK will scroll in the display and the filter status LED will blink. NOTE: Installing a new RFID water filter or RFID bypass plug will reactivate the ice and water systems.

 

[BlueSkye]

Bigbuck, thanks for the info. Yes, with the filter throwing LEAK installed the ice and water systems would not work. Oddly, when removing and reinstalling this particular filter it could work properly for twenty or thirty seconds but ultimately end with the LEAK indication. The fact that there was no evidence of a leak external to the filter while installed on the housing is, as you mentioned, a sign of a bad filter whatever the failure mode.

 

[BlueSkye]

Update:

After the filter holder/manifold assembly being replace and the third brand new filter has been installed and the problem still remains: When on filter the black particulates are present in the ice and water. With the bypass plug installed the water is clean. Two of the filters are from GE customer support/service and the other one was an OEM product from Home Depot who sold and installed the refrigerator.

I am beginning to believe that this black stuff is possibly a normal occurrence and is a result of the powdered carbon material in the filter is acting in a "sacrificial" manner as it accomplishes its filtration process. I may be one of the few people that have taken the time to draw the ice and allow it to melt completely into the bottom of a white cup without actually consuming the water and ice and taking a picture of it to disclose the "sacrificial" nature of the filter media.

Therefore, I am done complaining about it to GE and the forum and will either learn to live with it or simply go on "bypass" for the rest of the refrigerator's life.

 

[BlueSkye]

Sorry. I couldn't keep my promise and not provide a status update. The black particulate still remains in the ice and water of this refrigerator even after a month on the latest filter.

 

[Jake]

Yes, that doesn't make sense why the black particulates isn't something GE can solve.