FIXED KitchenAid KUIX305ESS1 can't remove dummy cap to install a water filter.

[PatPend]

Model Number

KUIX305ESS1

Brand

KitchenAid

Age

1-5 years

Hi All, this is a strange problem. Our icemaker has a "dummy" cap from the factory where the water filter is supposed to go. You're supposed to remove this cap before installing a filter, but it won't budge. It's impossible to turn it by hand and experience tells me if something that's supposed to move doesn't there's something wrong so don't force it. So I have held off from using pliers etc. It's almost as if the icemaker in reality doesn't have a filter compartment and this dummy cap is actually part of the front panel. The owner's manual mentions nothing about a dummy cap.

Water Filter F2WC9I1


Anyone else come across this problem and if so how do you get the cap off?

Thanks for reading, Russ

 

[Dan O.]

I have not encountered such a problem before. All I can suggest is maybe get a cloth soaked in hot water and try to use it to heat the surrounding housing a bit. The plastic might expend slightly when warmed and let the cap loosen a bit? (Try to keep the cap itself as cold as possible.)

You might also be able to get a better grip on the plug with pliers?

Alternately, if you wanted it filtered, install an external water filter? It would likely be cheaper to upkeep rather than replacing $75 unique Whirlpool filters each time.

Good luck!

Dan O.

 

[PatPend]

@Dan O. Your suggestion got me thinking that some frozen moisture might at fault so I shut off the machine (it needed cleaning anyway) and let it warm up. The cap started to move but was still tight as heck. I took an eyedropper and drizzled isopropyl alcohol around the edge as a lube then used pliers over a rag to turn it, and it finally broke free.

I'm actually planning to install an external filter on the bar sink next to the machine, but the way the pipes are set up it would be difficult to tee the ice machine into it, so using the built-in filter is okay with me for now.

Thanks for the help! Much appreciated!

Russ

 

[Dan O.]

Sometimes appliance service takes some ingenuity. Glad you figured it out.

Thanks for the followup.

Dan O.