Folks, I thought I'd take a minute and summarize my thoughts, and history in fixing my five year old Kitchenaid (Whirlpool produced) KRFF507EWH01. My icemaker recently stopped making ice, for the 2nd time in one year. Within the last week I've researched every available repair thread I could find. I'm a degreed mechanical engineer but I'm only a DIYer regarding refrigerator repair so take this thread for what it's worth. I hope Jake can correct me and fill-in the gaps.
One tool I'd highly recommend to troubleshoot the problems is an IR temperature measurement gun. I'm lucky enough to own a high quality Fluke unit that is quick and accurate. I understand that there are other good units available on Amazon.
Basis:
1) Bought frig in 2017. First problem (evaporator icing) occurred just after the warranty expired.
2) I installed a water new pressure regulator at my water line entering the house and have installed a Moen FLO to monitor flow, temperature and water pressure. After seeing pressure spikes as high as 150psi, and blowing out the inlet valve at the back of the frig, I installed a bladder to maintain water pressure at 50psi. It maintains pressure to +/- 3psi.
3) My frig is connected to a dedicated valve; no piercing or drilling through copper water lines.
History:
1) Frig had it's first evaporator icing issue right after the warranty expired. The thermistor was in the correct position so I changed the defrost program to #2 such that heating occurs every 8hr rather that the default setting. That seemed to fix the icing issue for a few years.
2) Frig had another evaporator icing problem one year ago and I replaced the suspect fan (with attached thermistor). Simultaneously the ice maker failed but I don't know the root cause as the icemaker temperature was >20F. That fixed the refrigerator cooling and icemaker problem for a few months.
3) The icemaker failed again and, after disassembly, I found the water inlet tube frozen. I purchased another water line heater and soldered it inline. Honestly, today, I doubt that this was the root cause of the problem.
4) The icemaker failed again last week and, after disassembly, I again found the water inlet tube frozen. All tests of the icemaker motor passed and no icemaker errors were ever recorded. Icebox temperature measured between 5-10F. Frig temperature was set to 37 and measured 36-40 over time using a mechanical thermometer. I cleared the water inlet line reinstalled and the icemaker made one batch of ice then stopped, starved for water.
5) Yesterday I took time to see if the water line/facia heater was working. Rather than measuring voltage at the PCB at the rear of the frig I disconnected the facia, leaving the heater wire plugged-in, and manually turned the heater "on" using test #19. After about 1 minute the temperature increased by 20F comparing the wire temperature to the temperature of the plastic facia away from the heating element. After 2-3 minutes the heating element was somewhat warm to the touch. So I know the circuit is getting power. I did not measure the temperature of the heater over the water line as it is inaccessible without teardown.
6) Last evening, as a test I increased my frig temperature from 37F to 42F... ran test #19 for 5 minutes to heat the tube and thaw the ice... harvested the ice running test #57 (as a precaution; nothing came out)... and ran test #45 to fill the ice tray. This was the first time I could get water through the tube; Test #19 obviously melted the ice in the tube.
7) This morning I saw that the icemaker made three batches of ice overnight.
8) My next replacement part will be the solenoid valve that feeds water to the icemaker and dispenser. I understand that if this valve leaks just a little bit it might result in water slowly running down the tube and freezing in the icemaker section. It's $72 for a quality OEM part so I'm going to wait thinking that raising the refrigerator temperature section a little bit may have fixed the problem for a while.
9) I'd like to run another test where I remove the icemaker and block off half the freezer air inlet opening with blue painter's tape to try to raise the temperature of the icemaker a little while keeping the frig cool.
I'm thinking that this entire design is so marginal to begin with. How can someone design a system so fragile that very slight leak in the solenoid valve entirely shuts down ice making? You'd think that the tube heater would be robust enough to run long enough, and hot enough, to melt any ice that may have formed within the tube. I'm thinking that the engineers are so hell bent on efficiency that they sacrificed reliability in the design process.
My next refrigerator purchase will be aimed at the the lowest efficiency possible hoping they push some amps into their defrost/heater circuits!
One tool I'd highly recommend to troubleshoot the problems is an IR temperature measurement gun. I'm lucky enough to own a high quality Fluke unit that is quick and accurate. I understand that there are other good units available on Amazon.
Basis:
1) Bought frig in 2017. First problem (evaporator icing) occurred just after the warranty expired.
2) I installed a water new pressure regulator at my water line entering the house and have installed a Moen FLO to monitor flow, temperature and water pressure. After seeing pressure spikes as high as 150psi, and blowing out the inlet valve at the back of the frig, I installed a bladder to maintain water pressure at 50psi. It maintains pressure to +/- 3psi.
3) My frig is connected to a dedicated valve; no piercing or drilling through copper water lines.
History:
1) Frig had it's first evaporator icing issue right after the warranty expired. The thermistor was in the correct position so I changed the defrost program to #2 such that heating occurs every 8hr rather that the default setting. That seemed to fix the icing issue for a few years.
2) Frig had another evaporator icing problem one year ago and I replaced the suspect fan (with attached thermistor). Simultaneously the ice maker failed but I don't know the root cause as the icemaker temperature was >20F. That fixed the refrigerator cooling and icemaker problem for a few months.
3) The icemaker failed again and, after disassembly, I found the water inlet tube frozen. I purchased another water line heater and soldered it inline. Honestly, today, I doubt that this was the root cause of the problem.
4) The icemaker failed again last week and, after disassembly, I again found the water inlet tube frozen. All tests of the icemaker motor passed and no icemaker errors were ever recorded. Icebox temperature measured between 5-10F. Frig temperature was set to 37 and measured 36-40 over time using a mechanical thermometer. I cleared the water inlet line reinstalled and the icemaker made one batch of ice then stopped, starved for water.
5) Yesterday I took time to see if the water line/facia heater was working. Rather than measuring voltage at the PCB at the rear of the frig I disconnected the facia, leaving the heater wire plugged-in, and manually turned the heater "on" using test #19. After about 1 minute the temperature increased by 20F comparing the wire temperature to the temperature of the plastic facia away from the heating element. After 2-3 minutes the heating element was somewhat warm to the touch. So I know the circuit is getting power. I did not measure the temperature of the heater over the water line as it is inaccessible without teardown.
6) Last evening, as a test I increased my frig temperature from 37F to 42F... ran test #19 for 5 minutes to heat the tube and thaw the ice... harvested the ice running test #57 (as a precaution; nothing came out)... and ran test #45 to fill the ice tray. This was the first time I could get water through the tube; Test #19 obviously melted the ice in the tube.
7) This morning I saw that the icemaker made three batches of ice overnight.
8) My next replacement part will be the solenoid valve that feeds water to the icemaker and dispenser. I understand that if this valve leaks just a little bit it might result in water slowly running down the tube and freezing in the icemaker section. It's $72 for a quality OEM part so I'm going to wait thinking that raising the refrigerator temperature section a little bit may have fixed the problem for a while.
9) I'd like to run another test where I remove the icemaker and block off half the freezer air inlet opening with blue painter's tape to try to raise the temperature of the icemaker a little while keeping the frig cool.
I'm thinking that this entire design is so marginal to begin with. How can someone design a system so fragile that very slight leak in the solenoid valve entirely shuts down ice making? You'd think that the tube heater would be robust enough to run long enough, and hot enough, to melt any ice that may have formed within the tube. I'm thinking that the engineers are so hell bent on efficiency that they sacrificed reliability in the design process.
My next refrigerator purchase will be aimed at the the lowest efficiency possible hoping they push some amps into their defrost/heater circuits!
