Why is my refrigerator's water dispenser so slow?

Question

I purchased a home that was vacant for over a year. I replaced the filter, but the water flow was SOOOO slow. It took about 6 minutes to fill up a liter. Also the ice cubes were hallow and wispy. I checked the water pressure going into the unit and it was excellent.

I read online that if you removed the o rings, the water would move faster. After paying someone to blow out the lines in and out of the unit, I found no difference, so I removed both of the o rings, one at a time. Removing one did nothing. Now my flow is GREAT, but I notice a funny taste in the water. Is it not filtering the water without them?? I need advice...I don't want unhealthy water or it at a SNAILs pace. Ann

Answer 1

If you're seeing good flow when removing the O-rings, then you've likely bypassed the filter and proven the problem is with water going through the filter itself, rather than any other valves. In addition to the filter being clogged, which means you simply need to replace it, it's also possible that water is freezing inside of the filter. If that's the issue, you can adjust the temperature in the fridge to see if water flow improves (I've experienced this issue when the thermistor started to fail and needed replacing).

Lastly, there's the option of filtering the water before it gets into the fridge and then bypassing the filter inside of the fridge if it's giving you issues. They make "in-line" water filters that can be attached to the water line behind the fridge, which would be much less convenient, but may give you fewer issues.

Answer 2

After replacing the water inlet valve and the water filter in my refrigerator, the water flow was still very slow with no improvement. So, I took out the water filter, shined a flash light into where the water filter goes, and found some plastic wrapping (trash)...apparently from the nozzle at the end of the water filter that inadvertently didn't get removed before inserting a filter. After "fishing out" the plastic with a wire, I inserted my water filter and bingo...the problem solved.

Answer 3

I had the same problem once, and it turned out that the saddle valve (where the refrigerator supply line connects to a larger pipe) was either partially closed or crudded up. I closed and opened it a few times and my ice cubes were back to normal.

Point is, check the supply itself rather than assuming it's a problem with the filter. (And for Pete's sake, put the o-rings back in.)

Answer 4

Yeah the rings should allow filter bypass & maybe a floor leak. What probably happened is that the filter clogged up with garbage in the line. You'll get a lot of green chunks with a copper line that hasn't been used for just a few months & you'll taste it. Blowing out is more like blowing through, but water & water pressure will really move & remove the most stuff.

Fill a few more liters & fill the ice bin a few more times with your current setup to hopefully complete the flushing. There should be a noticeable taste & color, if any now, improvement. Then, put in another new filter to see if you're back into good flow & better water.

The filters don't get a whole lot out actually & some make the water dry, you know what I mean if you've ever used a Pur type Faucet Filter Assembly...the faucet's like awesome spring water in comparison to the fridge. And No, the Pur fridge filters aren't any different nor better than any other filter, in my opinion.

Answer 5

We had the same problem. I'd offer the following steps

1. To test the water line itself (to delineate it from a water filter issue) we placed the original cap back on the water filter mount in the fridge. If the water is still slow, the issue is in the water line.

Our water line was fine (per test #1 above)

2. To test the water filter, we placed the water filter back.

The water as once again slow.

3. We then tried a new water filter of the same variety.

After getting the air out, the water was again slow.

4. to test water filter mounting (on the refrigerator), we took a spoon and press one of the water trigger buttons to see if it was unblocked. Then we tested the second water trigger button.

-Red Arrow pointing to water trigger buttons

Both the water trigger buttons on our water filter worked (that is they spouted plenty of water when pressed with a spoon).

5. Test that the water filter is actually pressing hard enough against the water filter mount on the fridge to trigger the water buttons. To do this we place three very small rubber bands (the kind you use for braces) on our water filter around the mounting circular flange and flush against the "screw" band that allows you to tighten the water filter to the filter fridge mount.

BINGO! The water filter then worked flawlessly with lots of water coming out.

-Blue arrow on rubber band.

-Red arrow on circular mounting flange.

-Goal is to use rubber band as a spacer to allow the water filter to screw further in (and thus harder against the trigger water buttons on) the refrigerator mount.

This completely fixed our slow water filter issue and the characteristic "moaning" noise it was making. Hope that helps,

Dan

Answer 6

I folded a business card and taped on the back of the filter this allowed it to press the filter in a little further. Worked fantastic !