[tuneguy]

I have searched for hours and found nothing on this on the web.

I intend to leave my GE TFX26CRDA refrigerator in an unheated space for a few months in sub-freezing weather. I cannot find anything online saying how to winterize the ice maker or in particular the water dispenser's tank. They all say to check my manual. My manual says to call a service tech to do it for me.

I have found a diagram of my water tank online online and it is in the shape of an M, so unless it's installed flat or on end I doubt it will drain well with the water line disconnected and the dispenser switch pressed even with compressed air, but I cannot find a picture of how the tank is installed. The diagram of the tank by itself shows two little bumps on the bottom. Are they drain plugs? I also could use a pointer as to how to get to the tank if that's what I need to do.

I would prefer not to inject RV antifreeze because I suspect it might take a long time to get clear water again, but I will if I must. A friend who stores his (different) fridge each year does nothing to the water dispenser, only disconnects the water line, and nothing breaks. I can't figure out why.

Thank you very much for your help.

[PS Staff - Sheila]

Your water tank may not be the shape that you see on the breakdown.

It may be a coil of tubing with quick disconnect fittings.

The tank is located behind the crispers in the fridge section.

You could blow the lines out if you don't want to use RV antifreeze or remove the tank and drain it.

To blow the tank out you will have to disconnect the line from the fill valve and use an air compressor.

If your friend has an older style fridge it may not have a tank.

Here is a link to your fridge model TFX26CRDA.

[tuneguy]

Thank you very much for your reply, Sheila, and for the information. I didn't know the water tank might not look like the illustration in the parts diagram. If it turns out to be a coil of tubing I suppose plastic tubing would give enough that it could freeze without damage. That would explain my friend's experience.

I will remove the panel behind the crispers and see what's there.

Also, reference winterizing the ice maker, is blowing out the water valve necessary or will it just drain if I disconnect the water input line. If I do need to blow it out, what is the best way to get it to open?

Thank you for your help.

[PS Staff - Sheila]

With the water line disconnected from the fridge the valve will drain any water in it.

[tuneguy]

Thank you very much for all your help.

[tuneguy]

I have now winterized my refrigerator's ice maker and water dispenser and thought I'd post my experience for others. There is one more question at the end.

First, my water tank was right behind the crispers. When I read that earlier I thought that meant behind a panel that was behind the crispers because I'd never noticed anything but white panel back there. But no, if you pull out both crispers, there it is in plain view, hanging on the inside of the back wall by one sheet metal screw.

My tank did look like the one in the parts diagram. This was a worm-shaped tank on its side, sort of like this: WW. There were no quick disconnects. Plastic tubing went from either end out of the cold section of the fridge together through a grommet. Removing the sheet metal screw let me turn the tank in any orientation I wanted.

To the back of the fridge: On the back panel I found the copper water line from the wall connected to a solenoid valve at the lower right hand corner when viewed from the back. The valve was held in position by one tab into the frame of the fridge and one screw. I removed it so I could turn it and see it better.

I had my wife depress the cold water dispenser until I had identified which pair of electrical connectors controlled the water dispenser (they were ganged together in molded plastic pairs of contacts). I reconnected them for the time being.

There were three water connections to the solenoid valve; one supply and two outputs. I was delighted to find those really nice connections on the two outputs which allow you to just shove a tube into it and you're done. I removed the one leading to the water dispenser after checking that it was actually on the same side as its electrical connectors. It was. To remove it all you have to do is push up the plastic collar around the tube (the collar is part of the solenoid valve) about 1/32" and pull it out.

I then connected my little 12v air compressor (which I use to pump up my RV's tires in the storage lot where there is no 120v available; I use my car's battery) to a spare car battery I brought into the house, attached an air mattress inflation adapter to it, stuck it into the end of the tube to the water tank (perfect fit) and turned it on. I had my wife both press a cup into the water dispenser and orient the water tank so the incoming air drove all the water out of the other end and into her cup. This was actually pretty easy.

I removed the water dispenser's connectors from the solenoid valve and tucked them away from the solenoid valve since I intended to permanently disable the water dispenser. We don't use it and winterizing is time consuming. I then reconnected the water dispenser plastic tube to the solenoid valve. In case anyone else ever wanted to use the water dispenser again all they'd have to do is reconnect the electrical plug and it would be good to go.

I then removed the tube to the ice maker from the solenoid valve, drained the water in the line into a cup and blew into the end. I was able to push air into it easily so it must stay open on the ice maker end.

Notes: Removing one end of the copper tube running from the wall to the fridge would not empty it of water. The vacuum held it in. I had to remove both ends to empty it. Also, removing the water supply from the solenoid valve without further work would not have drained the water out of the valve. The solenoid valve sits at the bottom of my fridge with the ice maker line running straight up about four feet. The line (and that side of the solenoid valve) would have stayed full of water had I not disconnected the water line from the solenoid valve (unless I left the electricity to the refrigerator on long enough after this point for the ice maker to call for water. That would have caused the solenoid valve to open and rather than filling the ice maker, would have allowed the water in the line to drain backwrds through the valve onto the floor).

So why didn't my friend's solenoid valve crack and why didn't his tank fail? I'm guessing his solenoid valve is at the TOP of his fridge. Disconnecting the supply line would empty it. And maybe the plastic tank can take freezing.

One instruction I found on the Internet on winterizing an ice maker said one option is to trigger the ice maker to go through a "harvest cycle" and inject RV antifreeze into its supply line until I see pink. How would I trigger the ice maker to ask for water?

Thanks a lot for all your help Shiela and I hope this narrative helps someone else.

[PS Staff - Sheila]

You can remove the cover on the ice maker and use the test holes in the module to trigger the ice maker.