Whirlpool Residential Refrigerator - Winterizing!!

[justhavinfun]

We just purchased a 2021 Jayco Precept with a residential refrigerator. We're about to drop into the teens this week and I don't know how to winterize the ice maker. The original owners kept the manual. Please help!

[alank]

I winterize with the frig with air. If you have the same ice maker, stick a copper wire in the V & L ports on the front of the ice maker, hold the door light switch closed, that opens the water valve and lets the air through.

[Mike8253]

One additional point about this method is that the freezer needs to be at operating temperature for the ice maker to actuate. This is more important if you've not been in the RV for a period of time before the date of winterizing.

Separately, I've noticed on my Whirlpool, that when blowing water out of the water dispenser reservoir that on mine there is a path from input to outlet that allows the air to travel across the top of the reservoir without pressuring it to force the water out. To address that, I unscrew the reservoir from the back wall of the refrigerator and turn it 90 degrees so that outlet is at the bottom, so that air pressure forces all of the water out of the dispenser.

[Gary RVRoamer]

The water line between the water valve (which is enbedded in the rear wall) and the actual icemaker should be open at the icemaker end and thus any remaining water can expand if it freezes. Afterall, that portion freezes in normal operation, right? The problem area is between the water valve and the connection to the RV water system. If you can access the rear of the fridge, you should be able to disconnect the ice maker water line and let it drain naturally. Leave it disconnected in case residual water freezes - that way any expansion will be relieved.

This is text book stuff - I don't have a Whirlpool fridge or icemaker or the ability to test it in an actual freeze.

If you have a way to trigger and icemaker fill cycle while blowing air pressure through the lines, that is probably easy and reliable.


As for the fridge manual you don't have, they are readily available online but I doubt if any have winterizing instructions. It's not something residential fridges experience in normal operation. If Jayco provides any help for that in its own manual, those are available to at https://www.jayco.com/uploads/rvs/ma...Color-RevB.pdf

[Paul P.]

I winterize with rv antifreeze and leave the fridge for last. Assuming you have the same Whirlpool unit that I have, first take out the water filter. My unit operates fine without it, some make/models require a filter or "dummy" in place, but the filter will remove the pink color from the antifreeze. Turn on the fridge, but leave the icemaker off and using a large clear glass, run the water thru the water dispenser until pink. Turn on the icemaker with the antifreeze solution still being supplied and wait until you get "pink slush". On mine, the pink slush was present in the first or second cycle. I then turn off the icemaker and the fridge cooling.

[ArtJoyce]

You should have a valve with a 1/4 line running from it to the icemaker solenoid valve. You need to disconnect the line. You might find that valve behind, next to underneath the fridge.

You might look online and see what instructios the camper manufacture has in the owner manual. The valve mostliky is I the same spot no mater what fridge you have.

[alank]

Originally Posted by Mike8253

One additional point about this method is that the freezer needs to be at operating temperature for the ice maker to actuate. This is more important if you've not been in the RV for a period of time before the date of winterizing.

No, that's not correct. The whole point of using the jumper wire between the V & L ports is to complete the circuit to open the water valve, not waiting for the ice maker to actuate on its own. The frig just needs to be turned ON. The whole process of taking the front off the ice maker, shorting the ports, waiting about 5 seconds for the air and closing everything back up takes about a minute.

[Mike8253]

Originally Posted by alank

No, that's not correct. The whole point of using the jumper wire between the V & L ports is to complete the circuit to open the water valve, not waiting for the ice maker to actuate on its own. The frig just needs to be turned ON. The whole process of taking the front off the ice maker, shorting the ports, waiting about 5 seconds for the air and closing everything back up takes about a minute.

My bad, you're right. I was thinking manual ice harvesting.

[moisheh]

We have a whirlpool fridge in our Monaco. Can you access the rear of the fridge? Just disconnect the water line to the fridge. The water will drain. Nver had a problem, Does your unit have a water manifold? is there a shutoff to the fridge water line?

[DRM901]

I disconnect the water line from behind the refrig, then blow out the lines. I blow the line while my DW uses the water dispenser. Since the ice has been emptied, while we are doing the water the ice dispenser calls for water as well allowing it to be cleared.

[txcpl]

When water freezes, it expands. If you remove as much water as possible, and the residual water in the lines has a place to expand, you should not have any problems, The kicker is to be sure that there is no water remaining in valves and other such devices. I use air to blow out my water lines. I hook up the air at 35-40 psi, and open each water valve/faucet one by one. for the ice maker of the fridge, I unhook the water line and let it drain out.For the water, I run it for one cycle and dump some pink stuff into it as well because of its water lines configuration. Good luck

[justhavinfun]

I contacted Jayco customer service and they sent me the instructions from Whirlpool on "winterizing". But as one member said, it didn't pertain to a fridge being in an RV. They also sent me a pic of a fridge showing the valve behind a panel beneath. Our side by side goes to the floor without spacing underneath.
However, we did locate a valve behind a bottom drawer in the kitchen. We disconnected and had no water run out. We're going to turn on the fridge and ice maker for 24 hours, as a member suggested, and let it runs its cycle. Hopefully, this will pull any water in the lines.
I do appreciate everyone's comments and suggestions!!