Problem w/ in line filter for refrigerator!

[trammellclan3]

I have some what of a stupid question. I have an after market in line water filter on my fridge, with a quick connect coupler. If I remove the "water in" side, shouldn't water come out or is there a release that makes the water come through when it is connected? My problem is that my icemaker is not getting water. When I remove the coupler from the hose itself, dirty/rusty looking water does come out. The hose on the "water in" side looks like there is stagnant water that has turned a red color inside. As best as I can tell, no water is coming out the other side because the "water out" hose looks clear, new and does not appear to have water in it. Is it possible that the coupler is the problem? I am just tired of having to go buy ice when I have an icemaker that is supposed to make it. Please help.

[Cmudr1]

Originally Posted by trammellclan3

I If I remove the "water in" side, shouldn't water come out .

In short, yes you should have water. There should be a tap on the cold water pipe running to the filter then to the fridge. I had the same problem on mine, line was a good 20+ years old. All I did was instal a new tap with that clear plastic tubing to the fikter and now the ice maker works fine. I would say it has just cloged the line and no water is making it through. You might even be able to remove the old tap and install an entire new one with a new line in the same place. Shouldnt be too bad of a fix. Hope this helps. Chris

[HayZee518]

cap off the old line in some way. is your cold water supply copper tubing or galvanized steel pipe? if it's copper you can get a new self tapping saddle valve, some 1/4 inch copper tubing, an inline filter and fittings to connect to your fridge. if it's galvanized then you may need to get a new valve to replace the old one. seems that there's crud inside the valve and the gate isn't operating or is just corroded.

[LazyPup]

Most quick couplings have an internal valve mechanism that works in the same manner as an air chuck fitting. The line is open when the fitting is tight but the moment you loosen it, the internal valve closes.

You stated that you have reddish stagnant looking water in the input line but clear water in the output line from the filter to the refrigerator. I would suspect that your water has a high iron content which accounts for the reddish color in the incoming water line. I would also suspect that the filter medium inside the unit is completely saturated with foreign matter and needs to be changed. To test it, first remove the quck coupling to prevent any water from entering the unit, then open the unit and remove the filter cartridge. close the unit and reconnect the water line to see if water flows through without the filter element inside. If so, the problem is a clogged filter element that should be replaced.