Winterizing ice maker

[shirleyj62]

Looking for info on winterizing our ice maker in the Sunseeker 3010.

We hope to be out of the cold before a freeze comes, but knowing how to do it will put our mind at ease in case we need to do it.

Thanks,

Shirley

[Gidyupgo]

This tag was on ours.

[Steveanddianne]

We have the Dominic with ice maker also I saw the red tag also it seems confusing as this the first time we need to winterize the ice maker is it something a new person can do without having a problem? The tube on the ice maker that goes to the ice maker frlm the. Selinoid is copper so other than disconnecting it do you have run compressed air through that pipe it doesn't look to easy? Thanks

[ScottBrownstein]

As I have indicated to others, put a compressor on the entire RV and blow out the lines. Leave the compressor attached overnight with the reefer turned on and the icemaker cycling. By morning it will have run enough to purge the water from all the lines. On my coach, I then turn off the feed to the reefer and pump pink antifreeze through the rest of the unit.

[rthomaslyons]

We just took possession of a new 2019 Sunseeker 3010 DS with double fridge doors and ice maker. Because we are Snowbirds we winterize twice, once at home in the driveway when we get home from our last trip in the fall and then again on the road in March on our return trip from Arizona on the last night we can sleep in the motorhome (usually in Wichita KS) on our way back home to Canada. We have access to a compressor at home but end up using a portable air tank when we are winterizing on our return trip from Arizona. After I open the heater by- pass and drain my tank and lines and blow out the lines with air, I suck antifreeze into the lines until it shows up in the taps, shower hose and toilet. This has worked fine with other campers but now we have the big fridge with ice maker. I have lots of time to do the winterizing at home in the driveway but on the road coming back from Arizona (it’s still freezing in Canada in March ) winterizing the fridge ice maker on the road is not going to be as convenient. You need to be able to properly drain the lines and blow air through them. Will this clear the water out of the ice maker lines or should I just do what the tech told us to do during the PDI training - “just make pink ice. “ If we make pink ice before we unplug from shore power how long would it take to push antifreeze through the ice maker. Suggestions on how you do it would be appreciated.

[ScottBrownstein]

It is not a total air volume issue but rather a time issue. Your portable tank should work as well as your compressor. The real problem is how long do you keep the compressed air attached so that the icemaker can go through a couple of cycles with the air pressure and blow out the air in the line to the solenoid and the line from the solenoid to the actual icemaker itself. If you can force the icemaker to cycle easily, this shortens the time. If that is not easy, leaving air pressure in the lines for a while will also do the trickn(I leave it overnight). On your reefer, this also means still having 120 volt power attached as I believe that the icemaker needs that to operate. (Step 5 on the red tag if that is your model.) If you just blow out the lines using the faucets and such and then still have air remaining in the tank, leave it connected overnight with the 120 volt attached. I think you will find that the air tank will be empty and the remaining air has escaped through icemaker cycles. Then disconnect the 120 volt power and use the pink stuff in all the faucets and toilet. Not running 120 volt to the icemaker after the air purge will prevent any further icemaker cycles and the pink stuff will never get to the reefer.

[CHICKDOE]

i have a fridgidaire residential refrigerator with ice maker. i must store the trailer at a storage lot that does not have 120 volt power available. i do have a generator. but leaving the generator running long enough to make 'pink ice' is not an option.

i was able to find a technical service sheet for the refrigerator online. it has a series of test and operation you can perform via the control panel. one of those is to open the ice maker valve.

to winterize i first use a compressor to blow out all the plumbing lines, including the in door water dispenser. i then use the control panel to manually open the ice maker valve and i can hear air being blown out the ice make water tube.

next step is to pump antifreeze into everything. again i run the in door water dispenser until i get pink antifreeze coming out. then manually open the ice maker valve and get some coming out of the ice maker.

hope this helps. if your refrigerator has a control panel on the door there is probably a tech sheet for it that describes how to manually perform some functions.

[rthomaslyons]

I don’t see a solinoid valve under the fridge just a push/pull shut off valve. Water in the line going up to the ice maker is not completely draining but when I put some air pressure on it appears to have forced it out. I can’t hear any air coming out of the ice-maker at the top inside the freezer so maybe there is a solinoid valve there but I can’t get to it. I could have hooked the little water line back up to the shut off valve below the refrigerator and run antifreeze into the ice-maker but the little brass ferrule inside the plastic line dropped off into the rear of the furnace that is conveniently located under the fridge. There is no lay up details or red sheet of instructions so I’m thinking I’m likely going to screw up the ice-maker if there is any water left to freeze in the head end.

[ScottBrownstein]

Originally Posted by rthomaslyons

I don’t see a solinoid valve under the fridge just a push/pull shut off valve. Water in the line going up to the ice maker is not completely draining but when I put some air pressure on it appears to have forced it out. I can’t hear any air coming out of the ice-maker at the top inside the freezer so maybe there is a solinoid valve there but I can’t get to it. I could have hooked the little water line back up to the shut off valve below the refrigerator and run antifreeze into the ice-maker but the little brass ferrule inside the plastic line dropped off into the rear of the furnace that is conveniently located under the fridge. There is no lay up details or red sheet of instructions so I’m thinking I’m likely going to screw up the ice-maker if there is any water left to freeze in the head end.

You can go to Home depot or Lowes and get a replacement ferrule, although I have installed tubing without one in the past. The solenoid valve is generally at the bottom rear of the unit. If you took the line off the pop up valve, you are operating before the solenoid.

[Capt. Mike]

On the LG residential refrigerator, on the bottom of the ice maker, there is a small, square button that "cycles" the ice maker, opening the solenoid valve, then immediately dumping the water that flows in, as though it were already frozen into ice cubes. Cycle the system a few times - keeping your anti-freeze jug hooked up on the outside of the RV - until you get pink instead of water flowing through the solenoid valve. (Hint: keep tour ice collection bin in place while doing this or you will get water, and eventually pink anti-freeze, spilling inside your freezer compartment.)

Once the pink starts flowing through the solenoid, shut off the refrigerator, empty and rinse out the ice cub collection bucket, and you are done. You aren't exactly making "pink ice" but you are filling the lines and the solenoid with anti-freeze.

[Capt. Mike]

We store our 5th wheel where we do not have access or facilities to winterize at the storage lot, so we generally go to a FHU campground, winterize and clean the trailer there, and take it to the storage lot. That gives you access to water, sewer, and most importantly, BATHROOMS while you are in the process of winterizing.

[DaGrinch]

Originally Posted by rthomaslyons

I don’t see a solinoid valve under the fridge just a push/pull shut off valve. Water in the line going up to the ice maker is not completely draining but when I put some air pressure on it appears to have forced it out. I can’t hear any air coming out of the ice-maker at the top inside the freezer so maybe there is a solinoid valve there but I can’t get to it. I could have hooked the little water line back up to the shut off valve below the refrigerator and run antifreeze into the ice-maker but the little brass ferrule inside the plastic line dropped off into the rear of the furnace that is conveniently located under the fridge. There is no lay up details or red sheet of instructions so I’m thinking I’m likely going to screw up the ice-maker if there is any water left to freeze in the head end.

It takes approx 6 cycles of the ice maker to finally get the antifreeze to the tray. Just did it this past Friday on my 3010DS w/4door fridge.

[Gunslinger1]

Originally Posted by Gidyupgo

This tag was on ours.

Thanks for the info.just bought a TT with an outdoor ice maker. I’ve saved this tag to refer to next winter.

[newRVer]

Thought I'd add the process by which I winterize the ice maker on the two door fridge in our 3011. I start by using a air compressor to blow out the water lines but not the water line for the ice maker. This is mostly because I don't want to wait for the ice maker to cycle through a few times and because what I have been doing is actually easier.

I then remove the 4 screws from the ice makes, disconnect the power line and store it on the other side of the freezer. At this point I connect the AC power cable I made (Just an old lamp cord/plug terminated with spade lug connectors) to the water pump solenoid (see circle on pic) . While the main water pump is connected to the antifreeze, I plug in my home made AC power cord and then the water line solenoid pumps anti freeze through the ice maker line and into the ice cube container in the freezer. This approach is nice because in the spring I don't have to do anything to get the antifreeze out of the ice cube maker and when I sanitize it with bleach in the spring, I do the same thing to pump bleach/water through the line and then fresh water through the line until the bleach smell is gone. I then take the ice maker inside, clean it up with some vinegar to remove some of the scale, connect the power connector, screw it back in and I'm done.