TIL those cheap ice maker bypass valves can wreck your whole fridge

Last month I got a call from a lady in Arlington about her Samsung fridge leaking water everywhere. I figured it was just a clogged drain line, something simple. But when I pulled the fridge out, I saw the plastic bypass valve had cracked right at the seam. That little part costs maybe $8 at the supply house, but it had been dripping for weeks and ruined the flooring underneath. The customer said she bought the fridge used and the valve looked like it had been replaced before with a no-name part. I ended up having to replace the valve, clean up the water damage, and she still has to call a flooring guy. Has anyone else run into cheap bypass valves causing big problems like this?

2 comments

2 Comments

rowan_butler931d ago

That little part costs maybe $8 at the supply house" - yeah, and I learned that lesson the hard way too. I put one of those cheapo plastic bypass valves in my own fridge a couple years back, thought I was saving a few bucks. Two months later I woke up to a small lake in my kitchen, and let me tell you, cleaning up water at 2 AM while your wife gives you the look is not a good time. I ended up spending way more on a brass replacement and some new towels than I would have just buying the right part from the start.

victor2191d agoMost Upvoted

@rowan_butler93 those cheap plastic ones do have metal in the threads though, not fully plastic.