Whirlpool W10408179 Water Inlet Valve OEM Part

Our Kenmore (Whirlpool) refrigerator's ice maker had stopped making ice. I searched YouTube and found a repair videos for this exact problem, finding one with a similar refrigerator and the identical ice maker. I learned that the Water Inlet Valve had likely gone bad and would need to be replaced. In the video the tech pointed out the small rubber tube inside the freezer that comes down from the ceiling of the refrigerator into the ice maker. This tube feeds it the water to make ice with and was frozen solid. He explained that this had occurred due to a slow drip caused by the failing Water Inlet Valve. I checked out our refrigerator and found the tube was frozen as in the video and also that the small compartment it fed into was filled with solid ice as well. I applied heat from a small hair dryer to melt the ice and free up the tube (my own solution). The repair tech provided the replacement part number for the Water Inlet Valve which lead me to the Appliance Parts Pros site. I then watched your video, which being professionally done was even more helpful than the YouTube version. In addition, unlike the YouTube video your Water Inlet Valve hook up was identical to mine, with a Connector Valve already in place to first receive the water. I also ordered a Water Filter Cap. Ours had broken, and I'd previously bought a cheap generic replacement on EBay. However the quality wasn't great and it had already broken so I decided to spring for the real deal. This was a very easy repair to do myself and I saved over $200 by not having to call in the repair service we've used in the past. Being out of work due to the current pandemic, this money savings is especially important now. In future I will always research the possible causes and repairs of our appliances and if it looks doable will try and take care of them myself.

Replaced the Water Inlet Valve. The first challenge was to remove the ice which was frozen solid all around the water tube and on the inside and outside of the ice maker. I did not defrost the fridge, just unplugged the fridge for short periods of time while working. I viewed several You Tube videos and used a hair dryer which allowed me to remove the ice cube dispenser (I moved all frozen food items to a spare refrigerator). I watched the videos and read a lot of the articles and customer reviews to determine the cause of my problem on AppliancePartsPros,com. I could not have done this job without this site. While things look easy in the video, I had to struggle with the two plastic retaining clips on the bottom of the ice maker unit and there is a clip that holds the power connector together. (As it turns out I did not have to remove the ice maker, I could have just melted all of the ice with the hair dryer but at the time I was not sure what was the cause of the problem. ). I checked with my Water Utility Company and learned the average water pressure is 60 psi or better which ruled out that as a possible cause, I ordered the Water Inlet Valve and the part arrived the next day. I was not sure about the model number so I placed the order by phone. The agent, Walt, helped me with the correct model number. I also used a piece of Weed eater line from the valve up to the ice maker to make sure there was no more ice but determined this was not necessary. The replacement of the valve was a snap as I did not have to cut the ends of the water lines. Also I purchased a cleaning brush for a few dollars which helped clean the coils underneath.

Watched the video, ordered the part, Shazammm!!

Make sure water is turned off to valve Using nut driver remove rear cover screws. Remove bracket holding water valve (2 screws). Have new valve handy, remove plastic tubing from old valve, by pushing down on plastic retainer, I used a pair of needle nose pliers. You just need to push down on plastic retainer from both sides, not crimp the hose. Tubing should pop free - push tubing into new valve using the same location it was removed from, you will feel it when it is seated all the way into new valve. Retainer will pop out and hold it into place. DO the same for remaining tubing. Remount new valve with 2 screws. Before replacing rear cover, turn on water and test for leaks and valve function. Replace rear cover. Slide Refrigerator back in place. For the truly paranoid place a piece of cardboard (long - so you can pull it out from the front) under the water valve to double check for leaks after unit is in place. No water on cardboard after a few hours, repair complete

The first attempt was to replace the water filter cartridge, in-which air bubbles in the waterline will cause dripping. - didn't work. Next I ordered a 'Water Inlet Valve' the the ohm reading on the old unit was the same as the replacement unit, so I returned it. Struggle for the next month trying to find a solution. Ordered a second 'Water Inlet Valve' thinking it may be a mechanical problem instead of an electrical one, and that fixed it! No more dripping!