Fix for Defect Water Hose of a Side-by-side Frigerator

by Legufix in Workshop > Repair

1200 Views, 1 Favorites, 0 Comments

Fix for Defect Water Hose of a Side-by-side Frigerator

fridge_1.JPG

We own a LG side-by-side refrigerator with ice maker. After a few years of use, the hose that supplies the ice maker with water through the door cracked. When I asked the customer service I got a link to a video describing an easy way to repair it. Unfortunately the solution worked only for a limited time, because the hose was already too fragile and leaked again after a short time.

Link to the video description of the minimal invasive solution:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CDEGWPrKYlw

Alternative Approach

fridge_2.JPG
fridge.JPG

Since the hose connector that is plugged into the hose did not work, I had the idea to open the refrigerator and use a hose connector that is put over the hose ends.

After some thinking, I came to the conclusion that it would be easiest to open the fridge door from the outside. In the next step I wanted to find the hose in the insulation, cut it and connect a new piece of hose with a hose connector.

Bill of Materials and Used Tools

fridge.JPG
fridge_3.JPG
fridge_4.JPG

Materials:

  1. Hose connector 5/16" to 5/16"
  2. Hose 5/16"

I used a rotary tool (Dremel) with a metal cutting wheel to cut the outer shell.

Fixing the Hose

DSC_9605.JPG
DSC_9604.JPG
DSC_9603.JPG

At first, I dismounted the door. Instructions can be found in the manual or on the internet.

I've drawn a rectangle on the side of the door: Width approx. 35mm, length approx. 300mm, about 130mm from the bottom of the door. On three sides of the rectangle I carefully cut the outer shell with the Dremel. Be careful not to cut too deep - otherwise you could damage the hose at an unfavourable position.

Next, I bent up the sheet and looked for the hose in the insulation. Then I cut the hose and pulled out the lower end. After making some space in the insulation for the hose connector, I inserted a new hose from below and connected it to the other end.