Part
Water Tank Assembly
Product Rating
Customer
john from TX
Problem
Only way to get water flow from the fridge dispenser on my KitchenAid was by installing a metal washer on the filter nipple to ensure that the two small protruding actuators on the filter receptacle were fully depressed. Apparently these two small plastic protrusions had worn down or the internals of the valve itself were worn. This receptacle valve is an integral part of the water reservoir assembly and cannot be replaced separately.
Tools
Flat blade screw driver to release top cover of fridge liner. Open end 3/8” wrench to depress slip fit tube fittings. 1/4” hex nut driver to remove rear fridge cover to access the water inlet valve where the reservoir feed line has to connect.
Repair & Advice
With the top inside panel removed, the water reservoir cannot be removed because of a fixed plastic crossmember retainer that is a molded component of a much larger internal plastic fridge liner. I used a small exacto saw to cut the crossmember toward the front of the fridge and was just barely flexible enough to slide out the old reservoir unit without breaking. This cut doesn’t have to be repaired because the cross member was still adequate to support the new reservoir and outer cover plate added more support. The receptacle valve on the new assembly corrected the issue with having to use the metal washer on the filter nipple, but water dispenser flow rate was not improved significantly as I had hoped. Probably need to try replacing the main water control valve and/or the secondary dispenser control valve to improve flow rate.
Story submitted on September 21, 2022