Manitowoc Water Inlet Valve Maintenance February 14 2014, 5 Comments
On some occasions the water inlet valve on your Manitowoc ice maker may require maintenance. Although it typically does not require removal for cleaning, if it is malfunctioning, not allowing water into the trough, removing the valve and cleaning may save you the cost of a service call. There are two main symtoms that may indicate you need to remove your water inlet valve, no water coming into the trough or water overflowing the water trough.
First of all, when the ice machine toggle switch is in the OFF position, no water should be entering the water trough. The water inlet valve should be completely closed and stop water flow into the machine. In addition, when the ice maker is in the ON position and calling for water, a steady stream of water should be entering the trough. If you only have a trickle or intermittent water flow, you may need to remove the valve for cleaning. These indicators apply to both the 115v and 208-30v water inlet valves.
To clean the water inlet valve, simply remove the 4 1/4" hex head screws that hold the mounting bracket to the valve. Once the bracket and fitting is removed, you can easily clean the metal screen that filters the incoming water to the valve. It's possible that trash or debris over time will eventually clog this part of the valve. After cleaning, reassemble and test to make sure proper water flow is accomplished.
The metal screen on a water inlet valve will not protect the valve or other parts from hard water build up. Hard water, also known as scale, will clog a water inlet valve and can build up inside the valve itself. To protect your ice maker from scale build up, use an authorized commercial water filter that treats the water with a scale inhibitor.
A damaged water inlet valve will need to be replaced. The two most common Manitowoc water inlet valves are part number 000007965 for 115v applications and 000007966 for 208-230v ice makers.
Comments
Phil Price on September 20 2017 at 06:48PM
In the off position water drips. About every 15 seconds you can hear a drop fall into the ice chest.
Caleb ingersoll on January 13 2016 at 05:48PM
Model qm30a. I have no water entering the ice maker. I took apart the valve but I could not see any obstructions inside. Would you assume that the valve needs to be replaced or could it be a possible computer brain issue? Thank you!
Mike on May 27 2015 at 03:17PM
Model UD140A. Unit only three weeks old, water will flow fine and form ice for several cycles then water will either trickle or none will come. Service light comes on and after a few times of unit going into safety mode it will work again for a few cycles then repeat problem. Any help would be appreciated.
Lynn - Ice Maker Parts Shop Admin on July 22 2014 at 08:41AM
@deidre, yes, if in the ‘off’ position the water still comes through the valve, you should replace the water inlet valve. You could also try taking apart the valve and making sure you don’t have some sort of trash holding the internal plunger open, allowing water to come through.
deidre on July 19 2014 at 06:12PM
If I am getting water overflowing from the trough and water running even when unit is switched off will cleaning the valve likely fix the problem or will I most likely need to replace the water inlet valve?? QR0280A Thanks!!