Similar to the discussion from Washing machine repairs, I thought I’d provide another winterizing cautionary tale.
We opted for the residential style fridge in our 39FBB. Vanleigh was installing the Whirlpool version when ours built. It’s the french door/bottom freezer style with built in water dispenser and ice maker. We really like the residential over the RV style due to the efficiency and increased capacity. Of course with those integrated water options, special attention is required when winterizing.
Apparently I didn’t get all of the water out of the system for the fridge which resulted in a burst water line for the water dispenser/ice maker. Thankfully this repair didn’t require removing the fridge, just some minor disassembly of the interior to access the water lines. I was able to access the water connection to the fridge using the outside hatch Vanleigh put in place which made it pretty easy too. I was able to find a replacement kit for my fridge here →
Cost wasn’t too bad and installation wasn’t very difficult either. There are also a few parts sites that offer detailed step by step instructions or videos on how to access the water lines.
I think I may have left the water filter in or didn’t blow the water out thoroughly and use enough antifreeze to cover all of the water lines. Lesson learned again about paying closer attention when winterizing these types of appliances. If you have a residential fridge and need to winterize it, be sure to remove the water filter and be generous with the RV antifreeze so you don’t have this happen to you. 