On the covered Kenmore 111 model bottom-freezer refrigerator, ES means Kenmore's service table lists this code as: dispenser failure. First, check the display panel. Then: if you see the indicator light toggling through the Water, Crushed Ice and Cubed Ice selections then the Water/Ice button is stuck. Press the Water/Ice button in various spots to free the stuck button. If you can't free the stuck button, replace the user interface board. Parts named: user interface board.
Differential
Likely causes of “Kenmore 111 model bottom-freezer refrigerator showing ES”, and how to tell them apart
- 1
A Water/Ice button that is stuck in
What separates it ES shows and the indicator light keeps toggling through Water, Crushed Ice and Cubed Ice
How to confirm Watch the dispenser panel; a toggling indicator points to a stuck button
- 2
A stuck button that can be freed by pressing it
What separates it The button sticks in one spot but moves when pressed elsewhere
How to confirm Press around the edge of the button to free it
- 3
Debris or spilled drink under the button
What separates it The button feels sticky
How to confirm Wipe round it with a damp cloth after unplugging the refrigerator
- 4
A user interface board that cannot be recovered
What separates it The button is free but ES stays on
How to confirm The chart names the user interface board as the part to replace
- 5
A power glitch after a cut
What separates it ES appears after the refrigerator lost power
How to confirm Unplug for five minutes and test again
Before you touch a setting
Record this first — changing settings destroys the evidence
- That the display shows ES
- Whether the indicator toggles through the three choices
- Whether the button was freed
- The model and serial numbers
Try in this order
0 of 11 completedWhat to do first
ReversibleCheck the display panel.
Correct only the documented fault domain
ReversibleIf you see the indicator light toggling through the Water, Crushed Ice and Cubed Ice selections then the Water/Ice button is stuck. Press the Water/Ice button in various spots to free the stuck button. If you can't free the stuck button, replace the user interface board. Parts named: user interface board.
Check the display panel for a toggling indicator
ReversibleThe chart says if the indicator light is toggling through the Water, Crushed Ice and Cubed Ice selections, then the Water/Ice button is stuck.
Press the Water/Ice button in various spots
ReversibleThe chart says to free the stuck ES button by pressing it in different places around its edge.
Replace the user interface board if the button stays stuck
ReversibleIf you can't free the button, the chart names the user interface board as the part to replace.
Watch the dispenser display
ReversibleSee if the indicator toggles.
Press the button in different spots
ReversibleAround its edge.
Wipe the area
ReversibleWith the refrigerator unplugged.
Unplug for five minutes
ReversibleThen plug in and test.
Check whether ES returns
ReversibleIf it does, the board may have failed.
Call Kenmore service
ReversibleWith the model number.
Model-specific
What is true of this model and not of its siblings
- Why a button matters
- The control board reads the Water/Ice button continuously; a button held down looks to the board like a person pressing it forever, so it reports a failure instead of cycling the dispenser.
- Where to look
- Most stuck buttons sit in the dispenser's control panel on the front of the door. Spilled juice, a sticky film or a pressed-in edge can hold the switch closed, and a damp cloth with a little mild soap often frees it.
- Cooling is unaffected
- The refrigerator and freezer sections run from their own controls, so food stays cold while ES shows. Check that the temperature in each compartment is normal rather than assuming the code means a cooling fault.
- If the board is replaced
- A technician identifies the right board from the model number on the label inside the fresh-food section, and a wrong part will not fit, so quote the full number.
- Keeping it clear
- Wipe the dispenser panel each week with a lightly damp cloth, and do not spray cleaner directly onto it.
- Cleaning without damage
- Unplug the refrigerator before you clean around the dispenser panel, since the buttons are connected to the control board. Use a soft cloth dampened with warm water and a drop of mild dish soap, wring it well so that no liquid runs behind the panel and wipe around each button, then dry it with a second cloth. Do not use a spray, an abrasive pad or any solvent, because these can seep behind the panel and damage the board or cloud the display. If the button still catches after cleaning and the refrigerator has been moved or bumped recently, the panel may have shifted slightly; a technician can reseat it. Plug the refrigerator back in and wait a few minutes for the display to start before testing the dispenser.
Stop boundary
When this stops being a self-service repair
- !Unplug the refrigerator before you remove the dispenser panel for ES, since the user interface board is behind it and stays live
- !Do not pry at a stuck Water/Ice button with a tool, because it can crack the panel and the user interface board behind it
- !Unplug the refrigerator before removing the dispenser panel
- !Do not pry at a stuck button with a tool
- !Contact Kenmore service with the model number
Evidence ledger
Sources behind this answer
Where the manufacturer's article stops. The toggling indicator, the button freeing and the user interface board are chart text; the warning about prying is general guidance.
Exact questions
Common questions
What does ES mean on a Kenmore 111 model bottom-freezer refrigerator?+
Kenmore's service table lists this code as: dispenser failure.
How do I tell the button is stuck?+
The indicator light toggles through Water, Crushed Ice and Cubed Ice.
Is the refrigerator still cooling?+
Usually yes; the code concerns the dispenser.
When is the board replaced?+
If the button is free and ES stays.