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panthera

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Back at my folk's house in the US. At least physically. Mentally somewhere still over Canada.
My mom asked me to look at their refrigerator.
The fan in the freezer compartment has been getting louder and louder over the last two years. About six months ago, quite a bit of water started appearing at the bottom of the refrigerator and running out the door. This happended every morning.
The local repair shop said to replace the entire thing - not worth the repair (bought in 1999). Since the interior was still perfect, the door seals tight and the unit obviously cooling I decided to figure out what was wrong and if it might not just be repairable after all.
Started with the obvious: Pulled the unit out from its niche, everything was clean. No build up, nothing had fallen between the back of the cabinet and the wall causing the heat to build up.
Next pulled the plastic liner in the freezer compartment (well, actually, next was to put everything from the freezer compartment in the oven. Don't laugh - what else in your house is better insulated than a self-cleaning oven?).
Aha - either the front journal bearing was out of its holder or it had worn out.
Did an Internet search and found the motor is the same as used for a continuous action low-velocity air exhaust fan, sold around the corner for 12.99$. Bought it, installed it, problem solved.)
I don't know, but I rather doubt that that fan could be had for the same price from customer service. Could be wrong about that...
Now the water problem. While the power was off the coils had thawed and dripped quite a bit of water. It was flowing right through the air duct into the refrigerator compartment. Ok, I thought - that is the problem. Something in the auto-defrost circuit has failed.
Nope.
Everything was ok, heating element hotted, clock logiked.
But the "plastic" surface of the freezer below the liner was starting to melt!
So, there we had it. At some point in time there had been such a build up of condensed water that it had not all passed down the drain pipe. Instead, it had refrozen, blocking the pipe and raising the surface of the collecting basin to the height of the air ducts.
Once the ice was melted there only remained the problem of the drain pipe.
Using a turkey baster filled with hot water, I squirted and sucked at the several inch (!) thick plug of ice until it suddenly melted and with a whoosh! the water flowed down the pipe.
Put everything back together, turned the power back on and that was that.

I wonder how many people throw perfectly good refrigerators away because of such things...
I also wonder if this wasn't a case of intelligent design on the part of Whirlpool (my parents obviously bought the thing without consulting me first :-)))
Since there is no way to build a "cheap" compressor and the rest of the cooling system is equally impervious to failure, they have to find something to break down.
Nah, that is just me being my usual nasty old Whirlpool and UK bashing self...
Seriously interesting to work with US sizes again, by the way - found myself thinking in metric and the refrigerator in English common. Have to admit, though - the build quality was not that bad.
 
Yup. Just did the same thing for a friend's WP.
Took the steam cleaner hose and stuck it it in the hole. Then blasted out the hole. (Do not try this at home. LOL)

There was a frozen ice-block at the entrance to the plastic piece transitioning the water-flow from "catcher" to the "pipe"

Also the refrigerator was running too cold at a medium setting. Must be an aging thermostat. Adjusted to bring the fridge to a proper 40*F.

So, lesson learned: Blast your hole clean. Makes for better smoother-running fresher-smelling drip-free cavity.
 
Oh my

I would have though Panthera would have installed a tiny toggle switch while he was at it. Wouldn't have to be hooked up to anything. Just something to flip on and off absentmindedly whilst perusing the chilled selections.

Seriously, I had a similar problem with my KA Superba SxS Stainless fridge. After a power outtage the ice maker ceased working. Turned out the water delivery hose, which runs through the top of the freezer, was clogged with ice. But we didn't find that out until warranty service was called - they replaced a control board in the ice maker. Still didn't work right. I finally wound up unloading the fridge and thawing out the delivery tube with a hair dryer. No problems since then.
 
nah,

I prefer flipping big toggle switches. The kind with a long shaft and a big knob at the end.
I had never heard of this before, interesting to know 'tis a common problem.
My biggest concern is preventing it from happening again. Ideas, anyone?
 
Keven, hope you had a good trip back. You must have access to WP fiche or something. You might want to check and see if there is a defrost tube heater. We did all kinds of things to my GE upright Frost Guard freezer including positioning part of the defrost heater so that it heated the trough to the drain under it, but it keeps forming ice sheets in the bottom that trap the roll out basket. (Funny how trough is spelled with a gh yet gets an F sound, a dyslexic lexicographer maybe?)
 
My sister had a problem with water in her refrigerator, a Kemore Elite (Whirlpool) that was only a year old. They thought it was coming from the ice maker but when that checked out OK I removed the back in the freezer (they don't keep it very full) and found the drain for the defrost water was clogged with ice. Took awhile to pour hot water and wipe it out. I placed a tablespoon of table salt down the tube, hoping in might prevent freezing. Although it will probably corrode something, I haven't heaard of any problme for a year and a half. Maybe this could work?
 
Hi Tom, thanks Bob,

I doubt that salt would corrode anything in the tube or drain pan - both are plastic.
It would not do the aluminum drip tray much good, though. I guess we will wait and see. This was the first time in 7 years; and my cat (who refused to go back to Germany with me in the summer and now lives in the 'States permanently, die untreue Tomate)had learned how to open the freezer and refrigerator doors - it may just have been the excess condensation.
I hope.
But then, I am good a deceiving myself.
If not, then either some sort of heater (gah, the work involved) or just plain the next time it happens have my folks let the blasted thing sit for two or three days empty with the doors open.
Tom, do forgive me for not writing back, it has been quite a hectic last few weeks...
 

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