A recall has been announced on some top load and front load washers built under the Crosley®, Frigidaire®, Kelvinator®, Kenmore®, Wascomat®, and White-Westinghouse® brand names for a potential fire hazard. Read the complete press release from the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. As usual, read the details carefully as this recall is model, and manufacture date specific and not all washers will be affected. If you find you own one of these products, follow the guidelines in the recall notice and call to have it repaired.

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Model #FRS6HR5HSB3, the customer recently purchased this new refrigerator, but was startled by the sounds of running water shortly after installation. Not being familiar with the sounds of a refrigerator with a dispenser, it was first thought that maybe this was just something new to get used to. But the sound kept reoccurring, and finally water started to leak out the bottom on the fresh food side. This was definitely not a normal sound or behavior from their new refrigerator.



The sounds of water dripping are not uncommon in today's refrigerators as it is a normal occurrence to hear water dripping into the condensate pan during a defrost cycle. But sounds of water while the dispenser is in use, or just at randoms times is most likely an indication of something wrong and it should be investigated before any damage can occur.

With water leaking from inside the fresh food section of the unit, the only place it could be coming from is the dispenser water line and filter system. These are put in place to bring water from the house connection, run it through the filter, than into a reservoir to chill the water. This may be an actual water tank, or simply a large coil of plastic water line located behind the crisper drawers, but it's purpose is to provide a chilled glass, or two, of water from the dispenser. As the only source of water, this is where I began my search.

I was fortunate that while speaking with the customer, we heard the water running and I was quick enough to get the fresh food door open to see the problem for myself. Besides the water dispenser, the filter also is used for water going to the ice maker. Every hour or so, the ice maker would dump its batch of ice and turn on the water valve to refill the mold. Each time it did this, water came pouring out of a crack on the side of the filter housing and ran down the back of the refrigerator. An unusual set of circumstances, but at least it was easy to find.

Being an infrequently used part, I had to return later to this customer to complete my repair. The water was still turned off to prevent further leaking during my first visit, so with only a couples screws and water connections between me and replacing this filter housing, the repair went off without much effort. The water was turned back on, and once the water lines were purged of air at the dispenser, water flowed as expected out the fill tube instead of inside the refrigerator.

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"French Chef" from Dishwasher Art
Now for something completely different. I stumbled upon this site recently called Appliance Art that offers a way to bring style to your dishwasher, unlike anything I have seen before. Through the use of vinyl and magnetic materials, they have developed a series of wraps that can be affixed to your dishwasher door and completely change the look of the appliance. Looking around at the various artwork available, I think most people would find something that peaks their fancy, and although they currently only have wraps for dishwashers, I can see a market for most every appliance in the home. Kind of kicking myself for not coming up with the idea, but being the analytical person that I am, most people wouldn't want to see my stick figures on their appliances. But head on over and take a look.



OK, I didn't even finish with this post when I found two other websites, Dishwasher Creations, and Dishwasher Art, both with similar but different products. Guess I have been a little out of touch with my decorative side.

Color choices have come along way toward bringing appliances out of the work area and made them the center of attention in many homes. Individual style and visual appeal are beginning to play a larger role in peoples decision making process when they buy new appliances. Now, at least on your dishwasher, you can add your own touch of flare, or maybe just cover up the fingerprints. I anyone has purchased one of these, let us know how you like it.

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Model #KGSA906PSS1, the slide in gas range was being used by the customer when rather unexpectedly, the control beeped and displayed an F6E4 communication error message. Shortly there after, a very strong burning plastic oder filled the kitchen along with some associated smoke. The customer quickly shut off the circuit breaker to the unit and opened up the windows. Once the smoke cleared, turning the breaker back on resulted in the same error message, the surface burners were still operational, and the broil element started getting hot. They decided leaving the unit off was a good plan until help could arrive.



I arrived at this call, and with power applied again to the range, I was able to quickly verify the error message along with the always on element. The error, indicates a communication problem between the display board, located behind the control panel and the appliance manager located above the oven cavity. These two boards talk to each other via a wiring harness and if anything prevents this communication an error is displayed. The problem can be as simple as a loose or dirty connector, to the failure of one of the boards. This can make for difficult troubleshooting as it isn't always clear which one is causing the problem, but as techs, we do our best to be logical in our diagnostic processes.

Because of the error, I went straight to removing the control panel as that would allow me the quickest access to all the components I needed to get my hands, and multimeter on. With all the screws removed, I pulled the panel from the chassis hoping to find a loose wire, but instead, found the source of the customers described burning smell and smoke. It seems there must have been a loose connector on the appliance manager board which resulted in some higher than normal temperatures in the general area. Most likely, the temperatures reached the point of ignition given the looks of the board and its components.


I would like to point out that whenever any electrical connection is loose, it allows for arcing which produces very high temperatures and carbon deposits on the connectors. This will continue to get worse as the current draw increases due to the increased resistance of the dirty contacts until an eventual failure. It may take days or even years for the damage to be done, so always ensure all electrical connections are tight and the terminal connections are clean.

Back to the problem at hand. With the failure located, the solution was to replace the appliance manager board, along with a new wiring harness. The harness took some time to replace, but once it was all back together, I turned the breaker back on to test things out. All the operational components were functioning as expected, and with the control panel back in place, I wrapped up this call and headed out to another.


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New developments keep coming in the appliance world, and just about when I figured I was getting a handle on these changes, well something new comes along. A kitchen vent hood that also helps keep the work area cool probably has some distinct advantages (as I write this on a 98 degree day), over a vent only system. For people that our serious about their cooking, this may be a must have, while for others, it may be neat to say you have. I like the idea of some new appliances doing double duty, being able to function in two roles at the same time. We have already seen the refrigerated oven, the washer and dryer in one, an oven and microwave, and even a refrigerator with a TV attached. Whatever they come up with next depends on solely on what the consumer wants. I just hope someone has some good ideas. - Me

Article - When I was growing up, my family loved to buy appliances that each had their own purpose: we had a popcorn machine to make popcorn for movie night, a citrus juicer to reap the benefits of freshly-squeezed orange juice, and a rice steamer for, well, you get the idea.

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Model #WFW8300SW1, this recently installed Duet Sport front load washer didn't even make it through it's first load of wash before water came pouring out from under the unit. The customer quickly shut the washer off and cleaned up the mess, but was rather disappointed that their new washer was in need of repair.



Leaks can and do occur out of washers because, well they use water to do their work and all it takes is something in the wash system to break, then water begins to appear on the floor. Fortunately, they are not a frequent problem and even less so on front load units. Because of their closed tub design, when front load washers begin to leak, it is usually limited to a few key areas. Not very comforting for customers, but it does make it easier for us techs to find the problem.

Because this washer had recently be separated from it's shipping container, I figured the leak was nothing more than a hose connection that had come loose. It happens, and I do my best to reassure the customer of this fact and that I will get it working so they can enjoy their purchase. I began in my normal area by removing the lower access panel and started looking for water. Water trails were nonexistent on this new and very clean washer, so a test cycle was used to help show me the light.

Once the cycle was started, water began pouring from the dispenser and down the left side of the cabinet. Fearing a broken dispenser housing, the top panel was next to be removed, and here is where I found something rather strange. Water had collected on top of the dispenser housing, but the few hose connections were all in tact and there was no sign of water on any of them. So I stared a test cycle again, and this time, water came shooting out of a spot on the dispenser I would have never thought to look.


It appears, the nozzle located inside the dispenser to control the flow of water to each chamber had become damaged somehow, and now was allowing water to not only enter the dispenser, but also shoot right out the top. A look at the old and new nozzles, showes how the center pivot point should be solid like the new one on the right. But the old one on the left has an obvious hole that must have occurred during manufacturer.

Once the problem was discovered, I was able to locate a replacement nozzle at one of my local part suppliers, and had this washer working the same day. With everything back together, the customer again started a wash cycle, and this time, the water stayed inside the tub. A rather strange sort of failure, but when working on brand new appliances, strange tends to be the norm.

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I recently witnessed the unexpected failure of my trusty refrigerator of 6 years during one of our summer hot spells, and got to experience the joy of throwing away food gone bad. Fortunately the rest of the family is out of town, so I haven't actually been doing any grocery shopping, but tossing all the normal food staples out still hurts. Being a technician and all, I was quick to diagnose the problem and had a solution, but the wife took this as an opportunity to replace a refrigerator she disliked, with something new and neat.



Now shopping for a new refrigerator can be overwhelming if you just go down to your local appliance store and start looking around. So many sizes, styles, colors, and features are available and unless you do some basic research, you may end up with something that looked great in the store, but just doesn't meet your needs once you get it home. So for my wife's research, I had here check out a few online before we went shopping.

Of course I had to throw in my two cents as I am more interested in how easy it is to service an appliance than how neat the features are. But we came to a good compromise and brought home a new refrigerator.

The moral of this story is whenever you make a purchase, do it based on specific research and not simply what looks good. Most service calls within the first 90 days after purchase are not due to an actual failure, but from a perceived failure by the customer. Or what I call, expectation issues. If you expected your appliance to do something and it didn't, then it must be broken, or if it did something that you didn't expect, well the answer is the same. New appliances can be a sizable investment, so take the time to make educated purchases. You will be much happier with your appliance decision in the long run.

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Model #ESS25LSNABS, this side by side refrigerator seemed to be making all the normal sounds as usual, but the one thing it wasn't doing was cooling. The customer noticed the freezer side first when the ice all melted, but the refrigerator seemed to be keeping cool for awhile. Then it became obvious that nothing was cold and it was running all the time.



When a refrigerator stops cooling, the cause can be the result of several different components within the unit, but the first step is always to identify the actual problem before proceeding with a diagnosis. Many of these calls are rather general, meaning the reason for the call is a cooling issue. But depending on the actual conditions, such as partial cooling, freezer OK fresh food warm, or even no cooling at all, where we begin our search will change. For example, if the freezer is cooling properly, but the fresh food section is warm, we suspect an airflow or defrost problem. But if we have no cooling at all, it can be as simple as a cold control, or compressor start device to something as complex as a failed compressor. So by determining what is or is not working, we can avoid following a troubleshooting path that leads us in the wrong direction.

As the customer noticed, the unit was not cooling at all, and the warm temperatures in both sides confirmed this when I arrived. With the evaporator fan running, I figured the cold control, or in this case the main board, was trying to cool the unit so it was probably working properly. The logical place to start my search was at the compressor itself by taking some electrical measurements to see if voltage was getting to the compressor.

With everything running, I checked for voltage going to the compressor start device and found no voltage present. While I was there, I did a resistance check of the compressor terminals to verify everything inside the compressor was good. Working backwards to the control board, I went in search of where my voltage was missing and found the problem at the same time.

The unit was in a cooling mode as indicated by both fans running, but in checking for voltage at the high voltage compressor connector on the board, I found no voltage here either. With no voltage coming from the board to power the compressor, the source of the problem has been identified.

A new control board was installed on the back side of this refrigerator and once all the connectors were put back in place, the unit was plugged back in and this time, the fans and compressor came to life. Cold air was quickly circulating from the air inlets so I knew this unit would be ready for food in just a few hours.

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We don't hear much about dryer fires these days, probably due to the multiple safety devices built into today's products, but the potential for fire is still there. Now obviously, the homeowner in this article was not following proper use and care of their dryer, but even if you clean the trap after every load, lint can still find it's way into the venting and cabinet. Lint in the vent results in a restriction of airflow which not only results in longer drying times, but increases the potential for lint buildup in the vent. The pattern continues until something is done to resolve the problem, the dryer stops heating, or something worse. If you want to decrease your chances of fire damage, or just an expensive service call, contact a trusty appliance professional that can do some preventative maintenance on your dryer, and clean the venting as well. A little money today can save you big time down the road. - Me

Article -
HOLLAND -- A lint-packed clothes dryer sparked a Tuesday morning fire that sent two people -- whom firefighters plucked from a second-story roof -- to the hospital, authorities said.

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Model #PLES389ECD, this slide in, glass topped range, had been working fine, but recently, part of the left rear dual surface element stopped heating. The failure was tolerable considering three of the other elements are also duals, and it's summer so there isn't much cooking being done. But then part of the right rear element failed, and a short time later, the remaining portion of the left rear element gave up as well. Figuring this was no coincidence, a call was placed to get to the bottom of this problem.



The glass topped cooktops and ranges, generally use a ribbon style element for heating which consists of a metal housing and has the metal ribbon embedded in a cork type substance. These elements can be single, dual, or even triple elements in one housing allowing for maximum flexibility. They are very reliable in their operation and offer good heat transfer to the glass top and quick heating. Because they are mounted under a flat surface, these ranges are usually much easier to keep clean and maintain.

When diagnosing a surface element that has stopped working, the two components that come into play are the element itself, and the infinite switch the provides the power. Determining which one is causing the problem is simply a matter of getting out your multimeter and taking some measurements.

Because the rest of the range was working, I knew this was an isolated problem, but it was still odd to find two element fail after several years of use. The infinite switches are usually the easiest part to get to as they are usually mounted behind the control panel. This range doesn't use typical mechanical switches, but instead has an actual control board behind each selector knob. This board controls the voltage output to the elements, but also provides for a numerical display indicating the expected output from the element. A nice touch, but when they fail, lets just say, it's a bit more to expensive repair.


After removing the control panel and positioning the switch mount to allow for voltage checks, I turned on the elements and verified voltage from each of the switches. With this confirmed, I next unplugged the range and remove the entire panel assembly giving me access to the wire connector to the elements. I must say, this is a nice feature that Frigidaire has put in most of their ranges and makes it easier to isolate failure.

With my meter set to do resistance checks, I began measuring wire pairs to each of the elements looking for any open circuits. Both of the left rear elements measured open as did one of the right rear. Sure enough, this was indeed an element problem, but because it was so strange, I decided to did a little deeper into the failure.

The glass tops are easy to remove as they are held in place by several screws along the perimeter. Once freed from the housing, each element can be removed by taking loose the spring clips that hold it to brackets glued to the glass top itself. And once I had the two rear elements loose, the failures became obvious, but the reason was so strange, I had to take a photo.

It seems, sometime recently, the customers range become the home to many, many meal worm type creatures that had some desire to climb into these two elements. While the elements were being used, their little worm bodies became electrical conductors and created short circuits and likely plenty of heat as well. This heat resulted in the ribbon portion of the element melting and opened the circuit. The damage was done and the solution was going to be new elements.

The customer was not to pleased with the reason for the failure, but after we both looked long and hard for any other worms and not finding any, she decided to get the range repaired. I installed two new elements in place of the old ones and simply put it all back together paying attention to the wire colors. After everything was back in place, power was again put to the unit and each element heated like they should. The customer had her range back and I had a good story to share.


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Model #KUDS01FKSS0, this tall tub dishwasher would leak during the wash cycle out of the right bottom corner of the door. Each time the unit was in use, anywhere from a small spill, to enough to soak a towel would drip down and land on the customers floor. A couple paper towels were enough at first to keep the water off the floor, but the problem seemed to be getting worse as it seemed like more water was leaking each time it was used.



Anytime we have water leaking from an appliance, it is time to get in and start looking around because leaks will always be visible, and will oftentimes leave some clues. These clues could be a thin white soap film left as the water evaporated, or an area of disturbed dust, but either way, follow the path back to the source. Sometimes, we don't need to follow clues because the source becomes quite evident once we have a look around.

Dishwasher tubs, contrary to popular belief, are not water tight when the door is closed because we need a door that can open to access the dishes. To help keep the water inside the unit, door seals of some form are used to create a tight seal around the edges. These door edges are subjected to water spray from each of the spray arms while in use and are water tight. At the bottom of the door, however, is usually a seal to keep water in, but since it isn't subjected to direct water spray, and well it needs to let the door pivot open, it isn't water tight. These seals, sometimes called air inlets, are used to keep water from getting out, while also allowing air back into the tub. This is important because as the pump is operating, waves of water are flowing around the tub, creating higher air pressures that put excess stress on the door side seals.

The customer noticed water leaking from the right side, which in itself is nothing special, but is oftentimes an indication of a leaking side seal. But I needed more information so I started a wash cycle to test my theory. After the unit had run for a few moments, I opened the door to have a look at the sides of the inner door panel. What I am looking for is water that may have slipped past the side seal and then runs along the door frame only to drip off the hinge in the corner. Both sides were dry to the touch and had no indication that water had been here, so I removed the outer door panel to get a better look at what is going on. With the panel removed, it was easy to see the water surge in the tub as the spray arms are in operation.

Water will flow out in waves toward the front of the tub, only to be dissipated by the bottom seal. But every so often, the surge would be enough to let water up and over the lip of the tub and onto the floor below. Now I found the source of the water, but not why it is happening. But once I opened the door and had a look at the bottom seal, I found the problem.

It looks as if the seal had torn at some point in the past and has continued to tear with each use. With the structural integrity gone, water is no longer easily held back by the seal. The fix is to replace the air inlet seal with a new one, which is mounted along the bottom of the inner door panel. Once in place, I started a test cycle and the differences in operation were night and day.

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Model #MFI2568AEW, not all service calls are fought with electrical failures or require following complex clues to seek a solution. Sometimes they are just simple problems that have simples resolutions. Such as this bottom mount refrigerator I visited recently. When I arrived the customer greeted me with one of the door handles in hand. Apparently, this handle, the right one to be precise, began coming off some time ago and after putting it back in place, it just seemed to come off easier the next time. Now the customer simply left it off to prevent scratching the door skin, but wanted it repaired.



Refrigerator handles can use various forms of mechanical fasteners to hold them securely to the door panels, from small set screws, to a rather complex spring loaded clips requiring a special tool for removal. Many, like this model, use simple metal springs to slip over a shoulder screw on each end to hold everything tight. Now as you might suspect, since the clip allows for ease of installation, it can also indicate it may come off just as easy. But that all depends on how much tension is in the clip and how much force is required in order to remove it from the door.

In the photo above, I have circled the spring clip used on these handles. As you can see, the clip will slide over the head of the screw to hold the handle in place. But the clip on this handle has become bent, most likely it was loose from the initial installation, allowing it to come loose rather easily. The solution is simple and comes in two forms. One, bend the clip out resulting in more pressure being applied to the head of the screw. Or two, put on new handles which contain new clips. The choice is dependant on how loose the handles are and whether or not the clip has any spring tension left to stay in place.

The owner of this refrigerator decided to replace the door handle as the one in her hand had become damaged from frequent falls to the floor. Once the new handle was installed, she verified it was not coming loose and was now confident the right hand door could be used again.

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Well if you are in need of a new appliance, or just want to make an upgrade to something a bit more energy efficient, then the government may be here to help. As the economy struggles along, many people (to the benefit of technicians like me) have decided to fix their trusty old appliance instead of paying for something new. It's a common occurrence, when people have money (or credit) they will forgo the repair and make an upgrade, but when things get tight, they tend to make due. But with the incentives suggested by AHAM, maybe the parking lots at our local retailers will begin to show more activity. And by getting some of the older, high energy use appliances off to a recycling yard, maybe the long term investment may make it all worth while. Whatever happens, be it buy new or keep the old and trusty, I'll still be here to help fix it. - Me

Article -
The Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers (AHAM) applauded the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) for its July 14 release of program guidelines and funding for the Energy Efficient Appliance Consumer Rebate Program, which will be administered through state energy offices for the purchase of Energy Star appliances.

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Model #SHU43C02UC/14, the customer noticed a very hot smell coming from the area of the dishwasher while it was in the middle of a wash cycle. After having a look inside and finding nothing, the door was again closed to allow the cycle to continue. The smell never dissipated and it was even accompanied by a slight popping sound until the display went out and the dishwasher stopped working as if the power was turned off. A check of the circuit breaker found it to still be in the on position, but then the customer decided to turn it off until the unit could be checked by a technician.



As I have talked about before, whenever an appliance simply shuts off and will not turn back on, it is time to figure out where we have power and where we don't. Much like a lamp going out, the problem could be with the bulb, the switch, or even the plug or outlet, but the key is to break the lamp, in this case, into logical sections to check each component. If the light goes out, we may start with a new bulb because it is a common failure, but replacing parts without first verifying the lamp even has power may result in a miss diagnosis.

Dishwashers are not quite as simple as a lamp, but other than a few specialized components, are pretty close electrically. Given the fact this model is actually part of a manufacturer recall for a potential fire hazard, I could have started with the control, but instead thought it best to verify the unit even had power. And to do this, the best place to start is at the junction box behind the lower access panel. This is where the house electrical connection mates with the dishwashers wiring, and is usually about the easiest point to begin our search.

With the panel removed and the junction box cover set aside, I was going to check for voltage with my multimeter, but instead, found a whole lot of melted, and burnt wiring. After removing the damaged wiring and wire nuts, it appears during the initial installation, some 5 years ago, to much wire was pulled into the junction box making for rather cramped quarters. Through years of vibration, the insulation was rubbed off the dishwasher side of the black wire which started arcing to the frame and generated plenty of heat. This heat simply began melting everything resulting in a pungent odor, and finally burned through the wire cutting power to the unit.

It took a little work, but I was able to cut each wire back to good insulation, and with some new wire nuts, had the wires back together in no time. With the power turned back on at the breaker, the unit came alive and started working with the press of a button. The customer still needs to call and get the recall work done, but other than that, it's ready to wash dishes again.

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Model #ATF7000ES1, this front load washer would begin to fill with water when the start button was pressed, then almost immediately would beep and display an E5E error on the user panel. The error could be cancelled and the wash started again, but the results were the same each time.



When an appliance is consistently presenting us with an error message, the best thing to do is identify what the message means and then we can effect a repair to the product. Many times the error will refer to a specific washer part that is causing the problem, while other times, the error can indicate a failure from more than one component requiring a bit of troubleshooting to figure out which one is causing the problem. Tech sheets found in most appliances are the best source for this information, while simple online searches of sites like mine can also get you the information you need.

With an error indicating a communication problem, which is what the E5E error means, this usually ends up being a control board of some type, but which one is seldom easy to determine. As appliances are becoming more complex and function rich, control boards with microprocessors are being used to control more of the machines components and functions. Oftentimes, there is more than one board connected by a wiring harness used to relay these signals from one board to the next. This is a great way to reduce wiring and the overall amount of electronics, but can make for a system susceptible to interference from everything else that is going on inside the appliance.

Following the tech sheet, it refers to a testing procedure which seems to be light on information and heavy on taking guesses. It says, and I quote "Communication problem. Check the wiring between the control board and the speed control board". Simple enough, but then for a resolution, we get "Wiring bad. Correct wiring problem. Wiring good. Replace the control board. If the problem is not corrected, replace the speed control board". Not terribly informative, but I include this example to demonstrate how this increased complexity is making it more difficult to accurately troubleshoot these failures on new appliances.


So following the testing process, I verified each wiring connector between the two boards, and did a resistance check of each wire to ensure I didn't have a broken or shorted wire. With the harness in good shape, I replaced the main control board as the most likely failure item and sure enough, the error code went away for good. Some quick tests verified the machine was ready to wash clothes again, and the customer was putting clothes in as I was finishing up the paperwork.

By the way, as part of this post, I wanted to demonstrate how many of these new appliances now have the potential to develop failures that we technicians cannot nail down to one component or another. Sometimes, we are at the mercy of the manufacturer for information and solutions, leaving us to try one part, and then another until the problem gets resolved. So next time you have a technician that seems to be taking a guess at which part to replace, it may not be his lack of product knowledge that is taking so long, but rather he may just be following the manufactures step by step guidelines to complete the repair.

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Another post from the mailbag where a visitor named Jeff seems to be dealing with water leaking from his side by side refrigerator. Here is what he had to say.

Hello all I have a GE profile TPX24PRBAWW side by side and I am getting ice on the floor of the freezer looks like I have a drip from a grill on the back wall closer to the bottom of freezer. It is not the ice maker I shut off the water to that to see if it was my problem but it still happens. It takes about 10 days to get a half inch of ice on the floor. Is the evaporator behind the grill in the back? I can not find the drain on the floor or do I have to remove the back panel (inside or outside panel?) to find drain tube What else would cause this? Please help Thanks in advance Jeff

Looks like Jeff has identified the problem, now lets take a look and see what is going on in his refrigerator.



Frost free refrigerators, freezers, wine coolers, or most anything else must turn off periodically to remove excess frost from the evaporators coils. This defrost cycle will occur generally every 8 to 12 hours of compressor run time, and last for about 30 minutes. During this time, the cooling components like the compressor and airflow fans will turn off, while a heating element located near the evaporator with turn on. Heat from the element will melt away the frost, preparing the coils for another cooling period while the frost, which is now water, will flow down a drain tube into the condensate pan located under the unit.

Those are the basics and the exact timing of these cycles, types of heaters, locations of drains and so on, vary from model and manufacturer, but the process will be the same. Without a good defrost cycle every so often, the evaporator coils will become covered in frost, which will turn to a block of ice preventing air flow around the coils and limiting the unit cooling potential.

Now since Jeff noticed water in the bottom of the freezer section, even after the ice maker was turned off, we know the defrost cycles must be working. The water that normally goes down the drain, simply has no place else to go and turns into a block of ice in the bottom of the freezer. Fortunately, this problem has a pretty easy solution, and that is, get rid of the ice.


It's best to start by removing as much ice as possible, then depending on the make and model, it may be necessary to remove the evaporator cover. This could be just a lower panel inside the back of the freezer, or the entire thing requiring removing all the rails and shelves. But it is important to remove the ice and get to the drain opening itself to get it cleared out. Once exposed, use very warm water to further melt the ice from around the drain opening and continue until you hear water flowing into the condensate pan underneath. It is usually prudent to snake the drain tube to ensure nothing is physically blocking or restricting the flow of water. I use a 1/4" plastic water line to put into the drain until it comes out the other end. Don't be surprised if you don't find anything, but experience shows, it takes very little to slow the flow of water and begin forming ice in the drain.

Once the drain is clear and the water flows freely, dry off the panels and remove all the water you can see or you may create another problem in the future. Then put everything you took off back together and the freezer should be ready for use.

The blocked drain is not an unusual problem, meaning you shouldn't get to worried if this happens to your refrigerator. Simply identify the problem, then takes the steps to make the repair and to reduce the likely hood that it will occur again.

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