I have a hotpoint quadrio and ice keeps building up in the freezer at the bottom. The tray at the back is bone dry so I suspect that the drip tube is blocked. How do I unblock it? Can I get access from inside the freezer?

Question edited for clarity,

This is always due to ice build up. It can take up to a week to defrost with drawers closed. You have to remove the top drawer to defrost the bottom drawer if you want to do it faster. It is a known issue on the Quadrio and is mentioned in two of the articles, Mumsnet and Just Answer. Great looking appliance, but bad design.

https://www.google.com/search?q=hotpoint+quadrio+bottom+drawer+won%27t+open

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Hi,

This is a simple fix but will take a little time to correct this. First of all, empty the freezer of food and shelving, ice maker if you have it also. The back wall in the freezer is a false wall, so gain access by removing screws and harness from top left corner. By the way turn off the unit or unplug it!! Now at the bottom of the unit far back you will see an ice glassier in the bottom middle is a drain hole that all the water is to exit after defrost. Well because its blocked with ice the water overfills and leaking into the refer section. Make sure you can use hot water to clear this out but make sure you cleaned out the entire drain system before reassembling this to restore cooling. Once clear you problem is solved.

Good Luck

I’m happy to help further over the phone at https://www.6ya.com/expert/gere_bf68e6055dd61249

there is a water tube connection at the bottom of door on hinge side that has a spring and allows it to swing with door. it also has a fitting there so the door can be removed.it is the tube running inside the door to the ice water dispenser. if it has one, it can leak at the fiting

The problem is relatively simple to repair. The drain tube in the freezer is blocked so the water will drain down the back of your fridge. Often the drain gets blocked by ice build up. The defrost circuit in your fridge has failed and ice is building up on the evap coil in the freezer. When the ice builds up, it blocks the drain tube. The typical failures of the defrost is the timer failing to advance or the heater is burned out. Being that said it was probally manufactured at least10 years ago, and certainly a new refridgerator would be more energy efficient and cheaper to operate than using a 10 year old model. Whether you should repair or replace it depends on whether you have the money to replace it. Hope this helps you.

Defrost drain tube is clogged. Have to clear this by removing back wall inside freezer and removing the ice build up inside the defrost tray and tube. Very very hot water and hairdryer will help with this process. hope this helps.

Hello, this sounds like you have a blockage in the drain tube, remove panel back/bottom of freezer..you may see ice build up...melt ice with hair dryer/heat gun...you will see a pan below evaporator...melt ice in pan...dry water up in pan with paper towel...now you should see a hole in pan that leads to drain tube...pour some hot water in pan..wait a couple minutes..mop up water and repeat this step 2-3 times....once you have done this find some flexible curatain wire or electrical wire..poke down the hole until you see the water drain..now it is clear..put back panel back and you are good to go. The reason you see water in the fridge is because the water has been leaking into the freezer and down the vent into the fridge instead of running into the drain hole...Please feel free to comment again if you need any further assistance. Mike

you have a blockage in the drain tube, remove panel back of freezer..you will see ice build up...melt ice with hair dryer/heat gun...you will see a pan below evaporator...melt ice in pan...dry water up in pan with paper towel...now you should see a hole in pan that leads to drain tube...pour some hot water in pan..wait a couple minutes..mop up water and repeat this step 2-3 times....once you have done this find some flexible curatain wire or electrical wire..poke down the hole until you see the water drain..now it is clear..put back panel back and you are good to go. the reason you see water in the fridge is because the water has been leaking down the vent instead of the drain hole...If you need any further assistance please feel free to comment again. good luck!

Yes you are right there is a drain tube in the middle of the coils. You need to remove the back panel and you will see the coils of the evaporator (freezer) and right underneath you will see drain tube. Now more then likely it is plugged with ice so take some regular table salt and two or three teaspoons on the top of the tube opening will break it loose and start draining. Take some regular tap water and pour down just to flush the tube and inspect the bottom collection pan under the fridge and see how much water is coming out. Be sure to have unit turned off when you do this cause the fan will run inside the freezer compartment other wise. Hope this helps you. ken

don't know this appliance but for guidence:
some appliances have the evaporator in a compartment at the top of the freezer and the drain comes out of the back and runs externally to the drip tray. there should be a grill in the compartment so just peer into it and see if there is ice build up.
wherabouts is the freezer ice forming?

Symptoms:
Ice forms at the bottom of the Hotpoint FFA90 Freezer compartment, below the bottom drawer.
Cause:
The drain hole at the back of the freezer compartment is blocked with ice and sludge.
Solution:
This take about 20 minutes to complete.
1. Tools required:
- 7mm socket spinner.
- Phillips screwdriver.
- Clean damp cloth.
- Electric fan heater (optional, but it makes the job much quicker).
- A length of plastic tubing approx 3 ft (1 metre) long with 5mm bore (optional).
- A few inches of fairly stiff but flexible, insulated wire. I used a piece of yellow/green earth wire.
- A torch or inspection lamp.
2. Switch off the fridge and pull out the mains plug.
3. Remove all the freezer drawers. If there is food in them, wrap them in a duvet or something cosy to reduce thawing.
4. Place a shallow tray under the front of the freezer compartment to catch dripping water.
5. Switch the fan heater on to low heat, and let it blow into the freezer compartment from a distance. DO NOT get it too close - a gentle heat is all you need.
6. After a few minutes, use a blunt knife to prise the sheet of ice away from the bottom of the freezer compartment. I managed to lift mine out in one piece! - but it will probably crack into smaller pieces. Mop up as you go.
7. Using the 7mm spinner, remove the 8 self-tapping, hexagonal head screws that fix the back panel inside the freezer compartment. With all the screws removed, ease the panel out gently, pulling from the bottom first. It may stick a bit where ice has stuck to foam rubber inside, so don't pull to fast.
8. Put the panel on your draining board and allow it to thaw out. There will probably be lots of ice stuck to the foam rubber backing. Don't pull the ice off by hand - you may damage the foam.
9. At the back of the freezer compartment, below the chiller tubes, there is a drain hole about 15mm diameter, and this will probably be blocked with ice. Allow the fan heater to continue to thaw the ice in here, mopping up from time to time. Gently ease off any bits of ice with the blunt knife. As the ice thaws, the drain hole will gradually clear.
10. Insert one end of the plastic tube into the drain hole, and blow long and steady through the other. The warmth of your breath will help to thaw the ice in the drainage tube. Keep going until you have cleared about 5cm down.
11. Now use the piece of wire to poke down the hole and clear any further blockage. This should go down about 8-10 cm or so.

OK, that's cleared the drain hole and the drain pipe. Now you have to clear a messy brown sludge from the evaporation tray underneath, at the back.

12. Switch off the fan heater, and pull the fridge freezer away from the wall, so that you have clear access to the back.
13. Vacuum the dust and cobwebs out of the way - you need to see what you're doing!
14. Above the motor is the evaporation tray. Remove the two Phillips screws that fix it to the back of the fridge.
15. You'll need the torch for the next bit. Look between the top of the evaporation tray and the underneath of the freezer compartment. You will see a black, soft plastic tube about 18mm diameter that links the drainage hole with the tray. Use the screwdriver to prise the tube gently upwards and out of the tray. This could be messy with brown sludge.
16. Taking care not to damage or bend the metal pipes, gently remove the evaporation tray. This will probably have a messy brown sludge in parts.
17. Wash the tray clean; it will need a jet of water and a small washing up brush to get this clean.
18. Wipe the black plastic tube clean.
19. Replace the tray. The fiddly bit is getting the black tube back into the corresponding tubular hole in the tray. I had to remove the screw from the bottom left corner of the coolant pipework in order to get my hand in. Bend the black tube double so that the fold is towards you, and ease the end into the tubular hole in the tray; then push the tube down into place.
20. Re-fix the tray and fixing screw for the coolant pipes; then move the fridge freezer back into place.
21. The inner panel should have thawed somewhat. Gently remove any remaining ice and mop it dry. Press the aluminium foil and foam back into place. Wipe both sides clean.
22. Inside the freezer compartment, mop the coolant tubing gently. Mop the circular foam seal around the fan, and press it back into place.
23. Replace the inner panel. DO NOT over tighten the screws, as they are self-tapping into the plastic walls of the freezer compartment, and you might strip the thread.
24. Replace the freezer drawers, and switch on.
You should now be up and running.
I hope this is easy to understand! Good luck.
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