Self defrosting refrigerators as well as freezers all have a defrost drain system. This drain system can become plugged or frozen causing defrost drain water to back up into the refrigerator or freezer compartment. The water may gather under the crisper drawers on top freezer models. On side by side, bottom or stand alone freezers ice will build up in the freezer at the bottom and eventually leak out the door.
Plugged Defrost Drain - Freezer on Top (Water under the crisper drawers)
At the top of the refrigerator next to the temperature controls there usually is a cup-like part that carries the defrost drain water into a tube and out the back of the refrigerator to a defrost drain pan behind the unit. Pull the cup out of the tube and clean the cup with hot water and soap. If there is no cup, pull the refrigerator out away from the wall, go behind it and disconnect the drain tube to clear it. If the drain tube is not accessible from the back or the drain can not be cleared from there the main back panel in the freezer can be removed to access, thaw and flush out the drain under the cooling coil.
Use a turkey baster to flush HOT water into the tube to clear any obstruction. The water squirted into the tube should end up in the defrost drain pan.
If the tube will not clear with hot water try blowing it out with compressed air.
Put the cup back on and make sure it is all the way on or in the tube.
Plugged Defrost Drain - Side By Side, Bottom-Freezer Refrigerator or Stand Alone Freezer
The defrost drain pan is located at the bottom of the freezer compartment behind the back wall of the freezer. On some models, the pan is accessible without removing the back panel and others are not. After you get to the defrost drain pan use a hair dryer to melt the ice from the pan.
Once the ice is removed use a turkey baster to squirt HOT water into the drain hole to clear the drain.
When the drain is clear you should hear or see the water you are squirting into the hole enter the pan under or behind the refrigerator.
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All of the cooling in the unit takes place in the freezer, so all of the defrosting is done in the freezer. The cooling coil, (evaporator) has a drain pan that catches the defrost water. That drain pan has an opening that is probably plugged with debris or the drain line is plugged.
Probably a plugged drain line or plugged drain pan opening. This drain pan is located under the cooling coil (evaporator). When the unit defrost itself, the water is carried away via this pan and drain line.
I had a problem with Ice forming in the bottom of my freezer on my whirlpool side by side freezer-refrigerator. Turn out to be a plugged drain in the bottom of the freezer. That drain goes into a tray under the whole unit. During Defrost, condensate drops from the contents of the freezer on to the bottom of the freezer and goes through a drain tube to a pan underneath. Should that drain tube become plug and the water is left standing in the bottom of the freezer, it will turn back to ice after the defrost cycle is over. Once the drain tube is clean out, the problem goes away.
The drian hole has become stopped up and ice has accumulated in the the drian hole. You will need to unplug the fridge and remove the cover on the back (located at the bottom, 6 screws). On the freezer side there is a drian hole with a rubber 90 and a clear line that runs to the drain pan. Remove line and unstop. Don't not put the line back on yet.
Now for the fun part, remove the basket and the two bottom shelves from the freezer. Half way up the back there are 2 screws that need to be removed. After removing screws pull up on the top cover to so you can remove the bottom cover. The bottom cover maybe froze to the coils and to the inside drain pan. Break the ice with a butter knife, and remove cover ( do not hit the coils). Now you need to break the ice that is froze to the the pan and under it. Once you have remove all the ice you will see the drain hole, use a small pointed object to break ice that is in drain hole. Now you can put the drain line back on and make sure that the other end is in the drain pan under the fridge. Now reassemble the fridge and plug it back up.
defrost drain under coils in freezer is blocked or frozen with ice down in defrost hole. defrost hole with hairdryer but be careful not to melt the plastic.
Listened to other posts and figured drain plug was clogged. It was with ice. Removed bottom pan and back panel of freezer, removed ice on bottom, put hot water in drain to thaw ice until it flowed into pan underneath fridge. Thanks for the ideas.
the problem is the freezer drain is plugged up. when the fridge goes into defrost,the water that is suppose to drain out has no where to go. so it refreezes . that ice has plugged up the blend air vents between the freezer & the fridge.
1st put your food in a cooler. Unplug the refridge.
(you may want to take pictures as you go.for the reassembling)
open up the freezer, remove the rear panel, & the bottom panel (if possible)
you will see the coils, underneith the coils you will see an metal tray. it will probly have ice on it.
with a blow dryer, heat the ice till you see the drain . now that drain has to be cleaned out.
that drain runs down to the bottom of refridge into a drain pan. with a wet vac , attach it to the drain tube, until you fell suction in the freezer. small amounts of hot water does help.
( it usually gets plugged up from bugs)
next , open the fridge ,on the ceiling of the fridge.there will be a plastic cover (most models) remove the cover carefully. usually there are 2 passiges from the freezer to the fridge. that is where the cold air drops into the fridge. there will probally be ice in these passages, which has to be removed.(be careful with the stirofoam)
once you have cleaned out all the ice ,reinstall all those pieces.
plug back in the refridge.It will tak a day for it to get cold again.( hint get 2 bags of ice to help speed up the cooling down process)
I also have the same problem with my ET1CHMXKQ03. Short of some serious fix, we simply found where it was leaking at the top middle and placed a dish on the top rack to collect the water. Then we emply this dish periodically. In searching the web for a permanent fix, I found the 4 articles.
Option 1:
In the center of the top of the fresh food section there is a drain cup that just plugs into the drain line at the back. Just pull it straight out and rinse it out and put it back. Option 2: Most times this is a plugged defrost drain system. The defrost heater in the freezer section melts the frost and changes it to water, this water is suppose to flow down a drain system. If this drain system is restricted or plugged the water will leak inside the refrigerator. The drain system starts in the freezer section with a tray built under the evaporator coil. The water is funneled through a small hose into a cup in the top middle of the fresh food section, from there, the water is directed out the back wall to a drain hose that runs down the back of the refrigerator into a condensing tray. The heat created under the fridge makes the water evaporate and disappear. Some of the cups ( in the top back of the fresh food section ) can be removed for cleaning. A turkey baster can be used to help clean out the drain system. Fill the baster with hot water and "blast" it into the drain hose to help flush it out. A piece of wire or pipe cleaner can also be pushed into the drain hoses to help clean then out.
Option 3: I had the same problem with a whirlpool refrigerator with freezer on top. TURN OFF & UN-PLUG IT. To access the freezer drain you must pull the refrig out from the wall and take off the bottom-back panel, it uses some (7) small nut headed screws. The drain is the white tube on the left going into the drain pan. You can push a long wire or plastic hose up the tube, however that will probably only hit something solid (ice) and blowing air may not clear it, until you let the freezer completely thaw out, which may take several days. I took out all the freezer items and placed them in coolers to keep them frozen. Then removed the back panel in the freezer, two nut headed screws at the top center. The bottom of this panel was frozen to the bottom of the freezer compartment, so I used a hair-dryer to thaw it enough to loosen it. (Be careful: water and electricity do not mix well!) The left side of this panel has some electrical control wires attached, so the left side will not come out, just rotate the panel and lean it against the left side of the compartment. Now use the hair dryer (or pour hot water on it) to melt the ice along the bottom back of the compartment under the freezer coils. BE CAREFUL: The fins are sharp and will cut! Do not bend them. If they are all frozen up your heating element-defroster may be out. If there is only ice along the bottom, the hair-dryer or hot-water will help melt it to the point it can be removed. If the drain hole at the back-bottom-center-right is plugged with ice, poor hot water on it to speed up its melting. The hair drier will not do this very fast and you cannot chip it out without damaging the plug hole. Mine was solid ice about 2 inches into the tube and hot water finally thawed it. Then pour water through the hole to flush it out. Clean the bottom drain pan & re-assemble. Good luck. Option 4: You have to turn fridge off for 24 hrs . Because the drain hose goes down to the drain pan , it goes between the walls. So you cant access it to clean it out Get a small hose and push It up the drain tube from the bottom ,and blow Up the hose to clear the debris Things you'll need 30 minutes Small socket for cardboard panel on lower back and panel inside freezer Bicycle Pump 4 Towels Hair Dryer
1. Take everything out of freezer 2. Turn dials off in fridge for both compartments 3. Pull fridge out so you can get behind it and unplug it 4. Be vigilant of ice maker line if installed 5. Pull cardboard panel off on back On the left side you should see the back of the skinny drip pan and a small line. That line goes from the freezer and is most likely clogged. 6. Blow dry the back of the freezer enough so the ice is thawed at the bottom of the back panel. 7. Remove the two screws on the back panel. You may just be able to pull it toward you enough to get behind it. You'll see the coils and fan, and underneath these you may see some ice sheets and there should be a hole. That is the drain line that is clogged. I heated up some water and poured it over the drain to thaw the line. You may want to remove the crisper drawers and put some towels down there to catch the overflow. Once the ice is thawed enough at the drain. Go to the back of the fridge and place the end of the bicycle pump at the bottom of the drain hose. Apply pressure to get a good seal but keep pumping. You may have to go back and forth between pumping and thawing, but you'll know it is clear when you hear air going into the freezer and then the wonderful moment when water drips into the drip pan as advertised!
well if you hat the freezer on top normaly air leaks inside freezer through the drain tube, that air turns into condensation and creates a ice and cloges your drain. now water can drain down to pan everytime ref goes into defrost , and water leaks to bottom section to air ducts and air returns. there are several ways to solve this problem the cheapeste way is to unplug refrigerator for 2 days then plug back up and it should go back to normal another way is to install a heat probe on your drain attached to your defrost heater , and add a grommet on drain tube that will let water drain but it will keep air out and that will solve your problem.
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