Water in bottom of freezer

Heater glow behind frz back wall is normal during auto defrost cycle. This happens about 2 or 3 times a day for approximately 30 to 45 minutes. The water migrating into the fresh food section could be from a blocked drain tube which should be be in the area directly under the red glow you noticed. Should be a hole going through the floor into the drain pan under the refrigerator. Force hot water down hole until it flows freely.

Yes, this is the defrost coil that turns on periodically.

Orange glow is defrost heater and that is normal. Crackling sound is heater heating up area around it, normal. Water and ice build up in the bottom is due to a clogged defrost drain.

Hi,

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there is an element in there for self-defrosting, if you have a self-defrosting model. It heats up like an oven element ( not nearly as hot) to get rid of frost build up.

Pull the refrig out and remove the 8 " x 10 " panel . Behind this panel , is the main
control board . Unplug the refrig . Remove the BLUE plug from the board , with 3 larger
wires going to it . Looking at the blue plug , the sequence will be wire1,wire2,space,wire3
. Get a short piece of insulated wire , and strip about 1/4 inch from each end . Insert 1
end into wire2 , and the other into wire3 . Plug the refrig back in . After about 3 min ,
look in the freezer , at the bottom , behind the crisper , look for a red glow . If no red
glow , unplug the refrig , and reassemble the plug and cover . This no glow , indicates a
shorted defrost heater WR51X10055 . It is also advisable to replace the defrost thermostat (
pt. number WR50X10068 ) when replacing the heater . To access these parts , you will have to
remove the inside rear wall of the freezer . The heater , is at the bottom of the coils ,
held on with 2 screws , and the thermostat , is the 1 " cylinder , with a blue and pink wire
going to it , clipped on the top left of the coils .
If you do get a red glow , then the # 4 thermistor is bad . This tells the main control
board , the temp of the coils , if they need defrosted , when they are thru defrosting .
This thermistor is the 1 " long , torpedo looking piece , clipped on the top left of the
coils , with 2 white wires going to it . Part number WR55X10025 . It would be advisable to
also replace the # 5 thermistor , located at the bottom of the freezer , slightly in front
of the drain , also with 2 white wires going to it , slid into a housing . This thermistor ,
is the freezer thermistor , which tells the control board , the freezer temp and when to cycle off .

Your evaporator coils frost up in normal use and every eight hours or so the entire unit shuts down and the defrost heater comes on to melt the frost. This cycle last about 20 minutes. The melted frost drips into a drain pan and through a drain tube to the drain tray under the freezer/refrigerator where it's evaporated by the condenser fan.


Your drain tube may be stopped up with ice at the upper end because it drains too slow because it's stopped up at the lower end in the evaporator pan under the unit at the floor. It can get dust and mold in it. Once you get the ice out at the top a little pressure with a turkey baster will usually clear it out. Flushing it out with hot water and clorox may help.
Make sure it drains quick enough to prevent refreezing. . The drain should be located below the evaporator coils on the lower back of the freezer.

the unit is just in the defrost cycle. the red glow is the defrost element. the sounds you hear is it defrosting and the water hitting the element. it does this every 12-18 hours. shane

Pull refrig out from the wall and unplug . Remove the 8" x 10 " panel covering the main control board . On this board , unplug the blue plug with 3 larger wires going to it . The sequence looks like this : wire1,wire2,space,wire3 . Use a piece of wire , with both ends stripped about 1/4 " , and insert an end into wire2 and wire3 . Plug refrig back in . Look inside the freezer at the back bottom , and see if you see a red glow . It may take about 30 seconds for the glow to appear . If no glow appears , the defrost heater located at the bottom of the coils ( glass tube ) is probably shorted . Pt # WR51X10042 . Also replace the defrost thermostat Pt # WR50X10068 . To access these parts , the inside freezer panel has to be removed . If you do get a red glow , then the main control board is bad Pt # WR55X10656 .

This is from the GE Appliance "Knowledge Database" Web site:

Refrigerator - Explanation Of Red Glow

In a no frost refrigerator, the defrost timer activates defrost heaters in the evaporator section (rear of freezer) which heat up and melt the frost off the evaporator coils. This process lasts for approximately 25-45 minutes and usually happens up to twice a day.

During this time, there will be no running sounds, no fan noise, and you may hear water dripping or sizzling as it hits the heaters. On side by side models, you may even be able to see an orange glow at the bottom of the freezer.

This is normal.