clogged drainage tube

[marie]

You have shown a repair guide for this problem in a Whirlpool fridge-water under crisper drawers.
I have a Fridgidaire.  I have tried unplugging it to melt any ice that may be blocking the tube.
I have removed the back panel in the freezer and poured hot water down the tube.
I have tried to stick various wires both down the tube and up the tube from the bottom: coat hanger-too stiff, speaker wire-too limp, I even got desperate and tried a plumber's snake, with the thick end cut off,--all to no avail.  I need to access this tube to clean it out.  
Do you have a repair guide for my Fridgedaire or any suggestions of what to use to clean out this tube so it will drain into the drain pan?

Model GS21HTZBB0

[Repair-man]

I looked at your model and it is a standard top-mount freezer. There is no "access" to the drain tube other than at either end. The tube has been permanently built into the liner of the refrigerator and is not accessible to replace.

With this in mind, you have no alternative other than to thaw the line out and then clear whatever debris is blocking it. If this means moving your food out for a day or 2 then that is what you'll have to do. We use various methods of removing blockage in the field, including forced air, steam and heat guns. The line may be frozen well down into the tube, so the unit must stand unplugged with the freezer open for at least 24 hours before you begin the drain clearing process.

[marie]

Thanks for your quick answer.
I'll try the leaving it off for 24 hours.
I'll also try to get compressed air somewhere.  Any suggestions?

[Repair-man]

Marie;

As far as compressed air goes, you could use one of those disposable Helium cans that you find at party stores for balloons. They contain enough pressure to blast out that line without hurting anything, as long as there's a hose on the can that will reach over to the drain. You can blast from either end, then follow up with a pint of very hot water poured down from the top, which has a capful of Clorox mixed with it in case there are any algae growing down there.

Prevention is the best cure....the line froze up due to excessively cold temperatures in the freezer section, plus the damper control which allows the air into the FF section may not be set correctly. Your target temperature inside the freezer is 0. Not -8 or -10, but ZERO. If you make it too cold, the drain will freeze up soon. Adjust the temperature control so that it matches this target temperature. You may have to use a freezer thermometer found at most every grocery store to help regulate your temperatures.

[BrntToast]

you cant snake from the freezer on a frigidaire

remove the 4 screws that hold the control housing to the top of the fridge section, make sure the tray and tube at the back of this housing are clean

now that the housing is removed from the fridge section you will see the tube that can be snaked

once you remove this housing you will see why the snake wouldn't go for you before, its a lil bit of a different set-up then some other types of fridges

this is also where you would do the compressed air, doin air from the freezer will not clean the drain line in the cabinet, it'll leak out long before it ever hits the plugged tube

[marie]

Thank you, BrntToast, I'll try going thru the refrigerator section, after removing the contol panel.  Will I have to watch out for any wires like the panel in the back of the freezer section?

[JWWebster]

What I have found is popcicle wrappers or something blocking the drain. To get to it you have to remove the icemaker and  Access panel where the defrost heaters ans terminator live. Usually the rear panel. The freezer coils are located over a drip tray that is angled on both sides going to the draintrap in the middle. As the heaters warm up the water drips into the pan and out the drainspout. If a popcicle wrapper or someng blocks this drain then the water will rollout into the bottom under the crispers.

[marie]

dear jwwebster, I have removed the back panel in the freezer section and tried to snake all kinds of wires down the drain.  I poured hot water too.  The water keeps coming out in the refrigerator around the tube that goes from the control panel on the roof of the fridge section to the back of the refrigerator.
I am going to defrost it again and try to remove the fridge control panel to get access to the tube that runs down the back of the fridge.
Thank you   

[JWWebster]

Just be sure you don't nick anythang that may cause the freon to leak out. Why not find the end of the drain near the bottom use you vacuum cleaner to try and get the clog out? I have a small wet dry vac that works pretty good. I can reverse the hose and make it blow.

[marie]

ok, JWWebste, I'll be careful.  Good idea about the wet/dry vac.   Marie

[BrntToast]

there is one harness inside the control panel, it has a single plug, you can unplug it to remove the panel to give you more room, it only plugs in one way so no worries about how it plugs back in

[marie]

thanks for the info about the wiring, BrntToast.