Water from a blocked drain hole should not freeze in the refrigerator compartment. This sounds like insulation failure between the freezer and the refrigerator compartment. How old is the fridge freezer and is it frost free?
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It was bought about six years ago, I think. And yes, it is frost free.
I've always been careful about that.
The other day I did notice that the door was very slightly ajar. As far as I could work out, it had been that way for a couple of hours. Would that be long enough for ice to form?
I just tried it. The water drained away with no problems.
Thanks for your thoughts.
It does sound like insulation failure and I hope I'm wrong as there is not an economic repair. The -18C temps in the freezer are leaking into the refrigerator. It happens. If I'm correct and the unit is less than 6 years old you may have a claim under the sale of goods act. You will have to prove the fault and show that the fault is a manufacturing fault, which it obviously is. Probably not worthwhile.
Oh dear. Well, thanks for the thought: I'll keep a careful eye on things and see what transpires,
What volume of ice do you get over what sort of time interval? With my mother's f/f I doubt there's more than about a tablespoonful of water freezing per week.
That's not easy to answer. Today was the first time I'd ever noticed it, so I've no idea how long it's taken to get to that state. There was a thin coating of ice (thin enough to easily scrape off with a plastic spatula) covering almost exactly half of the bottom of the fridge, where the two salad drawers sit side-by-side. The ice was neatly formed under the left-hand drawer and was slightly thicker towards the back.
I also discovered a more solid build-up in the left-hand drainage channel at the back of the fridge.
My mother bought what was then a quality fridge freezer, Zanissi and it cost her a lot of money. She got the same problem as you and I diagnosed insulation failure. I used to repair refrigeration in those days. She had taken out the extended warrantee. Out comes repair man who fits new thermostat....ffs. Back comes the ice. Out comes different repair man who got it right. She got some money back under warrantee, not the full amount that she had paid.
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Better still drag the thing out and check that the dish on top of the compressor isn't running extensive experiments in new and exotic forms baterial and fungal life. B-)
The unit in question is a fridge freezer with the fridge on top, so the drain pipe is probably 3' long...
With a conventional fridge I often found that lettuce stored in the designated "salad drawer" would freeze. Basic physics dictates that this will be the coldest spot, so why it is chosen for stuff that really doesn't like to be frozen beats me. I ended up using the drawer for less vulnerable items.
My present appliance has an optional circulating fan, which I have turned on. It may use a tiny bit of extra energy, but knowing that the entire fridge is, as near as is practicable, at the designated (and indicated) temperature is well worth it.
Chris
In message , at 08:17:03 on Tue, 3 Sep 2013, Chris J Dixon remarked:
It had never happened before in that fridge, or any other I'd owned.
funny you should say that. anything that touches the back of my fridge freezes solid. its a hotpoint rl 175.
we get a lot of water in the bottow even if nothing is touching the back and have to remove it every couple of weeks.
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mhm x v i x i i i
"happy zombie jebus on the cross" wrote in message news: snipped-for-privacy@4ax.com...
The temperature of the backplate can be -20C at times. You have a blocked drain hole. Curtain wire that is used for hanging net curtains will clear it.
i know they get blocked. atm it looks clear. when i last took the whole fridge out i cleaned the hole right out and the little tray it drips into. that wasn't that long ago.
i wouldn't be at all suprized if it is blocked lower than i can see. i'll get the mrs to help me sort it out tomorrow. i normaly use a small bamboo stick and a jay cloth kinda thing to poke any filth through and clean it.
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mhm x v i x i i i
"happy zombie jebus on the cross" wrote in message news: snipped-for-privacy@4ax.com...
Curtain wire or a length of electrical cable. I would not use a bamboo stick.
its one of those skewer ones for cooking. i put the cleaing cloth over the whole and gently push the stick (surrounded by cleaning cloth)through the hole. the stick is much smaller than the hole so no damage to be caused by it.
i guess i could try your method, i do have a shitload of the curtain wire in a drawer somewhere. or a tool box. one or the other.
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mhm x v i x i i i
"happy zombie jebus on the cross" wrote in message news: snipped-for-privacy@4ax.com...
Years ago I used to fix fringes, the blocked drain hole was common. The curtain wire always worked.
The evaporator (the cold bit) is usually in the back wall of the fridge.
I'd defrost it, ensure the drain holes are clear and see if it goes. If it is an insulation breakdown (seems plausible) you could stick in a bit of closed cell type insulating mat, like those roll mats campers use.
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