[preisbeck]

The minerals from the well water have clogged the drain from the auto defrost in the freezer. The water now accumulates on the glass shelves. The drip/evaporation pan is full of this white mineral crusty stuff. I do not know how to replace the drain or clean it. There is no service persons available at the location because it is in the remote mountain area of Colorado.

[denman]

The drain line should run down the outside back of the fridge.
You may be able to disconnect the tubing from the drain fitting to see if the clog is in the drain fitting or the fitting/evaporator drain pan.

I believe this drain pan connects directly to the drain line but am not 100% sure of this. Some units drain into a funnel like part at the top of the fresh food section and then down to the drip pan under the unit.

If plugged a turkey baster with warm water, an air compressor with low pressure or a wire can often be used to clear it.

Also check that it is not plugged with dust etc. at the drain pan end.
You might as well clean the condenser/compressor fan and the condenser coils while you are down there.

If it looks like stuff is growing in the tube I would flush it with a 10% bleach solution. This should kill the stuff and let you flush it out. You may have to do this several times, let it sit for 15 minutes or so between flushes.

Be careful that the drip tray does not overflow and empty the drip tray after you are done.

Be sure to unplug the unit while doing this.

Sounds like you may have another problem.
Your drain line should not have any well water minerals.
It is there to catch water from the frost build up on the evaporator coils.
This is moisture in the air and therefore has nothing to do with you well water.

[preisbeck]

Thank you for your reply. I will attempt to try all of your suggestions. The reason I thought the mineral build up came from the well water is that I previously would leave the ice cubes in the freezer and not empty it or shut it off. Last year there was several times we did not get there for six or eight weeks and the ice would be evaporated by the freezer fans. That is where I thought the mineral build up was coming from. In the future I will empty the cube box and turn off the cube maker. There was a large quantity of white crusty minerals in the drain pan which led to my conclusion. However, it had to be in some kind of liquid form to get to the drain pan.

I have no clue what else it could be if not that?

Originally Posted by denman

The drain line should run down the outside back of the fridge.
You may be able to disconnect the tubing from the drain fitting to see if the clog is in the drain fitting or the fitting/evaporator drain pan.

I believe this drain pan connects directly to the drain line but am not 100% sure of this. Some units drain into a funnel like part at the top of the fresh food section and then down to the drip pan under the unit.

If plugged a turkey baster with warm water, an air compressor with low pressure or a wire can often be used to clear it.

Also check that it is not plugged with dust etc. at the drain pan end.
You might as well clean the condenser/compressor fan and the condenser coils while you are down there.

If it looks like stuff is growing in the tube I would flush it with a 10% bleach solution. This should kill the stuff and let you flush it out. You may have to do this several times, let it sit for 15 minutes or so between flushes.

Be careful that the drip tray does not overflow and empty the drip tray after you are done.

Be sure to unplug the unit while doing this.

Sounds like you may have another problem.
Your drain line should not have any well water minerals.
It is there to catch water from the frost build up on the evaporator coils.
This is moisture in the air and therefore has nothing to do with you well water.

[denman]

I am not sure where the deposits can come from.

FYI
If the ambient temperature is cold (especially down around freezing) then what can happen is that when defrost comes on the temperature in the freezer rises. But due to the ambient temperature the fridge/compressor does not come on after defrost so the heat is trapped in the freezer and it's contents melt.