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Brand: GE Adora
Model Number: DFE28JMKES
Main Symptom: Ice forming on floor of freezer
What happens & when: Refrigerator, ice maker and freezer seem to be working normally, yet ice slowing forms on the freezer bottom over the course of a couple of months and eventually starts leaking on the floor.
Error Code (if any): None
Parts or tests already tried: I previously removed all ice from the freezer, opened the back cover inside the freezer to remove the ice, defrosted the freezer and removed and cleaned the drain tube to ensure water cold flow easily from the freezer drain pan into the tube and out. The fan in the freezer is working normally. Yet, ice has built up again on the floor of the freezer. What else should I check and how? I suspect that heat rod is not working or not being powered on by a thermo coupler (if there is one on this unit) or a control board. Please advise.
Photos / video link:
When it does this, does it seem like the drain tube is getting frozen? Was the drain pan bowed or warped?
The inside drain pan under the coils does not appear to be bent or warped. The internal drain hole that connects to the external drain tube is frozen solid and that drain pan is filled with ice. I puddle of ice has already formed on the bottom of the freezer since it was cleaned yesterday. Not that my external drain tube is a “J” shaped tube and not a straight one that goes directly into the external drain/drying pan. I have pictures of all of this if you would like to see them, but this part of the app will not let me attach them.
I’m wondering if there might be a blockage or restriction in that drain line between the drain pan and the machine compartment. If the defrost heater is working I wouldn’t worry about the heater wire going into the drain tube as long as it seems properly placed, it is just a solid piece of wire for heat conduction.
Once you’ve got everything thawed out, take some weedeater line or 1/4” water tubing and try running it down through that drain hole to see if there is a restriction of some kind in the body of the unit.
The drain hole is not a straight shot/connection with the exterior drain tube. I ran a soft circular brush up through the outside drain and it never came into view in the freezers interior drain even though the brush went well above the level of the freezer’s drain hole. I also attempted to run weed eater line through the interior drain whole, but will not make the turn all of which leads me to believe the drain line has a “T” in it to connect the refrigerator and freezer drains. There is no way that I can prove of disprove this as the back in that area is a sealed unit. Now that the drain hole is ice free, I used a turkey baster to shoot water into the drain hole and it comes out of the drain tube without restriction. That said, there are a few other items to note: 1. The metal drip/drain pan in the freezer had significant ice buildup under it causing the pan to deform into a long bubble shape on both sides of the drain. 2. The exterior drain tube has a dollar sized clear dish connection between the drain tube and drain hose. It is clear and allows water to flow freely, but it is different than what your parts drawings show. 3. There is aluminum tape across the bottom of the freezer just below the edge of the drain/drip pan, but it does not come up over the edge of the pan. Regardless, I am not sure how water is getting under the pan.
Your thoughts?
BTW, thanks for all of your assistance.
I would suspect the drain pan AP5795944 and possibly the drain tube AP6280564 as your culprits.
If the drain pan has deformed I’d go ahead and replace it, that may not have been the original cause of the issue but it is certainly going to be a contributing factor. When you install the new pan, or even if you just go with using the old one, get some food safe RTV silicone like AP6009523 and run a bead of it on the bottom of the pan towards the edges to create a seal when you press the pan into place, this will prevent air and moisture from getting under it from that angle.
The drain tube with that connector actually matches the description you gave pretty well from pictures I was able to find on the manufacturer’s site. It might not be a bad idea to replace that, but one thing I’d do is take that same RTV silicone and seal around where the connector meets the cabinet and where the drain tube meets the connector. This will help prevent warm air intrusion from travelling up the drain tube and into the freezer compartment. Warm air travelling up the drain tube can cause condensation to form under the pan and in the drain area. Most techs can tell you, when it comes to refrigeration, a little bit of moisture in the wrong place can turn into a lot of ice.
https://www.appliancepartspros.com/ge-trough-drain-fz-wr17x13080-ap5795944.html
https://www.appliancepartspros.com/ge-drain-tube-and-wr02x28554-ap6280564.html
https://www.appliancepartspros.com/whirlpool-sealant-rtv-738-wp482338-ap6009523.html