Where's the drain hose on this refrigerator?

I've been getting water in and under the veggie bin. There's tiny icicles from the ceiling of inside refrig compartment, & dripping. I'm having trouble budging the unit at all, so if I can reach the drain from the front or inside, I'll stop trying to get to the back. I've never cleaned the drain nor coils on this refrig. It's easily 25 years old (works well, my home refrigerator.)

Model No.: TBF14SY by GE It's a top freezer, bottom refrig, not ice maker-ready

Pictures:
Link to gallery of all photos: Postimage.org / Refrigerator drain drip

Underneath:

Inside:

Inside closer:

Label:

Label closer:


I once cleaned a drain on a refrig, and it was easy to spot right on the back but I didn't have problems tilting that one and getting onto a rug to pull forward. I think this is too far against the wall to tilt - or I'm not strong enough to get any tilt, or tug going.

Thank you!!

 

I don't know that model fridge but the drain is usually located in the very back of the freezer compartment. To access it you need to remove everything from the freezer and remove the back panel of the freezer compartment. Then you should see the fan, coils and the catch pan and drain on the bottom. Make sure you unplug the fridge before taking it apart so the fan doesn't try to bite you when the fridge turns on.

 

Thanks Pilot Dave!!

Does anyone else know for sure on these types of units?

I'll need to unload the (very full) freezer to look for the panels to take off. So I'll be back when I'm able to get to that...

 

The panels are often held in place with Philips head or 1/4" or 5/16" hex head screws so make sure you have the tools before unloading the freezer or at least unload to see what screws you have.

 

Pilot Dane - thanks that's good to know. I've pulled out my tray of screw bits! And my shopping bag handle that works well as a pipe cleaner to clean out things.

Before unloading it all, it dawned on me... I took pictures of the back of the freezer. It's not obvious to me where the drain is likely to be. The low fan cover with a screw is continous with the freezer floor. On the other side the floor sits under the edge. So I'm not sure if it's all supposed to be removed. The small door on the back tower, doesn't open easily by hand (I haven't tried grabbing with pliers.)

Any ideas? Thanks again!

 

I took off the bar in the 2nd picture (in original post) to left of temperature setting box. Turns out at the close end above the screw, it's a hole or hose from above, and water then slides down the inside of that bar, to another hole or hose in the back wall of the refrig. It was clogged up at the back hole and the bar was filled with water - so now it's not dripping any more!


However, there's now a light coating of frost on the refrig compartment ceiling on either side of that bar.

Why does frost form in refrig units in general? ...Is it a problem?

There were icicles when it was dripping, and chunks of ice there. They aren't growing any more.

Thanks!

 

To put my last post more succinctly ---

I found the drain tube in an unexpected place. It's that bar in the refrig section (see original pics). At each end is a hole water drips into then flows out into back of refrig into drain pan. It was clogged with dirt, I cleared it, drip gone!

Brilliant design by GE so many years ago.

-----

During the dripping phase, ice had formed on that refrig ceiling on either side of the bar. I'm wondering...

why does ice form there just because the drain is clogged?

I've since used hot water to get rid of some. I'm going to try a heating pad on the rest (blocks of ice formed). It's not creating new ice, so that should solve it. Though it's curious that this ice isn't melting on it's own.

If you have any thoughts, please let me know!

 

That drain system is used by almost every manufacturer. When your evaporator coil defrosts the water drains to the pan under the fridge where the heat of the condensing system evaporates it. Dust and other impurities are carried thru the air and get deposited on the evaporator coil and get washed off when the coil defrosts. It's this gunk that clogs the drain.

If the drain up top is clogged.... the water overflows and runs anywhere there is a low spot. Most of the time it's somewhere in the lower back portion of the fridge.... under the drawers is a common spot too.

Your drain line as well as the coils below the fridge should be cleaned every year. You can pour a cup of hot water with a couple drops of bleach down the drain tube to keep it clean.

 

PJMax thanks. How does one clean those coils? I can't even see them. I don't know if they are under or behind the unit.

What I found brilliant is that to clean out the drain all I had to do is remove one screw inside the refrig - not even turn it off, and bring the bar to the sink to rinse. It was much easier than having to empty the freezer to get at a drain tube that would need poking to unclog.

What's puzzled me is that there wasn't ice forming in the refrig top (ceiling), until the drain clogged. Now that it's not clogged, the ice is still there but new isn't forming. How does a clogged drain tube cause ice to form?

Thanks!

 

On why the water is freezing just because the drain is clogged, I realized the answer to my question. The top of the refrig is colder than the rest - it's right below the freezer coils or condenser or something cold. So as water fills in the bar, it sits in cold that it normally quickly drains away from, so it's freezes up into a mound of ice & icicles.

Any info on where the coils are, and how to clean them would be great. I haven't in 25 years, so I'm sure they're due for it!

 

I can't find the complete set of service info on your fridge. That model number on the paper tag is probably not the complete number.

The coils will be on the back and very visible.


or underneath.... hard to see and full of dust.

 

They must be in the back, since the photo I posted of underneath doesn't have them. If they are vertical, do they tend to stay clean enough on their own (since gravity will pull dust down off them)? If not what do you clean them with?

That's the only tag I've seen inside, so no idea how else I'd figure out the model number. It is a very old unit.

 

Depending on how close the fridge is to the stove the coils get dirtier with more grease used in cooking.

The ones on the back stay cleaner than the ones underneath as most of the dust is at floor level and the fan pulls it thru.

 

I'm not much of a cook, so that's probably not a problem... lol. How do you clean them - damp rag? or dust cloth and vacuum and don't get them wet?

Refrig seems fine now without water floating around, so original project/problem solved. Yay.

Thank you!

 

It's still freezing over even though it's not clogged. Any suggestions on why the refrig roof and area around the drip hole is frosting over, then forming icicles?