I want to thank you for this fix. I have 2 of these fridges and while they are excellent at cooling I've had a chronic problem that the drain hole freezes and all the water would pool at the bottom of the fridge. Twice a year I would have to defrost the fridge and freezer so the drain would be unclogged. Instead of the kit I simply used a piece of scrap copper wire to the heating element and into the hole. It's now been 8 months and I've never had water pooling at the bottom of the fridge ever. Thank you so much as this was driving me mad!!!!!!! I forgot to mention, that heat probe kit costs $20 on @t + tax.....I used a scrap piece of copper wire like you did and it did the trick.....thanks again for posting this.....I was literally going insane with this issue.
You are so welcome! I link to tinker with things and this was also driving me nuts. It's been 6 years and still working 100% - thanks for the comment and glad you got your's fixed too!
One thing to also remember is the leveling of our Fridge. The front should be 1/2 inch higher than the back. This allows the water to build out in the back towards the drain.
I recently did this to my Whirlpool fridge. No more problems. Thinking about doing the same thing to the one in my basement. Also Whirlpool. Note. Be careful not to cut your knuckles on those evaporator fins.
After the guy at the local harware store told me I was crazy and it wouldn't work, I tried it and it works! It did freeze up again after a year, but not as bad and I can live with that! I use to have to do this every couple months.
WOW This is the third time I have had to do this and this time I did the copper wire. I could not get it nicely wrapped 4 times around the heating coil so as some one else said I used two wires. REALLY hoping this lasts longer than 2 months. Thanks for this idea. I also watched many other videos on this and combined a few more tips. Rinsing the drain tube with baking soda and hot water. Then I did rinse it. Also slightly bent the front of the tray up just a tiny bit. My biggest questions is am I the only woman doing this by herself??? Not many women commenting. Got to giggling about it while putting every thing away, cleaning up and sauteing a found bag of shrimp in garlic butter HA I a worth it.
Good stuff. The wire has cured the problem entirely. Looking back now, it's been nearly 5 years and no further issues. Glad you are a do-it-yourselfer!
@@hipofalcon OHHH Thanks so much for the encouragement, After reading about a fire hazard I worried but I left the wire. Too many said it worked for them. Kind of have to be the do it yourself kind of gal. I live in the middle of nowhere. A repair man would have to come 100 miles to get to me. Very good to read it has been about 5 years for you. I figure I might have another 10 years left in me, I am already 70. So if I only have to do it one more time I am golden. Next issue is I need to replace the back porch out door light fixture. I guess it has given up on me. Went to change the bulb and parts started falling off. :(. Not sure what the wiring will look like when I get it opened up. Was raining today. Did not want to get my hair wet. Hahahah Hoping maybe I can just replace the guts. Not sure if the socket I have is for out door though. UGH So it is Amazon or trip to town for me. I would rather take a beating then to go shopping.
@@rawveganfruitarian7290 YES I see this happened a year ago I did the copper wire fix in the video and it is still working. Knock o wood!!!! TH-cam in great. But I am having trouble finding if I can put one of those light tubes in the side wall of my house. Or maybe a sky light. Need more house plant light. OK IRS paperwork is calling me :(((
I have a Kenmore Coldspot refrigerator. The last year I have been having the same problem. And it seems to be happening more often now. That is a great idea. I plan on trying that fix tomorrow. Thank you for the idea.
We have a Whirlpool Gold refrigerator with the same problem. The drain that catches the defrost water kept freezing up and thus clogging the drain. Yesterday I wrapped two copper wires (stripped the insulation off) around the heating element and fed the ends into the drain hole. Hopefully this solved the problem from recurring! Will see over time.
Your awesome. I bought a whirlpool made "attachment" that is poorly made and doesn't work. It is supposed ti do the same thing as this, but this is better. Thank you!
Hey that's a very neat DIY trick. Thanks for posting it. I don't have this problem, but your solution is now tucked away in my memory banks in case I ever need it. Good one.
I've been having to take this thing apart every three weeks or so since we got it and I'm not about to deal with this crap when the arizona heat truly kicks in. I sure hope this works. The positives are giving me long lost hope.
Great solution! I was getting ready to fix my frozen drain line for the 3rd time and was looking for a more permanent solution and this makes perfect sense. Thanks!
FYI if you run into the problem with the fridge FREEZING your food, the fix a repair tech told me was tape shut the right and left holes leaving center free.
This method worked for me on my last fridge. You'd think they'd have designed a factory fix by now.... my new fridge is doing the same thing now! 🖕 ...Whirlpool
I didn’t see the heater element mine basically looks like one of those silver bars that are right above your finger and I tied the copper hose that ran that down will that make a differenceI guess I’ll find out tomorrow
Apparently it has to do with a couple of factors, - the first is the ambient temperature of the environment where the fridge is located, We had ours in the basement originally and it was very warm in the room it was in. When we moved, it ended up in the office which is much cooler and consequently during the automatic defrost cycle would not always completely melt the ice in the drain tube. The second one is small bits of food particles getting into the drain cavity that restrict the flow of water down the drain just enough to cause it to freeze. With the modification, this seems to no longer happen, as it has not ad an incident since the mod was done, which is now over 5 years ago.
@@hipofalcon Thanks very much for responding to my question. I guess I will try this fix out the next time it freezes up..Does that piece of copper really generate enough heat to keep the hole open ? Does Ice still build up around it by chance ?...jc
@@Samson-EC Since I did this mod, there has been no issue with any ice around this drain piece. The heating element gets quite warm on the defrost, so the copper wire transfers a lot of that heat into that tube and keeps it clear. The trick is to get the copper wire coiled tight around the element for the best thermal contact. It works!
Hey now that a great idea. I’m going to try it! Also I see a post below that says to level the refrigerator 1/2” high in the front helps as well. Do you know if that helps too? A half an inch high sounds like an awful lot.
So basically we have to re - engineer for a company that has been making refers for 100years. Yes I'm a little bitter because my floors on my new kitchen are damaged,.
Not sure how deep it needs to go, but 1/2 might be enough. Has the drain tube got some food debris stuck in it? Make sure that the tube is clear as well, as this is another reason why it may not drain properly.
Hi how do you get the plastic covers of the cooling element? Took off the two small screws but then I cannot figure out how to get the plastic parts off the back wall.
I don't remember the plastic cover being a problem to get off. It has been over 3 years, so not really sure, but I don't recall any issues. You may want to search TH-cam for other videos on how to do this? Sorry, not much help on that item.
Thefes - yes, it appears to have worked. No issues at all since I did this. It's been about 4 months now and all is OK. The way it was, it would have frozen up long before this.
Can you tell me if this is the bottom freezer model? I have had the same problem... Have to take everything out and let it sit overnight to "thaw out" and then it works again. Found that on the internet also! But it is getting old! My fridge is only 4-5 years old and came with the house but what a piece of crap! Oh and Whirlpool makes Maytag too! Beware!
Thta piece was never there on this unit. Apparently some years after this started happening, they added that piece. They now have kits to add that tab to the earlier models, but the kit iis $40, so my piece of copper is much cheaper!
The piece that is on my frig looks like a soda pop pop tab goes down into the drain about a 1/4 of a inch.But yeah probably on cost a couple pennies to make.Good thinking if it works. Not sure why they had that part so wide?
Looks like this modification has fixed the problem. Over a year now and absolutely no issues - this is the fix!
I want to thank you for this fix. I have 2 of these fridges and while
they are excellent at cooling I've had a chronic problem that the drain
hole freezes and all the water would pool at the bottom of the fridge.
Twice a year I would have to defrost the fridge and freezer so the drain
would be unclogged. Instead of the kit I simply used a piece of scrap
copper wire to the heating element and into the hole. It's now been 8
months and I've never had water pooling at the bottom of the fridge
ever. Thank you so much as this was driving me mad!!!!!!! I forgot to mention, that heat probe kit costs $20 on @t + tax.....I used a scrap piece of copper wire like you did and it did the trick.....thanks again for posting this.....I was literally going insane with this issue.
You are so welcome! I link to tinker with things and this was also driving me nuts. It's been 6 years and still working 100% - thanks for the comment and glad you got your's fixed too!
One thing to also remember is the leveling of our Fridge. The front should be 1/2 inch higher than the back. This allows the water to build out in the back towards the drain.
I recently did this to my Whirlpool fridge. No more problems. Thinking about doing the same thing to the one in my basement. Also Whirlpool.
Note. Be careful not to cut your knuckles on those evaporator fins.
After the guy at the local harware store told me I was crazy and it wouldn't work, I tried it and it works! It did freeze up again after a year, but not as bad and I can live with that! I use to have to do this every couple months.
This is an absolutely creative and engineering liked mindset on how to fix the problem. Thank you for sharing
WOW This is the third time I have had to do this and this time I did the copper wire. I could not get it nicely wrapped 4 times around the heating coil so as some one else said I used two wires. REALLY hoping this lasts longer than 2 months. Thanks for this idea.
I also watched many other videos on this and combined a few more tips. Rinsing the drain tube with baking soda and hot water. Then I did rinse it. Also slightly bent the front of the tray up just a tiny bit.
My biggest questions is am I the only woman doing this by herself??? Not many women commenting. Got to giggling about it while putting every thing away, cleaning up and sauteing a found bag of shrimp in garlic butter HA I a worth it.
Good stuff. The wire has cured the problem entirely. Looking back now, it's been nearly 5 years and no further issues. Glad you are a do-it-yourselfer!
@@hipofalcon OHHH Thanks so much for the encouragement, After reading about a fire hazard I worried but I left the wire. Too many said it worked for them. Kind of have to be the do it yourself kind of gal. I live in the middle of nowhere. A repair man would have to come 100 miles to get to me. Very good to read it has been about 5 years for you. I figure I might have another 10 years left in me, I am already 70. So if I only have to do it one more time I am golden. Next issue is I need to replace the back porch out door light fixture. I guess it has given up on me. Went to change the bulb and parts started falling off. :(. Not sure what the wiring will look like when I get it opened up. Was raining today. Did not want to get my hair wet. Hahahah Hoping maybe I can just replace the guts. Not sure if the socket I have is for out door though. UGH So it is Amazon or trip to town for me. I would rather take a beating then to go shopping.
Im here! TH-cam is making repair MEN obsolete. Jajaja
@@rawveganfruitarian7290 YES I see this happened a year ago I did the copper wire fix in the video and it is still working. Knock o wood!!!! TH-cam in great. But I am having trouble finding if I can put one of those light tubes in the side wall of my house. Or maybe a sky light. Need more house plant light. OK IRS paperwork is calling me :(((
I have a Kenmore Coldspot refrigerator. The last year I have been having the same problem. And it seems to be happening more often now. That is a great idea. I plan on trying that fix tomorrow. Thank you for the idea.
We have a Whirlpool Gold refrigerator with the same problem. The drain that catches the defrost water kept freezing up and thus clogging the drain. Yesterday I wrapped two copper wires (stripped the insulation off) around the heating element and fed the ends into the drain hole. Hopefully this solved the problem from recurring! Will see over time.
This is brilliant idea. I have same problem for couple of years and I hope this fix the problem. Thanks for sharing your awesome engineering idea. 👍
Your awesome. I bought a whirlpool made "attachment" that is poorly made and doesn't work. It is supposed ti do the same thing as this, but this is better. Thank you!
Glad I could help!
Hey that's a very neat DIY trick. Thanks for posting it. I don't have this problem, but your solution is now tucked away in my memory banks in case I ever need it. Good one.
Thanks - still working fine now with no more issues with freezing up.
I've been having to take this thing apart every three weeks or so since we got it and I'm not about to deal with this crap when the arizona heat truly kicks in. I sure hope this works. The positives are giving me long lost hope.
Several years now and no more problems, so this is the fix!
Great solution! I was getting ready to fix my frozen drain line for the 3rd time and was looking for a more permanent solution and this makes perfect sense. Thanks!
No problem. It's still going with no other freeze-up issues.
Thanks for the Video I have two of these fridges same problem on both of them
Works like a charm. Haven't had the problem since I did this, now over 4 years ago.
Thanks for your quick answer. I thought it might be 12 gauge. I'm hoping the repair man will be able to do it for me. Cheers!
No problem - glad to be able to help!
FYI if you run into the problem with the fridge FREEZING your food, the fix a repair tech told me was tape shut the right and left holes leaving center free.
best idea ever tried it today
Dang! Thank you! You helped me out buddy!
No problem!
Wish I saw this video before putting everything back together. Will try if the drain hole freezes again.
This method worked for me on my last fridge. You'd think they'd have designed a factory fix by now.... my new fridge is doing the same thing now! 🖕 ...Whirlpool
My whirlpool doesn't have a heating bar there. Hole has frozen a couple times.
Looks like they attempted to fix the problem in a newer model but still had the same problem.
I didn’t see the heater element mine basically looks like one of those silver bars that are right above your finger and I tied the copper hose that ran that down will that make a differenceI guess I’ll find out tomorrow
Great tip! Thank you.
Thks for the work a round. My question why does it freeze up?.. It worked fine for years so why now?..thks..jc
Apparently it has to do with a couple of factors, - the first is the ambient temperature of the environment where the fridge is located, We had ours in the basement originally and it was very warm in the room it was in. When we moved, it ended up in the office which is much cooler and consequently during the automatic defrost cycle would not always completely melt the ice in the drain tube. The second one is small bits of food particles getting into the drain cavity that restrict the flow of water down the drain just enough to cause it to freeze. With the modification, this seems to no longer happen, as it has not ad an incident since the mod was done, which is now over 5 years ago.
@@hipofalcon Thanks very much for responding to my question. I guess I will try this fix out the next time it freezes up..Does that piece of copper really generate enough heat to keep the hole open ? Does Ice still build up around it by chance ?...jc
@@Samson-EC Since I did this mod, there has been no issue with any ice around this drain piece. The heating element gets quite warm on the defrost, so the copper wire transfers a lot of that heat into that tube and keeps it clear. The trick is to get the copper wire coiled tight around the element for the best thermal contact. It works!
@@hipofalcon Thanks again. Next time mine freezes I will give it a shot..jc
Hey now that a great idea. I’m going to try it! Also I see a post below that says to level the refrigerator 1/2” high in the front helps as well. Do you know if that helps too? A half an inch high sounds like an awful lot.
So basically we have to re - engineer for a company that has been making refers for 100years. Yes I'm a little bitter because my floors on my new kitchen are damaged,.
Yes, it would seem so. Over 2 years later and all is still good. You would think that they would have had this figured out!
Worked on our GE Gold Series thank you
Whirlpool not GE
You are welcome!
I just tried it but the wire only went down like maybe a half an inch until it hit bottom I was wondering how deep is that hole post to go
Not sure how deep it needs to go, but 1/2 might be enough. Has the drain tube got some food debris stuck in it? Make sure that the tube is clear as well, as this is another reason why it may not drain properly.
Some drain tubes go down half an inch then start curving. A lot of refrigerators at the apartments i work at do this.
what gauge copper wire did you use? Sounds like a great idea
I used the ground wire out of a #14/2 cable. Romex or Canadex cable. I am assuming it is about #16?
Good idea.
Hi how do you get the plastic covers of the cooling element? Took off the two small screws but then I cannot figure out how to get the plastic parts off the back wall.
I don't remember the plastic cover being a problem to get off. It has been over 3 years, so not really sure, but I don't recall any issues. You may want to search TH-cam for other videos on how to do this? Sorry, not much help on that item.
Brilliant!!!
Did it work?
Thefes - yes, it appears to have worked. No issues at all since I did this. It's been about 4 months now and all is OK. The way it was, it would have frozen up long before this.
I have aluminum wire can that work
Not sure, but should be OK. As long as it can conduct heat into the drain tube.
Can you tell me if this is the bottom freezer model? I have had the same problem... Have to take everything out and let it sit overnight to "thaw out" and then it works again. Found that on the internet also! But it is getting old! My fridge is only 4-5 years old and came with the house but what a piece of crap! Oh and Whirlpool makes Maytag too! Beware!
This is a top freezer model.
Did it work
Yes. 7 years later now and still no problems.
That was Whirlpool not GE Gold Series
Actually your missing a piece. My Whirlpool had a metal tab that was bolted in place over the drain hole. Went down into the hole.
Thta piece was never there on this unit. Apparently some years after this started happening, they added that piece. They now have kits to add that tab to the earlier models, but the kit iis $40, so my piece of copper is much cheaper!
The piece that is on my frig looks like a soda pop pop tab goes down into the drain about a 1/4 of a inch.But yeah probably on cost a couple pennies to make.Good thinking if it works. Not sure why they had that part so wide?
the absolute worst refrigerator ever made