My Viking refrigerator-freezer (bottom freezer) has built up a huge layer of ice on the bottom. It is impeding the wire mesh tray that slides out with the door when you open it. I don't know how long it has been builing up, but it is starting to cover the ventilation slats in the back. It is at least 1/4 inch thick, maybe 1/2 inch. Help!
One of two things is happening,your drain is clogged and is filling up with defrost water or your defrost heater is bad,remove freezer back panel,locate drain if frozen melt with hair dryer and use hanger or shop vac to clear it out,be careful not to melt freezer plastic,two bad heater,look at the heater to see if you have any blown out spots on it.also you can remove both leads to heater and check with omns meter,if you don''t get a reading heater is bad ,replace,hope this helps,thanks-mike
DOUG LISTEN,MAKE SURE IF YOUR COILS ARE NOT ON BACK OF FRIG. MOST ARE UNDER FRONT GRILL YOU NEED TO GET YOUR SHOP VAC,POP THE GRILL OFF AND VACUM THE DUST FROM UNDER IT,IT WILL MAKE YOUR FRIG. WORK MUCH BETTER,ALSO REMOVE THE VENT HOSE FROM YOUR DRYER AND CHECK TO MAKE SURE LINT IS NOT BUIDING UP IN THE HOSE OR THE BACK OF DRYER VENT,ALSO USE SHOP VAC,DOING THESE TWO THING WILL MAKE YOUR APPLIANCE WORK BETTER AND LAST LONER AND SAVE ELECTRICITY-MIKE
MOST OF YOUR BOTTOM FREEZER DRAWS PULLOUT THE WAY I SAID,BE EASY PULLING OUT AND UP AND LOOK AT IT WHEN YOUR DOING IT TO SEE IF ANY THING IS CATCHING,THE DRAIN IS ON THE BOTTOM BACK OF WALL,TAKE YOUR TIME WATCH WHAT YOUR DOING AND YOU WILL GET IT DONE-MIKE
Pull out and up and the draw should come right out off the tracts,don't give up!!!!
YOU CAN SLID THE FREEZER DRAW OUT AND LOOK IN THE MIDDLE,IF YOU DON'T SEE IT YOU HAVE TO REMOVE THE FREEZER BACK PANEL TO GET TO THE DRAIN,ALSO THE YOU CAN PULL OUT FRIG. FROM WALL REMOVE LOWER PANEL AND YOU SHOULD BE ABLE TO SEE THE DRAINTUBE HOSE GOING INTO THE DRAIN PAN,IF YOU DON'T WANT TO MESS WITH THE FREEZER YOU CAN TRY TO **** OUT THE CLOG WITH A SHOP VAC OR USE A HANGER IN THE DRAIN TUBE TO TRY AND CLEAR, OR YOU CAN CAN UNPLUG THE FRIG. LET EVERYTHING INSIDE DEFROST AND THEN **** OUT THE DRAIN TUBE,HOPE THIS HELP,THANKS-MIKE
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Mike -- thanks. I'm a pretty good fix-it guy, but not on electrical things. I think I will get a Viking repair guy in here in case it's the defrost heater that is the problem (the drain I could probably do myself, but frankly I don'' know where to look -- we just moved into this house, and I'm lost with regard to the appliances). Do you know where the drain is on these things, so I don't heat up and poke the wrong thing?
Also, if you know: where does the drain drain to on these things -- a line that goes to the basement, or to a PVC drain line, or to the outside?
Ok, I tried looking back there. Problem is that the freezer drawer only comes out so far, then stops. So I can't get access back in there to do these things. I don't know how to remove the freezer drawer. Is that hard to do -- should I be dialing the Repair Dude right about now?
Man I'm nervous!! It feels like it is attached firmly -- doesn't seem to be sitting with wheels on rails, like a cabinet drawer. I'll pull out and up. Wish me luck.
Is the drain in the middle of the whole bottom of the freezer, or at the back, in the middle? I need to melt a lot of ice to see anything down there....
Mike -- I didn't want to take the back panel off, so called a repair guy. You were exactly right about what the two things were that could cause the problem, which at least made me look not too dumb to the repair guy! The drain was clogged; he took off the back panel, checked the heating coil (all ok, but bent, so he straightened out), melted all the ice, and using a spy mirror fished a tiny piece of plastic from deep down in the drain. Also hooked up my drain pan fan, which the factory had not hooked up. Thanks a lot for your help -- it let me find the right person, get it fixed, and saved time and money. -- Doug
Mike -- you have been very bery helpful, and I gave all your comments the top FixYa score. I really appreciate it. And my repair guy was awesome. WIth a company called A-Nova here in Virginia -- guy who sold me this house recommended them. The guy hooked up my drain pan fan (factory had not), kept getting burned by a hot element and hung in there until he got it done. I was impressed. Shoot -- that probably doesn't help the sponsors of this web site. Maybe next time! Anyway, you were great, thanks!! -- Doug
Mike -- good tips, thanks! The repair guy seemed to be vacuuming tthe bejesus out of the thing, so I think I'm good for now. I will get down there every once in awhile, going forward, and vacuum out the dust, though. My biggest problem now is that I tossed out a lot of the stuff in the freezer to be safe, including the ice cream, and I am now craving a huge slab of pie with vanilla. Don't suppose there is a tech fix for that... :)
I have an AMANA bottom freezer. Every few months the top stops getting cold, ice forms on the back wall of the freezer, and when we remove the back, the coils are covered in frosty ice. We melt the ice with a hair dryer and we're good to go for a while. I think it's model BRF20.
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