Question about Maytag MSD2758G Side by Side Refrigerator
Hi- we've had this fridge for about 6 yrs (bought new). End of '06 had service done- per service order, they replaced relay/overload assembly, compressor, & drier. my husband had removed the back (inside back of freezer) to see if coils were iced, per troubleshooting guide (they weren't at that time). He never reconnected the water to the door system/ice maker after repair just in case. Seems the current problem started after that repair, which was completed in Nov or Dec last year. First- noticed water was leaking from bottom of freezer, would find puddles of it on floor in front or to the side. When freezer door opened, the water was coming from inside the freezer, Seemed to be running down the back thru the vent openings in the removable back part, running down the bottom. Some would freeze on the bottom while a little would run out the door. gradually a thick ice dam grew on the bottom (yeah, I know- couldn't deal with it before...). Finally, yesterday I got sick of it & started removing the ice (very thick!!!). I turned the freezer cold lever all the way down, kept the door open, & carefully thawed/pried the ice off. (It had frozen the botttom shelf drawer to the bottom & sides of the freezer). I had my husband remove the back panel, & he found the coils completely iced over, a large chunk of ice attached to what he thinks is the heater tube (runs horizontal above coil unit), & a large amount of ice in the internal drain tray/hole going to tube to underneath drip tray. So- turned cold lever back up to middle & temp only got down to 14deg F. Fridge side was ok. Then I looked again, & freezer temp up to 40deg, & fridge temps increased as well. I use the individually cooled meat/produce bins as temp gage for fridge because they display their own internal temp- meat 31deg, produce 34deg. Both of these were higher than those temps. Then later I looked, & temps were back to 14deg low freezer/normal fridge. Then they went back again, up & down several times til I just set both levers all the way down. The first time the fridge was failing, our electric bill was over $600. It has been very high again recently, we think because of the fridge. Husband left back off inside of freezer so we could see what was happening- fan appears to turn on its own; coils freezing up again. Husband believes it to be the defroster timer or defroster heater, but cannot find the site he looked at back when that explains in detail how to troubleshoot & test these parts with multimeter. Could this be a residual or related problem following the first repair (which took them several trips since they broke something & had to order a new one- yep, authorized maytag/sears/hoozit techs). They have a "fix it til it's fixed" guarantee on their repairs, which we paid $180 for (parts free as fridge not quite to 5 yr warranty mark, tho is past it now...). So- what should husband test & how (he needs details- dad was engineer...)? Or is it more likely related to the repair job & they need to come back no charge & finish fixing it??? Thanks for all help!!!
Kat, you only have 1 problem happening.And no this is not due to the original repair. (though I have to admit... replacing the filter/drier, starter and compressor is NOT part of routine maintenance and has me a little befuddled.) Your evaporator drain is plugged. Most likely with what we in the biz call "bio-gookus". This is normal, but must be cleared to keep the water from puddling and coming out your freezer door. With the evap panel removed and the drain hole exposed, pour 1/4 cup of HOT water into the drain hole. Use a small screwdriver or other small instrument to pick out the ice buildup. Once this is clear, use something like this http://www.azpartsmaster.com/shopazp/Gallo+Condensate+Blowout+Guns+(A66800).html to blow out the rest of the lines. After doing this, pour more hot water into the drain to verify free flow. This will take care of your leak problem. Now... the frost buildup. NEVER RUN YOUR FRIDGE WITH THE PANELS OFF! They are there for a reason, believe it or not. They direct air flow across the coils (both evaporative and condensing). Frost buildup is normal, though you may be experiencing higher levels of frost because of the panel missing...Your fridge utilizes an automatic defrost system. It'll initiate every 8 hours. This is controlled by a timer located in your fresh food section. The defrost heater RARELY fails on these. Fix the evaporator drain and replace all panels. This will solve your dilemma.
Posted on Aug 09, 2007
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I too have an ice dam or maybe even a glacier becuase it keeps growing and migrating towards the door. I've unplugged, thawed, and now am looking at a perfectly dry, ice free, freezer. However, when it is turned off it is not very good at keeping food cold. I did not have the problem of water puddles before the ice dam started. Do I have the same problem or should I treat this in another way?
Same ice buildup dilemma..WHERE IS THE DRAIN? I see no such thing?
The water is coming out of the grille at the back of the freezer and building up on the bottom. The vent is clear and the coils are clean?
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