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Several times a year, the drain tube freezes up. Then, the floor of the refrigerator freezes. The drain is not full of dirt. It's just ice. This has been going on for several years, and the local service people have no solution. My husband suspects that we need a heater element in the back wall of the refrigerator to prevent the freeze up. In addition, I wonder if the drainage tube is damaged because water must be getting into the panel between the refrigerator and the freezer. When we empty both sections to de-ice the Sub-Zero, water drips from the divider panel into the freezer section. Right now, the freezer slides are so iced up that we can't open the drawer without a struggle. In the meantime, the arm of the icecube maker got caught by one of the ice dams and broke off!
Our Sub-Zero is a Model 550. The Refrigerator is about 15 years old and was in the house when we moved in 12 years ago. It's the fridge drain that freezes, and this has been happening for several years. Apparently, a drain heater can be added to rectify the problem with the drain.
The second problem doesn't seem to be as easy to rectify. Water is apparently pooling within the divider panel between the refrigerator and freezer. Usually this freezes, but when it melts out, water freezes on the basket rails of the freezer. Right now, the freezer draw is stuck closed!Our Sub-Zero is a Model 550. The Refrigerator is about 15 years old and was in the house when we moved in 12 years ago. It's the fridge drain that freezes, and this has been happening for several years. Apparently, a drain heater can be added to rectify the problem with the drain.
The second problem doesn't seem to be as easy to rectify. Water is apparently pooling within the divider panel between the refrigerator and freezer. Usually this freezes, but when it melts out, water freezes on the basket rails of the freezer. Right now, the freezer draw is stuck closed!
Did this unit ever function normall? Which drain tube? Freezer or fridge? My freezer runs at -1. It could be you have it so low the the defrost heater water cant drain before freezing. What temp is your freezer. Put down a piece of foam insulation on the bottom of the fridge. It has to be a clog or it wouldn't pool in the bottom. You have to have some kind of air flow adjusters to keep the fridge at 34-38 so how come it freezing?Did this unit ever function normall? Which drain tube? Freezer or fridge? My freezer runs at -1. It could be you have it so low the the defrost heater water cant drain before freezing. What temp is your freezer. Put down a piece of foam insulation on the bottom of the fridge. It has to be a clog or it wouldn't pool in the bottom. You have to have some kind of air flow adjusters to keep the fridge at 34-38 so how come it freezing?
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You would need to purchase a floor pan heater kit and a drain tube heater.
Also, read the threads to answer your question.
Find a quailified service technician in your area that is faniliar with this issue.
Hope this helps
Affordable Appliance Repair
Lake Forest, CA. 92630
You would need to purchase a floor pan heater kit and a drain tube heater.
Also, read the threads to answer your question.
Find a quailified service technician in your area that is faniliar with this issue.
Hope this helps
Affordable Appliance Repair
Lake Forest, CA. 92630
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...Yeah, look like you need install: Sub-Zero part number 4202530
mullion heater kit (defrost package) ....And, it is NOT DIY PROJECT,
it's required professional installation only :)
my dad and i just installed this fridge kit and the freezer kit --
-- it's definitely DYI, with good instructions -- just takes a few hours -- my dad and i just installed this fridge kit and the freezer kit --
-- it's definitely DYI, with good instructions -- just takes a few hours --
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I have a 15 year old sub zero refrigerator. The drain hole keeps freezing up and ice is building up under the produce drawers. There is also a smell that has accompanied this problem. We have melted the ice and forced warm water through the tube to clean out any blockage but it keeps freezing up. Can you help?????
The right side of the freezer has a drain that is plugged with ice. When the freezer defrosts the water runs down the inside of the box and onto the drawer rails, where it then freezes. The drain tube is normally kept ice free by an aluminum strap wrapped around the copper defrost tube in the freezer heat exchanger, which runs down into the drain tube. Over time the copper defrost tube gets some surface corrosion and the aluminum strap doesn't get warm enough during the defrost cycle to melt ice in the tube. If you can get it apart, you can clean up the tub surface with steel wool, or buy the electric defroster for the drain tube to replace the aluminum strap.
Clarkk I have seen this many times. Your drain is clogged. If you pull the drawers out and pull the top cover you will see the evap. On the cover you will find a nozzle that goes to the drain. Use some compressed air and blow out the drain. In some cases there will be some silicone that will need replaced. You can get a food grade silcone sealant at a hardware store. Hope this helps.
The problem is that the water freezes in the drain, either because the door is not sealing good, it's open too often or there is mold in the catching tray and tube. Best solution is to take a turkey baster (pump), disconnect the flexible tube from the tray, by pulling down, take a large cup with very hot water mixed with a spoon or 2 of Clorox, fill the baster with that mixture and pump it on the drain tube. You have to do it several times, water will come out, but do it until you hear a "woosh" sound and the water goes freely on the drain. Also spill some of that mixture in the tray so it kills the mold.
I fixed my leaking problem by pulling out the vegetable drawer and checking the condensation drain hose. Sure enough, it was clogged and the condensation had nowhere to go but move out toward the front of the fridge, down the left side and onto the floor. Once that drain hose was cleared (with a bendable straw), no more leak!
I had a similar issue that started about a year ago with my Sub-Zero 550. My freezer gasket actually tore after several times of freezing closed. I thought that a new gasket would solve it, but a second but related problem developed where I was getting alot of condensation under the left side of the unit, with the water dripping onto the floor...eventually staining the hardwood floor in front of the unit.
I traced the problem to a clogged condensation drain pipe in the refrigerator. It is a corrugated pipe that drains a trough behind the crisper drawers. My pipe was clogged with black sludge and frozen down below. The condensation in the fridge would overflow out of the trough and leak below the crisper drawers, down out through the gasket.
To resolve, I used a piece of solid thin wire folded in half and twisted with a small loop at the end to fish out as much sludge as I could. Then squirted hot water into the pipe until it totally unclogged. I believe this will solve the problem without any need for a heater underneath the unit. The 550 worked fine for 4-5 years before this happened.
Seems to be a common problem with these units. You can get a drain tube heater ( got mine from an online refrigerator parts distributor), though may not totally solve problem. Some suggest running a copper wire through tube - supposed to conduct just enough heat to keep tube from freezing.
The tube behind the crisper drawers is not insulated well enough and will repeatedly freeze, leaving the water to drain on your floor. The solution is to thaw the tube and put a piece of copper the length of your tube, into the area below. The wire extending into the area below is just warm enough to keep the tube from freezing.
Our Sub-Zero is a Model 550. The Refrigerator is about 15 years old and was in the house when we moved in 12 years ago. It's the fridge drain that freezes, and this has been happening for several years. Apparently, a drain heater can be added to rectify the problem with the drain.
The second problem doesn't seem to be as easy to rectify. Water is apparently pooling within the divider panel between the refrigerator and freezer. Usually this freezes, but when it melts out, water freezes on the basket rails of the freezer. Right now, the freezer draw is stuck closed!
Did this unit ever function normall? Which drain tube? Freezer or fridge? My freezer runs at -1. It could be you have it so low the the defrost heater water cant drain before freezing. What temp is your freezer. Put down a piece of foam insulation on the bottom of the fridge. It has to be a clog or it wouldn't pool in the bottom. You have to have some kind of air flow adjusters to keep the fridge at 34-38 so how come it freezing?
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