Whirlpool Refrigerator Defrost Drain Location!
Last updated on October 22nd, 2022 at 05:29 pm
It is important for water to drain away as the refrigerator operates. Water can leak from the fridge and onto the floor when the drain gets blocked. This article will explain where to find the drain and how to deal with clogs.
You can find the defrost drain in a whirlpool refrigerator inside the refrigerator compartment. The defrost drain is a little indentation close to the rear wall. With this placement, the defrost drain can get blocked with bits of food or ice, which lead to leaks.
Where is the Defrost Drain in a Whirlpool Refrigerator?
The little indentation at the fridge’s rear wall is known as a defrost drain. You can locate the defrost drain in a whirlpool refrigerator by checking the fridge’s back wall.
The job of the defrost drain is to collect ice and water on the refrigerator’s walls. The drain sends the ice and water into the drain container through the drain pipe.
All ice and water arriving in the drain container will subsequently defrost. If your drain pipe is always clogging, it indicates that the refrigerator unit has the wrong temperature set.
This wrong temperature can freeze the water in the drain tube before reaching the drain container.
The United States Department of Agriculture has recommended a setting of 40° Fahrenheit or below. The food and the drain pipe will not freeze at this range of temperatures.
The temperature will be enough to preserve your food and prevent the pipe from freezing. If the drain pipe has frozen, you must bring out all the food in the refrigerator.
Begin the thaw cycle on the fridge and observe the drain pipe at the compartment’s bottom.
Stop any food fragments from entering the drain pipe. Use a pointed wooden stick to break through the ice blocking the pipe inlet.
It’s not advisable to use metal as this might tear through the drain pipe and allow bacteria to breed. Bacteria will introduce bad odors into the fridge.
Differences Between Defrost Drain, Drain Pipe, and Drain Container
These terms will continue to appear below, so it’s important to understand their meanings.
| Term | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Defrost Drain | This term refers to the whole system that sends water from the thaw cycle to a drain at the fridge’s bottom. |
| Drain pipe/tube/ hose | Water flows into the drain container through a pipe, hose, or tub into the drain pit. |
| Drain container | Water from the pipe collects at the fridge’s bottom in this container. |
Where is the Drain Tube in my Side Side Refrigerator?
The drain tube in your side-by-side refrigerator is inside the defrost drain pit. You can find the drain pit on the refrigerator’s inside rear wall in the freezer box.
It is above where the fridge’s floor rises to the middle of the rear wall. In other models, the drain tube is at the back of a plastic board along the rear wall.
A screw holds the board in place; if you unscrew the board, the drain pit will appear. The drain tube is inside the drain pit.
The drain pipe can get blocked, but you can flush out the tube as long as you can reach the drain pit.
The water usually drains out at the front of the fridge twice daily. You can know if there is a block in the drain pipe or if there is water on the ground.
Another sign of a blocked drain pipe is ice beneath the lower basket inside the freezer unit. When this happens repeatedly, the drain tube is at risk of damage and will need replacing.
Drain Tube Replacement
Turn off the refrigerator, switch off the water supply, and wear work gloves before starting this operation.
- If an ice pane is casing the fridge’s floor, allow it to melt. When the melting is over, reach behind the fridge and check for the grid at the bottom. Unscrew the grid and take it off the fridge, then pull out the panel.
- Take some time to wipe the grill to improve the airflow. Disrupt the cable bind before the drain tube for better space to work. Cautiously push the cables aside and remove the drain tube.
- Once the tube is out, examine the drain pit where the tube came out. If you find a tiny rubber piece shielding the tube, remove it and toss it aside.
- The spacer, which arrived with the new drain tube, should go across the drain opening. Ensure that the spacer goes to the outlet’s top, or the pipe won’t be well connected. Insert the new drain tube’s head into the drain opening. The tube’s head should touch the compartment’s roof.
- Fix the drain tube’s bottom into the drain container fitting, reconnect the cable, attach the back panel, and screw in the grid.
- Reassemble everything inside the fridge and return the items you took out. Switch on the fridge and put on the water supply. Inspect the fridge for the next few days if there’s still any leakage.
Where is the Defrost Drain in my Whirlpool Freezer?
The defrost drain in a whirlpool freezer is a little indentation inside the freezer unit. It is close to the rear wall and behind a board.
Defrost drain holds ice and water that accumulates on the freezer walls. The drain then directs the water through the drain pipe inside the drain container below the fridge.
The defrost coils in the fridge liquefy any ice that has collected. It heats the water and allows it to trickle into the drain. Before the water gets to the drain’s end, it is near freezing again.
Anytime the defrost drain freezes, water overspills into the compartment’s floor and then to the ground.
The defrost drain gradually clogs in a slow process as the fridge operates. Gradually as water gathers, the drain starts freezing.
How to Clean Defrost Drain in my Whirlpool Refrigerator
Water pools at the bottom of the fridge when the defrost drain is frozen. This block prevents water from draining, and this will cause a mess in the fridge.
Even if nothing is clogging the drain, you must occasionally clean the tube so it doesn’t get clogged.
Items needed for cleaning include;
- Bowl
- Plastic tube
- Hot water peroxide
- Towel
The following are the steps for cleaning the defrost drain.
- Switch off the refrigerator and pull the door open.
- Bring out any items on the lower shelf or inside drawers.
- The drain tube is a half-inch inlet found in the bottom area of the fridge compartment.
- Clean the bottom part of the compartment using a damp rag.
- Put the plastic hose into the drain pipe’s inlet.
- Continue pushing the hose forward until it breaks through the other end.
- Combine a full cap of chlorine and a half full gallon of mild water.
- Cautiously tip the combination into the drain inlet.
- Unscrew the grid at the fridge’s bottom and remove the drain container below the fridge’s bottom.
- Empty the liquid in the container into a sink and fix the container back.
- Tip the chlorine and water solution into the tube and pour away the liquid.
- Continue pouring the solution into the tube until the liquid comes out with no debris.
- Fix the container and screw the grid into the fridge’s bottom.
- Switch on the fridge and replace the items you removed from it.
How do I Unblock the Defrost Drain in my Whirlpool Refrigerator?
The defrost drain clogs when ice, food debris, and water accumulates inside the drain pipe.
A clogged defrost drain is a major reason for water leaks. The following steps will help you unclog a defrost drain.
- Let the collected ice thaw and check the lower back inside the fridge’s compartment.
- If you can reach the drain pit, flush the drain pit using a solution. The solution will have one teaspoon of sodium bicarbonate and two cups of boiling tap water. Pour the solution inside a meat baster, then flush the drain pit with the baster. If the drain is clear, you’ll hear the water pour inside the drain container below.
- You can prevent this from happening again after freeing the drain using this procedure. Flush the drain hole using the same solution at least twice a year.
Conclusion
You’ll find the defrost drain at the bottom of the refrigerator unit. It is a tiny indentation close to the rear wall.
The drain tube in your side-by-side refrigerator is inside the defrost drain pit. You can clean the defrost drain by flushing it with a solution of chlorine and water.
