The appliance manufacturer play these dirty little trick to get you into thinking that you need to go out and buy a new fridge. Thanks to people and videos like yours the power is going back into the peoples hands !
I read through the comments before my husband and I attempted this procedure. I used someone's suggestion to use a meat injector without the needle. Work wonderfully and was pressure to clean out the tube. My husband squeezed to tube to work the blockage out. I pushed 3 mug fulls of boiled water through the drain, using the injector. I added diluted white vinegar to the 2nd mug and finished with just water to rinse. My husband took care of the water that was filling up the tray so it didn't overflow. Worked very well!!! Thanks for putting this on! VERY HELPFUL in the times we are living!
Protect this man at all costs!! I was losing my mind every 2 weeks or so. Sad thing is that I oversee 5 hotels engineers and was to lazy to figure it out!! Awesome video
Great video! After dealing with ice buildup on the drain inside the freezer…still couldn’t get the damn thing to drain. Found this video and problem solved! Outstanding!!
This was exactly what was going on with our fridge for the past several years. We've just been chiseling out the ice every 3 months. THANK YOU. Commented, liked, and subscribed.
I have the same refrigerator, same problem. Your fix may just do the trick. So many people are having the same problem, seems like a bad design issue. You may have saved me some money. Thanks.
Hi, saw a rather large pool of water under my French Door Whirlpool. My wife called a repairman and was quoted (over the phone) $169/to start. Then I got on RUclips and saw your video. With my sons help we fixed the problem and within 45 minutes the fridge is running normal again. Thank you so much for the help.
Praise the refrigerator Gods for you. I have been dealing with this freaking leak for > 6 years. I have been dealing with 1/2" sheets of ice, taking them out with a butter knife, having them break into pieces on my kitchen floor, always having to put a towel if front of the freezer. NO More you devil whirlpool! thank you, thank you.
Thank you for posting this. I have an Amana by whirlpool with the bottom freezer. leaking water and this worked! I will add for those wandering the actual procedure that I used a small driver to remove the hex screws from the back panel (where the collecting pan is) and inner freezer panel (which is necessary to access the drain hole) then a screwdriver-type-pick to break up the ice around the drain hole, and surrounding areas, and then used my gooseneck kettle to pour warm water down the hole to ensure that it was all cleared out. its been bout 3-4 hours and no water leaking . saved a technician fee of maybe $250 and a new fridge for maybe $800. took about an hour or less including cleaning up .
Your video and advice did the trick. Thanks! The big takeaway for me was your advice about not underestimating just how much boiling water is needed to melt the ice. I almost gave up thinking it was another issue and then I heard the water flowing down in to the tray in the back.
This video helped me several years ago when my freezer started leaking - Revisited this again today to do the same fix - Thank you so much for posting this
Great video, thanks. I made the mistake of not completely thawing the drain hole with hot water. The purpose of the rubber duckbill is to prevent cold air in the freezer compartment from blowing through that drain hole and escaping into that rear compartment where the compressor and fan is. If you put your finger near that drain hole while the fridge is working you will feel that cold air. A P-trap is a much better solution because it completely blocks cold air in the freezer from blowing through the drain line but can't clog up like that duckbill. That drain line is so small that leaving the duck bill off probably has minimal effect, obviously you've proven it works fine without it. So you might be losing a small bit of efficiency but not affecting the overall operation. If you have central air conditioning in your house, you'll find a similar P trap in the condensate line, only it's much bigger. Without that P trap the cold air in your furnace plenum would blow out the drain line and be "wasted" by blowing into the basement instead of blowing through the ductwork into your house.
It's true anything can clog, but it's all relative. The duckbill will clog from just dirt and fluff, the ptrap would need something bigger, like pieces of food. The design of the tray and cover where the water gets collected makes it pretty much impossible for anything to get in there except the dustbunnies that blow around in the freezer.
Great video. Have had our Whirlpool for about 2 years now and are dealing with this issue. Knew someone else out there would be having the issue and made a video about it. Thanks a bunch!
Thanks for the great video! Solved our problem, took less than an hour. We actually ran a pot of hot water in the coffee pot then used a meat injector with no needle and put the water on the drain hole. Worked great!
Oh, that meat injector is a good idea. I don't have one so I just used a Pyrex glass measuring cup to pour the water all along the venting and in the drainhole.
That worked great!!! So GLAD I read the comments first! I boiled a kettle of water and used that. Used a mug full to fill injector. Once that went through, I mixed diluted white vinegar with the hot water and shot a mug full of water through. Finished with another mug full of water to rinse the vinegar out....didn't want acid left to eat the tube.
Thanks for the video. Our refrigerator was out of warranty and didn't want to pay for a repair. We watched your video and the instructions were spot on. Repaired in about 45 minutes from start to finish.
Great job on this. My side by side Maytag had the same problem. Took off back panel. Took off black rubber 90 degree fitting from the freezer defrost drain. It was plugged with purple goo. Cleaned under hot water with a stiff wire as a scrubber. Skinnied up a toothbrush so it fit up the freezer defrost drain pipe, (about 3/8" I.D. plastic). Took Dawn dish washing liquid on skinny brush and spun it up into the small drain pipe. Did this eight times until the dirt looking stuff was no longer coming out on the brush. Shop vac, (skinny hose) sucked it out just in case. Opened up freezer. 2 foot tall back panel had 3 screws on the top, (hex head). I took two off. One was impossible. Gently bent up panel. The drain sheet metal pan had ice between it and the drain fitting. YOU HAVE TO DO THIS IF YOU WANT IT TO DRAIN! Unplug fridge so you are not fighting the fan... Took heat gun and melted the 3/4" thick ice sheet, (just to speed up the melt/loosen the grab between plastic fridge shell and the metal funnel). Took big flat blade and broke ice out that was plugging the drain hole. Had cookie sheet below freezer to catch ice that I broke off the bottom of the freezer. FYI. The freezer coil is heated every few hours to melt the frost off the coil up behind all your frozen stuff. The water has to drain to to pan under the fridge. The water is evaporated from the pan with help from the fan. Any way with lots of tools ready, it took about 45 minutes. Just move stuff from freezer to fridge and it is fine in that amount of time without it running. Again. Awsome video! Saved me hundreds or thousands on a nine year old Maytag. (Vacuum all lint and dust off everything when you are back there. It gets nasty every 3 or 4 years.)
Thank you. My fridge started making a periodic high pitch noise like a stuck vent trying to move for a number months. Then came the bottom freezer icing up which I noticed when the slide out freezer drawer started dragging on the ice buildup. This solution is like taking a potato out of a car exhaust pipe ... the change in sound was noticeable. Some water flowed into the evaporation pan immediately when I removed what is in effect a plug. I absorbed some of the water in the pan to insure it did not overflow and then left it run for a few days. The result has been no more excess noise and the freezer has no more ice buildup plus I didn't have to remove the freezer drawer to get at the back pannel since removing the plug opened the dam returning the drainage back to normal. Good fix. A 1/4 inch socket is what you need to remove the back pannel.
I can't wait to try this! Our floor is ruined under the refrigerator because it leaked so much for so long. I guess it didn't bother the previous owners of our home, but it sure bothers us! Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge with us! You are helping us all to save lots of money!
Thank you, sir! Electricity was out for 36 hours in January and I guess that was enough for it to finally catch up to me in July-August. Ice in the bottom 3-4 times and water in front of fridge on the floor. Although it took me 2.5 hours between vacuuming the back of fridge, finally relenting to remove the freezer front and drawers (found how to remove the drawers in another video) and pouring hot water all along the vents and the drainhole. Checked to make sure it was draining into the pan before closing it all back up. Now, let's HOPE it stays that way as I'm sure this refrigerator costs 2x more times what I paid for it 11 years ago.
Thanks for the video!! Very helpful! Just a couple of other items that helped me also. I was able to use a bucket of very hot water and a fish tank siphon to clear the drain hole without taking the door off and the drawers out.... Saves a lot of time!!!! Lots of water on the floor but it's still way better than taking everything off. Also I have a p-trap in the back instead of the chute. The p-trap also clogs with slime so you have to remove that and fully clean it out. Thanks again!!
Thank you so much. I installed a kit to prevent the water build-up but it didn't work. After watching your video about adding hot water through the drain, I tried it. And it works. I confirmed that water was going to the drain. Thanks so much.
This is a great temp fix but you need to order the replacement p trap kit as mentioned on other posts. When you take that nasty grommet off you’ll feel the cold air rushing out of the freezer. The new p trap kit will fix that. Happy fridge! Now I can put the hammer back in the garage!
Agreed 100%. It’s such a pain. Multiple attempts. Still froze and dripped on the floor now I’m letting my refrigerator sit unplugged for 24 hours just to make sure what a nightmare. Thanks whirlpool.
This sorted my problem out perfectly - my water tube was in the shape of a under sink tube so I cant take it off as the drip tray isnt underneath the outlet ! other than that the hot water trick did the trick - thankyou so much!
Thank you so very much for taking the time to do this video. It is truly educational. I consider myself totally inept when It comes to fixing things, but with your help I was able to fix my refrigerator!!! I feel so happy for that. All the best to you and once again many thanks.
Thanks so much for this information my fridge has been leaking for months could not afford to call for repair. I can do this myself.Thanks too you.YEA!!!
Omg you're a life saver! I'm going to try this, ours is leaking so bad it completely soaked a towel we had down around the bottom. We live in an apartment and we are afraid to tell the landlord to fix it. So hopefully we can fix it by our selves. Thank you!
I performed this repair on my Maytag version of the Whirlpool refrigerator and added the P-Trap in place of the poorly designed rubber nipple device. The freezer trays were removed but I left the back panel attached and used a hair dryer to thoroughly melt as much ice as possible then allowed the refrigerator to thaw over night. The next day the drain was checked using a hot salt water and a turkey baster while checking the drip tray for water flow. The drain was thawed and now flowing water freely. Completed the job by installing the new P-Trap and re-installing the rear access panel and freezer trays. Success! Addendum: Searching the internet for the lowest price on the P-Trap using the part number listed on an appliance parts page (which had the highest price) a replacement part was found for only $12.95 plus $3.50 shipping. Very reasonable price.
Thank you SO MUCH! My husband was able to fix our freezer after watching this video even though it was a different model so the line was not exactly the same !
After releasing the clog with boiling water - I used my shop vac from the back to suck all the crap remaining out then I used the blow side to force air through the drain from the front. I also used the shop vac to blow the remaining ice particulate and water into the drain so I did not have to remove the interior back of the freezer. Thank you for your insights !
Yep, this is exactly correct. I used hot water and a turkey baster right on the drain. Feels like it's a pattern of Whirlpool under-engineered appliances and selling upgrades when they become an issue. From them going back to an older ice maker retrofit, P-tube replacement for the drain. I guess the grommet was to prevent some non-existent splatter, but it should have been a hose in the first place just like the water going in. Big brains!
Glad I found this video. I think this may be my problem. Freezer ices up when the temperature drops down cooler after humid days. Fridge not cold enough when this happens. Already changed the control board thinking this was the issue. I can put it into forced defrost and it'll clear up for a few days. I don't think all the ice in the bottom is totally defrosting and draining properly.
Thanks for the tip on melting the ice in the drain, and how to get the drawer out! I'll be going with the replacement drain, though, which costs $15 on Amazon, I don't want to let the hot air in unnecessarily.
If they get really out of level it can also cause ice on the bottom. I left my fridge off for 24 to 30hrs but didn't work. Has worked in the past as I've turn my fridge off 2x per yr as a prevented thing. But also has been iced up beside the unlevel thing. Fridge must be a decade old. Haven't been turning it off 2x per yr as I have this whiny roommate that throws a hissy fit if I leave it off for that long. I wish he'd grow some.⚽ 😂. Then again it might really be plugged this time. So another fun wkend. Thank you for the great video.
I have a KitchenAid side by side fridge. I saw the video.. and I found the drain plug inside the fridge was easier to access than the French Door freezers. I cleaned the drain plug with a wire and ran hot water with baking soda thru it using a turkey baster. I saw the water drain. I was thinking of putting a thin tube like a ballpoint pen refill or a stainless steel straw into it and leaving it there. I think that will open the duckbill valve a little letting any water seep thru.
Moon Pie Yes, but less trouble than pulling the fridge out and replacing a part from the back. I found an old steel telescopic antenna from a kid's R/C toy and I broke a segment off which I inserted into the valve. I just jiggle it every month and remove it to wash and re-insert. Acts like a drain they put in the the body after surgery!
Thank you so much! I just did this, so only time will tell if it's permanent, but it sure looks like exactly the issue I've been avoiding fixing for several years. THANK YOU!
You are my savior! This has been plaguing me for months. We referred to it as "water under the fridge" and it became an inside joke amongst my friends. It stopped being funny after a week. I had no idea what was causing this to happen but you're video perfectly explained it and provided the optimal solution. Thank you so much for taking the time to help others out. May nothing but good things come your way.
Great video! Just upgraded the nipple in the back with the p-trap kit, but didn't get all the ice out of the line so will be using a turkey baster with hot water to clear it this next go-around.
Well thank you! I can do this myself after 5 years if cleaning up water on my wood floors and being told by 1) repair man from whirlpool that there isnt anything that can be done except maybe run all new copper tubing 2) told by my husband to just crack the ice out every other week. Ill never trust a whirlpool repairman again and I might file for divorce
I am 75, and fixed income. My 4 warranty expired 9/15/17... Basically treated very rude at Lowes. I found this video, and will ask my neighbor for help. You describe exactly what I am going thru. thank you
So if your freezer is full on ice and the drain pan is dry this is probably your problem! I followed your method of removing the Rubber grommet. Bad design that does not function as designed. Probably also what started the problem. I took an old ketchup bottle and 4 feet of conduit "1/2 " OD electrical Conduit" and pumped very hot water through. I used a wet vacuum to remove the flush water from the pan evaporate pan under the compressor fan in the back of the refrigerator. In the future I plan to use the same system but will add vinegar to the flush. I'm thinking that without the plug/grommet it should flush it just fine without needing to open the back. Thanks
I made the same mistake in not defrosting the drain in side the freezer, did your fix of putting hot water down it and will see, should be god now. Thank you so much for this video!
I did this, unfortunately I did not have the groomer in my drain. My drain was S shaped and clogged with dust and pet dander somewhere in the middle of the drain. Had to remove the drain completely. Unclipped it. Ran high pressure water and it finally pushed out the clog. This was the first time I had this issue, and it took about 8 years to clog it up. $202 repairman problem. He also told me to clean all the dust out from under the fridge and clean the coils once a tear to prevent this problem, and any potential overheating issues.
Same problem here i didn't see on your video the black thing you throw garbage. I will try this week end. I also have problem with my ice machine who didn't work anymore idea ? I will put off 24 hours the fridge this week end.
Dude, you are my FREAKING hero!! That could have easily been a 3-hr event with troubleshooting, still not removing the black nipple, repeating the effort - hr effort a month later, and still ending up with my heading exploding!! What did we do before guys like you and RUclips!! Ditto to what John Gurcsik said. I will look at his reply, and your next 12-pack is on me!! I didn't see your Paypal address, but I did Subscribe, so hopefully you are getting advertisement $$$.
Worked for me too! Thank you. It took me aboit 10 cups of boiling water till it finally thawed and water ran through it. I removed the black cap completely
Great advice for novice. My whirlpool bottom freezer has done this the last 3 July's in a row. By the time I realized the problem everything thawed. Apparently the freezer quit then started up again. I never had water on the floor. Is there a safety switch to shut the unit off? I lost some product but now I'm paranoid about putting anything important like sockeye salmon in this freezer. I've watched a few videos on this problem but it seems like others with this problem the freezer keeps working whereas mine thaws completely then starts up on its own. Input please. Is there a safety switch or what?
Thanks for the video! Think the benefit of the "nipple" (duck billed grommet) is that it doesnt allow free passage for hot air to go back up that line, which may make your compressor run longer than it would otherwise to cool the refrigerator. So im just cleaning mine and plugging it back in. My 2 cents. But seriously, what a mess this is..
Thanks for your video. I grabbed a 1/4" hex socket for my drill and unscrewed 9 hex-head tapping screws from the metal panel. I am impressed that you included the the socket size and number of screws. :)) I also agree with Milanesa2010 and Moon Pie on installing the P-trap and not fooling with the removal or altering the rubber grommet.
Great video! My Whirlpool is a later model but had the exact same issue....the issue was that the S trap in the drain line became clogged with slimy mold. One the tube was blocked, water backed up into the drain and froze. The fix was straightforward, melt the ice inside, remove the drain tube and clean it out. Not sure what caused the slimy mold or if it will come back.
Thanks for this quick video. I think whirlpool made a change in my model. I had a tube instead of a shoot. I cleaned it the best I could but I think it will happen again.
6/27/21_Thank you for this video. Mine does just as you stated. Tired of this crap frig. I assume that rubber piece you took out is from the back. I also wondered if it is the rubber on the inside where you poured the hot water into. I can see if a rubber piece their will slow down the drain of the water. Will try this but hate idea of just doing it. Won't buy another lower drawer frig. Thank You
Thanks for this video. This is exactly what's happening to me. I've taken to placing towels in the bottom of the freezer to absorb the water. I eventually have to remove the towels, get the ice off them and dry them. I do it every couple weeks. Luckily I keep very little in the lower freezer, so I've just pulled out the grate that comes along. Question I have is how did you get the water poured down the grate in front on the front / inside of the freezer? Does that piece come off, or did you use a watering can.... Just trying to figure how to make sure the water gets down to the desired point w/o pouring all over the freezer linter itself? Thank you for your feedback, and good video.
Hey thank you very much for this video & the information it contains. It is much appreciated! We've already totally defrosted our freezer three or four times only to keep having the same problem. Armed with this information, it might actually work this time! Thanks again!
We've only had this happen once in the 6 or 7 years we've had this refrigerator. Years ago I was told to pour a cap full of bleach down the drain every six months or so. The bleach will clean out the crud that builds up in the drain. But I will look at the drain under and make the changes, Thanks
Thank you! We don't use the icemaker so I left the water pump unplugged after removing the back panel. Are there any potential problems from doing that?
I did this and it seems to work. My one question is what that nipple is for. Maybe to keep particles from blowing up into the freezer from the bottom of the refrigerator?
I was able to fix this, from the front, no tools required on a whirlpool side by side. I unplugged, remover the bottom slide out shelf, and poured hot water over the ice in the bottom of the freezer and got the ice sheet out. Then I soaked up all water with a sponge. I let a small electric space heater run in the freezer for 30mins, checking every 10 mins to clean up any water around the heater. I taped three large Starbucks straws together and fed it as far as I could down the drain hole and gave it a couple good blows and sucks. It seems as if it cleared up any ice or other obstructions. I poured hot water down the drain hole and it disappeared rapidly. Voila! Problem solved, no tools required, just three straws, which are hard to come by in California these days.
6 year old video just saved my sanity. For the life of me I could not figure out why our fridge was leaking water. Fixed, thank you sir!
thanks
The appliance manufacturer play these dirty little trick to get you into thinking that you need to go out and buy a new fridge. Thanks to people and videos like yours the power is going back into the peoples hands !
thanks for watching
I read through the comments before my husband and I attempted this procedure. I used someone's suggestion to use a meat injector without the needle. Work wonderfully and was pressure to clean out the tube. My husband squeezed to tube to work the blockage out. I pushed 3 mug fulls of boiled water through the drain, using the injector. I added diluted white vinegar to the 2nd mug and finished with just water to rinse. My husband took care of the water that was filling up the tray so it didn't overflow.
Worked very well!!!
Thanks for putting this on!
VERY HELPFUL in the times we are living!
Protect this man at all costs!! I was losing my mind every 2 weeks or so. Sad thing is that I oversee 5 hotels engineers and was to lazy to figure it out!! Awesome video
glad it helped you. Have a good weekend
Great video! After dealing with ice buildup on the drain inside the freezer…still couldn’t get the damn thing to drain.
Found this video and problem solved! Outstanding!!
Glad it helped, have a good weekend
This was exactly what was going on with our fridge for the past several years. We've just been chiseling out the ice every 3 months. THANK YOU. Commented, liked, and subscribed.
hope the video helped you
We have this cleaning every week, I’ll try this .
I have the same refrigerator, same problem. Your fix may just do the trick. So many people are having the same problem, seems like a bad design issue. You may have saved me some money. Thanks.
your welcome, have a good weekend
This is insightful. I regret buying a refridgerator with a freezer on the bottom. This leaking has caused floor damage. Live and learn.
thanks for taking the time to post this for the benefit of all us DIY homeowners on a budget.
Hi, saw a rather large pool of water under my French Door Whirlpool. My wife called a repairman and was quoted (over the phone) $169/to start. Then I got on RUclips and saw your video. With my sons help we fixed the problem and within 45 minutes the fridge is running normal again. Thank you so much for the help.
I have needed this video for 5 years! I just fixed mine with your help!! Thank you for sharing; now I don't have to buy a new refrigerator!!!!!!!!!!
Praise the refrigerator Gods for you. I have been dealing with this freaking leak for > 6 years. I have been dealing with 1/2" sheets of ice, taking them out with a butter knife, having them break into pieces on my kitchen floor, always having to put a towel if front of the freezer. NO More you devil whirlpool! thank you, thank you.
your welcome!
Butter knife? Good thinking. Beats the hammer drill that punctured the refrigerant coils.
Plastic spatula works good too!
Thank you for posting this. I have an Amana by whirlpool with the bottom freezer. leaking water and this worked! I will add for those wandering the actual procedure that I used a small driver to remove the hex screws from the back panel (where the collecting pan is) and inner freezer panel (which is necessary to access the drain hole) then a screwdriver-type-pick to break up the ice around the drain hole, and surrounding areas, and then used my gooseneck kettle to pour warm water down the hole to ensure that it was all cleared out. its been bout 3-4 hours and no water leaking . saved a technician fee of maybe $250 and a new fridge for maybe $800. took about an hour or less including cleaning up .
Good to hear
As soon as I tapped that downspout all this water came gushing out it was clogged. Thank you for the info!
Glad it helped!
Nice dude, appreciate the video! Tired of leaving towels on the kitchen floor 😅
Glad I could help!
Thank you..I will try this .I am so tired of walking on the overflow of water and Removing the ice from bottom every other week..
Thank you!! Other videos talked about cleaning / widening that nipple piece, but pouring hot water through the drain was the thing that fixed it!!! 🎉
Cool
Your video and advice did the trick. Thanks! The big takeaway for me was your advice about not underestimating just how much boiling water is needed to melt the ice. I almost gave up thinking it was another issue and then I heard the water flowing down in to the tray in the back.
This video helped me several years ago when my freezer started leaking - Revisited this again today to do the same fix - Thank you so much for posting this
Glad it helped
Great video, thanks. I made the mistake of not completely thawing the drain hole with hot water. The purpose of the rubber duckbill is to prevent cold air in the freezer compartment from blowing through that drain hole and escaping into that rear compartment where the compressor and fan is. If you put your finger near that drain hole while the fridge is working you will feel that cold air. A P-trap is a much better solution because it completely blocks cold air in the freezer from blowing through the drain line but can't clog up like that duckbill. That drain line is so small that leaving the duck bill off probably has minimal effect, obviously you've proven it works fine without it. So you might be losing a small bit of efficiency but not affecting the overall operation. If you have central air conditioning in your house, you'll find a similar P trap in the condensate line, only it's much bigger. Without that P trap the cold air in your furnace plenum would blow out the drain line and be "wasted" by blowing into the basement instead of blowing through the ductwork into your house.
Why wouldn't this ptrap get clogged just as the nipple did. Kinda like the ptrap in the kitchen sink clogging over time from debris collecting in it?
It's true anything can clog, but it's all relative. The duckbill will clog from just dirt and fluff, the ptrap would need something bigger, like pieces of food. The design of the tray and cover where the water gets collected makes it pretty much impossible for anything to get in there except the dustbunnies that blow around in the freezer.
I agree, great video, helped so much, Thank you!
Great information. Thanks
Great video. Have had our Whirlpool for about 2 years now and are dealing with this issue. Knew someone else out there would be having the issue and made a video about it. Thanks a bunch!
Your welcome
Thanks for the great video! Solved our problem, took less than an hour. We actually ran a pot of hot water in the coffee pot then used a meat injector with no needle and put the water on the drain hole. Worked great!
good idea, have a good week
Oh, that meat injector is a good idea. I don't have one so I just used a Pyrex glass measuring cup to pour the water all along the venting and in the drainhole.
That worked great!!! So GLAD I read the comments first! I boiled a kettle of water and used that. Used a mug full to fill injector. Once that went through, I mixed diluted white vinegar with the hot water and shot a mug full of water through. Finished with another mug full of water to rinse the vinegar out....didn't want acid left to eat the tube.
Thanks for the video. Our refrigerator was out of warranty and didn't want to pay for a repair. We watched your video and the instructions were spot on. Repaired in about 45 minutes from start to finish.
This will save me a $200 service call. Thank you!!
Thanks for your help on this! Just bought a new home and the fridge was leaking just as you said.
Great job on this. My side by side Maytag had the same problem. Took off back panel. Took off black rubber 90 degree fitting from the freezer defrost drain. It was plugged with purple goo. Cleaned under hot water with a stiff wire as a scrubber. Skinnied up a toothbrush so it fit up the freezer defrost drain pipe, (about 3/8" I.D. plastic). Took Dawn dish washing liquid on skinny brush and spun it up into the small drain pipe. Did this eight times until the dirt looking stuff was no longer coming out on the brush. Shop vac, (skinny hose) sucked it out just in case. Opened up freezer. 2 foot tall back panel had 3 screws on the top, (hex head). I took two off. One was impossible. Gently bent up panel. The drain sheet metal pan had ice between it and the drain fitting. YOU HAVE TO DO THIS IF YOU WANT IT TO DRAIN! Unplug fridge so you are not fighting the fan... Took heat gun and melted the 3/4" thick ice sheet, (just to speed up the melt/loosen the grab between plastic fridge shell and the metal funnel). Took big flat blade and broke ice out that was plugging the drain hole. Had cookie sheet below freezer to catch ice that I broke off the bottom of the freezer.
FYI. The freezer coil is heated every few hours to melt the frost off the coil up behind all your frozen stuff. The water has to drain to to pan under the fridge. The water is evaporated from the pan with help from the fan.
Any way with lots of tools ready, it took about 45 minutes. Just move stuff from freezer to fridge and it is fine in that amount of time without it running.
Again. Awsome video! Saved me hundreds or thousands on a nine year old Maytag. (Vacuum all lint and dust off everything when you are back there. It gets nasty every 3 or 4 years.)
Thank you. My fridge started making a periodic high pitch noise like a stuck vent trying to move for a number months. Then came the bottom freezer icing up which I noticed when the slide out freezer drawer started dragging on the ice buildup. This solution is like taking a potato out of a car exhaust pipe ... the change in sound was noticeable. Some water flowed into the evaporation pan immediately when I removed what is in effect a plug. I absorbed some of the water in the pan to insure it did not overflow and then left it run for a few days. The result has been no more excess noise and the freezer has no more ice buildup plus I didn't have to remove the freezer drawer to get at the back pannel since removing the plug opened the dam returning the drainage back to normal. Good fix.
A 1/4 inch socket is what you need to remove the back pannel.
I can't wait to try this! Our floor is ruined under the refrigerator because it leaked so much for so long. I guess it didn't bother the previous owners of our home, but it sure bothers us!
Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge with us! You are helping us all to save lots of money!
Thank you, sir! Electricity was out for 36 hours in January and I guess that was enough for it to finally catch up to me in July-August. Ice in the bottom 3-4 times and water in front of fridge on the floor. Although it took me 2.5 hours between vacuuming the back of fridge, finally relenting to remove the freezer front and drawers (found how to remove the drawers in another video) and pouring hot water all along the vents and the drainhole. Checked to make sure it was draining into the pan before closing it all back up. Now, let's HOPE it stays that way as I'm sure this refrigerator costs 2x more times what I paid for it 11 years ago.
yeah inflation is crazy!!! it should be good for you now
Thanks for the video!! Very helpful! Just a couple of other items that helped me also. I was able to use a bucket of very hot water and a fish tank siphon to clear the drain hole without taking the door off and the drawers out.... Saves a lot of time!!!! Lots of water on the floor but it's still way better than taking everything off. Also I have a p-trap in the back instead of the chute. The p-trap also clogs with slime so you have to remove that and fully clean it out. Thanks again!!
Great video. It was exactly what I needed to resolve the leaking freezer issue that had been going on for months. THANK YOU!
That sounds like what i have so its empty the drawers and get some ice oit and hot water that drain. Appreciate the time and great video.
Thank you so much. I installed a kit to prevent the water build-up but it didn't work. After watching your video about adding hot water through the drain, I tried it. And it works. I confirmed that water was going to the drain. Thanks so much.
This is a great temp fix but you need to order the replacement p trap kit as mentioned on other posts. When you take that nasty grommet off you’ll feel the cold air rushing out of the freezer. The new p trap kit will fix that. Happy fridge! Now I can put the hammer back in the garage!
Agreed 100%. It’s such a pain. Multiple attempts. Still froze and dripped on the floor now I’m letting my refrigerator sit unplugged for 24 hours just to make sure what a nightmare. Thanks whirlpool.
This sorted my problem out perfectly - my water tube was in the shape of a under sink tube so I cant take it off as the drip tray isnt underneath the outlet ! other than that the hot water trick did the trick - thankyou so much!
Glad it helped
Thank you so very much for taking the time to do this video. It is truly educational. I consider myself totally inept when It comes to fixing things, but with your help I was able to fix my refrigerator!!! I feel so happy for that. All the best to you and once again many thanks.
Thanks for watching, glad it helped
Thanks so much for this information my fridge has been leaking for months could not afford to call for repair. I can do this myself.Thanks too you.YEA!!!
PERFECT VIDEO!!!!! I have been dealing with this problem for 10 years now and I'm so glad this is the FIX!!!! Thanks for sharing!
glad I could help
Omg you're a life saver! I'm going to try this, ours is leaking so bad it completely soaked a towel we had down around the bottom. We live in an apartment and we are afraid to tell the landlord to fix it. So hopefully we can fix it by our selves. Thank you!
Follow the video exactly, mine has never done it again
Your video is still helping. I just fixed my fridge, thanks to you! Thanks again! 😁
Glad I could help!
You're my hero! Thank you so much for the very informative video. This refrigerator of mine was almost out the door.
Thank you, I’m going to try that. I’m fed up with defrosting every month
Thank you for this. So tired of mopping and smashing ice out of the freezer. Be gone nipple!
Nice phrase, lol.
I performed this repair on my Maytag version of the Whirlpool refrigerator and added the P-Trap in place of the poorly designed rubber nipple device. The freezer trays were removed but I left the back panel attached and used a hair dryer to thoroughly melt as much ice as possible then allowed the refrigerator to thaw over night. The next day the drain was checked using a hot salt water and a turkey baster while checking the drip tray for water flow. The drain was thawed and now flowing water freely. Completed the job by installing the new P-Trap and re-installing the rear access panel and freezer trays. Success!
Addendum: Searching the internet for the lowest price on the P-Trap using the part number listed on an appliance parts page (which had the highest price) a replacement part was found for only $12.95 plus $3.50 shipping. Very reasonable price.
Thank you SO MUCH! My husband was able to fix our freezer after watching this video even though it was a different model so the line was not exactly the same !
glad you got it fixed
After releasing the clog with boiling water - I used my shop vac from the back to suck all the crap remaining out then I used the blow side to force air through the drain from the front. I also used the shop vac to blow the remaining ice particulate and water into the drain so I did not have to remove the interior back of the freezer. Thank you for your insights !
Dude, you totally sound like John Reilly. Thanks for the video. Wish there was an easier way of cleaning out that drain.
This is an excellent video. I found water standing in front of the Whirlpool. Great job.
My man! Not all heroes wear capes, but I bet this guy freakin does!
Hey thanks for watching hope the video helps you my fridge has been perfect ever since have a good night
Worked like a charm. No more towels on the floor to soak up water. Thanks!
good to hear, have a great night
Yep, this is exactly correct. I used hot water and a turkey baster right on the drain. Feels like it's a pattern of Whirlpool under-engineered appliances and selling upgrades when they become an issue. From them going back to an older ice maker retrofit, P-tube replacement for the drain. I guess the grommet was to prevent some non-existent splatter, but it should have been a hose in the first place just like the water going in. Big brains!
Glad I found this video. I think this may be my problem. Freezer ices up when the temperature drops down cooler after humid days. Fridge not cold enough when this happens. Already changed the control board thinking this was the issue. I can put it into forced defrost and it'll clear up for a few days. I don't think all the ice in the bottom is totally defrosting and draining properly.
Thanks for the tip on melting the ice in the drain, and how to get the drawer out! I'll be going with the replacement drain, though, which costs $15 on Amazon, I don't want to let the hot air in unnecessarily.
If they get really out of level it can also cause ice on the bottom. I left my fridge off for 24 to 30hrs but didn't work. Has worked in the past as I've turn my fridge off 2x per yr as a prevented thing. But also has been iced up beside the unlevel thing. Fridge must be a decade old. Haven't been turning it off 2x per yr as I have this whiny roommate that throws a hissy fit if I leave it off for that long. I wish he'd grow some.⚽ 😂. Then again it might really be plugged this time. So another fun wkend. Thank you for the great video.
Worked for me! Thanks for showing this solution! Mine had the p-trap hose already and it was clogged and the drain opening was frozen.
I have a KitchenAid side by side fridge. I saw the video.. and I found the drain plug inside the fridge was easier to access than the French Door freezers. I cleaned the drain plug with a wire and ran hot water with baking soda thru it using a turkey baster. I saw the water drain. I was thinking of putting a thin tube like a ballpoint pen refill or a stainless steel straw into it and leaving it there. I think that will open the duckbill valve a little letting any water seep thru.
Moon Pie Yes, but less trouble than pulling the fridge out and replacing a part from the back. I found an old steel telescopic antenna from a kid's R/C toy and I broke a segment off which I inserted into the valve. I just jiggle it every month and remove it to wash and re-insert. Acts like a drain they put in the the body after surgery!
On the latest episode of MacGyver?
Thank you so much! I just did this, so only time will tell if it's permanent, but it sure looks like exactly the issue I've been avoiding fixing for several years. THANK YOU!
Mine has never done it again..thanks
ADD is multitasking we have the same problem. Ice on bottom but also our ice maker stopped working! Could that be related??
Good video. I did the same thing and a couple years later it plugged again. That black nipple you described was the issue and had to go.
You are my savior! This has been plaguing me for months. We referred to it as "water under the fridge" and it became an inside joke amongst my friends. It stopped being funny after a week. I had no idea what was causing this to happen but you're video perfectly explained it and provided the optimal solution.
Thank you so much for taking the time to help others out. May nothing but good things come your way.
thanks, glad I could help, mine hasn't done it since. Have a good rest of the day
@@addismultitasking3504 Thank you! You as well.
Hey guys I have a question! I couldn’t remove the black rubber completely… how did you guys do it?
Thank you for sharing...I will definitely try this. I am sick of stepping in a puddle every morning.
Thanks for watching have a good night
@@addismultitasking3504 well I did it and im still puddle free....THANK YOU.. THANK YOU!!
Great video! Just upgraded the nipple in the back with the p-trap kit, but didn't get all the ice out of the line so will be using a turkey baster with hot water to clear it this next go-around.
ohhowhappygardener did that work ...
Good explanation on the need to completely de-ice.
Thanks.. mine's still working good
Well thank you! I can do this myself after 5 years if cleaning up water on my wood floors and being told by 1) repair man from whirlpool that there isnt anything that can be done except maybe run all new copper tubing 2) told by my husband to just crack the ice out every other week.
Ill never trust a whirlpool repairman again and I might file for divorce
Wendi Venable
I am 75, and fixed income. My 4 warranty expired 9/15/17... Basically treated very rude at Lowes. I found this video, and will ask my neighbor for help.
You describe exactly what I am going thru.
thank you
Wendi Venable what does that have to do with leaving someone you made a promise too? XD
So if your freezer is full on ice and the drain pan is dry this is probably your problem!
I followed your method of removing the Rubber grommet. Bad design that does not function as designed. Probably also what started the problem. I took an old ketchup bottle and 4 feet of conduit "1/2 " OD electrical Conduit" and pumped very hot water through. I used a wet vacuum to remove the flush water from the pan evaporate pan under the compressor fan in the back of the refrigerator. In the future I plan to use the same system but will add vinegar to the flush. I'm thinking that without the plug/grommet it should flush it just fine without needing to open the back. Thanks
You’re a Saint thank you ! That’s it. Finally! I’ve done all the other “fixes” too. This is the only thing that worked.
Glad it helped, have a good weekend
Great troubleshooting video. Was the same problem on our Maytag refrigerator. Thanks for sharing the information.
I made the same mistake in not defrosting the drain in side the freezer, did your fix of putting hot water down it and will see, should be god now. Thank you so much for this video!
I did this, unfortunately I did not have the groomer in my drain. My drain was S shaped and clogged with dust and pet dander somewhere in the middle of the drain. Had to remove the drain completely. Unclipped it. Ran high pressure water and it finally pushed out the clog. This was the first time I had this issue, and it took about 8 years to clog it up. $202 repairman problem. He also told me to clean all the dust out from under the fridge and clean the coils once a tear to prevent this problem, and any potential overheating issues.
Same problem here i didn't see on your video the black thing you throw garbage.
I will try this week end.
I also have problem with my ice machine who didn't work anymore idea ?
I will put off 24 hours the fridge this week end.
I want to thank you for this video. We had the same problem with our fridge and with your video, we were abble to fix it 😁
Great to hear!
Mine was doing same thing. That black nipple was definitely clogged. Thank you!!
Glad I could help
Dude, you are my FREAKING hero!! That could have easily been a 3-hr event with troubleshooting, still not removing the black nipple, repeating the effort - hr effort a month later, and still ending up with my heading exploding!! What did we do before guys like you and RUclips!! Ditto to what John Gurcsik said. I will look at his reply, and your next 12-pack is on me!! I didn't see your Paypal address, but I did Subscribe, so hopefully you are getting advertisement $$$.
Thanks for watching Glad I could help..have a great holiday weekend
Very helpful-I kept the little rubber nipple (see Mark Leininger's comment, below), but I was frustrated trying to get it back in place.
Great solution to a common Whirlpool problem, thanks!
Worked for me too! Thank you. It took me aboit 10 cups of boiling water till it finally thawed and water ran through it. I removed the black cap completely
Thanks for watching, have a great day
Great advice for novice. My whirlpool bottom freezer has done this the last 3 July's in a row. By the time I realized the problem everything thawed. Apparently the freezer quit then started up again. I never had water on the floor. Is there a safety switch to shut the unit off? I lost some product but now I'm paranoid about putting anything important like sockeye salmon in this freezer. I've watched a few videos on this problem but it seems like others with this problem the freezer keeps working whereas mine thaws completely then starts up on its own. Input please. Is there a safety switch or what?
Thanks for the video!
Think the benefit of the "nipple" (duck billed grommet) is that it doesnt allow free passage for hot air to go back up that line, which may make your compressor run longer than it would otherwise to cool the refrigerator. So im just cleaning mine and plugging it back in. My 2 cents.
But seriously, what a mess this is..
Yep; heat rises and the back area of the freezer is hot; it will indeed make the freezer run longer.
Thanks for your video. I grabbed a 1/4" hex socket for my drill and unscrewed 9 hex-head tapping screws from the metal panel. I am impressed that you included the the socket size and number of screws. :)) I also agree with Milanesa2010 and Moon Pie on installing the P-trap and not fooling with the removal or altering the rubber grommet.
Great video! My Whirlpool is a later model but had the exact same issue....the issue was that the S trap in the drain line became clogged with slimy mold. One the tube was blocked, water backed up into the drain and froze. The fix was straightforward, melt the ice inside, remove the drain tube and clean it out. Not sure what caused the slimy mold or if it will come back.
Really helpful and all I needed to resolve this problem. Thanks so much for the video. Well Done!!
Thank you so much. Great video.I can't pull my frig out without help, which I don't have, so I'll try the hot water tip. 🤞
Hope it helps
Thanks for this quick video. I think whirlpool made a change in my model. I had a tube instead of a shoot. I cleaned it the best I could but I think it will happen again.
Thank you!! I think it’s working great. My tube was completely clogged with slime.
glad it helped
Thank you for this Video! Fixed my problem, though sadly not before the flood.
Dude, not sure how much money you just saved me but I would guess at least $200. Thanks.
Your welcome
Thanks for the video, we have the same problem, will try this fix over the weekend.
mines worked great ever since
Ty sir. Worked just like you said. The rubber piece is useless.
Glad it helped
6/27/21_Thank you for this video. Mine does just as you stated. Tired of this crap frig. I assume that rubber
piece you took out is from the back. I also wondered if it is the rubber on the inside where you poured the hot water into. I can see if a rubber piece their will slow down the drain of the water. Will try this but hate idea of just doing it. Won't buy another lower drawer frig. Thank You
You have A LOT OF COMMON SENSE Thank you!!!!
I hope it helped you
Thank you!! This has been a problem for a year!
Glad it helped
Very helpful video, allowed us to fix our freezer, thank you.
Good to hear
Thanks for this video. This is exactly what's happening to me. I've taken to placing towels in the bottom of the freezer to absorb the water. I eventually have to remove the towels, get the ice off them and dry them. I do it every couple weeks. Luckily I keep very little in the lower freezer, so I've just pulled out the grate that comes along.
Question I have is how did you get the water poured down the grate in front on the front / inside of the freezer? Does that piece come off, or did you use a watering can.... Just trying to figure how to make sure the water gets down to the desired point w/o pouring all over the freezer linter itself?
Thank you for your feedback, and good video.
Hey thank you very much for this video & the information it contains. It is much appreciated! We've already totally defrosted our freezer three or four times only to keep having the same problem. Armed with this information, it might actually work this time! Thanks again!
Your welcome
We've only had this happen once in the 6 or 7 years we've had this refrigerator. Years ago I was told to pour a cap full of bleach down the drain every six months or so. The bleach will clean out the crud that builds up in the drain. But I will look at the drain under and make the changes, Thanks
I'm going to try this first instead of hauling the refrigerator out
Thank you! We don't use the icemaker so I left the water pump unplugged after removing the back panel. Are there any potential problems from doing that?
Should be ok
Repair guy took my icemaker out 10 yrs ago and it runs fine. Your comment was 2yrs ago so you may not even still have the fridge.
I did this and it seems to work. My one question is what that nipple is for. Maybe to keep particles from blowing up into the freezer from the bottom of the refrigerator?
Maybe...or to let water through slowly
It keeps warm moist air from entering the freezer compartment, which causes more ice build up and decreases efficiency. P-trap hose is best solution.
I was able to fix this, from the front, no tools required on a whirlpool side by side. I unplugged, remover the bottom slide out shelf, and poured hot water over the ice in the bottom of the freezer and got the ice sheet out. Then I soaked up all water with a sponge. I let a small electric space heater run in the freezer for 30mins, checking every 10 mins to clean up any water around the heater. I taped three large Starbucks straws together and fed it as far as I could down the drain hole and gave it a couple good blows and sucks. It seems as if it cleared up any ice or other obstructions. I poured hot water down the drain hole and it disappeared rapidly. Voila! Problem solved, no tools required, just three straws, which are hard to come by in California these days.
Nice job
Thank you for posting the original how to:-)
Thanks!! it work, I use a pump for turkey to put water in the hole
Using a turkey baster to get hot water in the hole just might work. Thanks for the tip!
Hey! Great info! Any long term update on the effectiveness of pulling out that piece?
Never had a problem, still working great, have a good weekend
Did you unscrew the back panel inside the fridge to pour the hot water in? Or is that unnecessary?