Clearing Defrost Drain Tube On A GE Profile - Fridge Deemed NON REPAIRABLE - See Description
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- Опубликовано: 10 сен 2024
- An actual GE service tech deemed my fridge NON REPAIRABLE. He said I have tried everything they would have tried. I'm advising everyone with this issue to CALL GE Consumer Relations and be courteous but be persistent for a replacement offer! TALK TO A MANAGER!!! They can do better than the first offer.
GE Consumer Relations 800-386-1215
This fix only lasts for 3 to 4 weeks. If the faceplate is frozen to the refrigerator you may need to use a hair dryer to unthaw it.
FYI…The Cooper wire fix is NOT working. I’m leaving the video up and letting people know it’s not working. • Non repairable - See D...
As you try this procedure, after you remove the 4 screws holding on the evaporator cover panel on the back wall of the fridge, the cover panel may not come free as easily as the video shows. It is likely that the bottom of the styrofoam on the back of the cover panel is saturated with water and frozen solid to the unit itself. If you force it, the styrofoam will break and you will have to buy a new cover panel for about $200. I would suggest that if the cover panel doesn't come off easily, wait 24 hours with the doors open to allow everything to thaw, then try removing it the next day. Alternatively, for the impatient (or those with food in the process of spoiling) use a hairdryer. Hope this helps.
Great tip! Unfortunately I read your comment after I lost my temper and ripped it out thinking it was glued. Lol
I thought this video didn't apply to me because of what you just explained. For me it was a lot of ice frozen back there keep me from being able to pull the panel. I figured I was going to break it because the bottom half was coming of but the top wouldn't budge. I called GE and was on hold for like 30 minutes just to get sent to a troubleshooting page on their site they wasn't there. I went back to pull on the panel being desperate and it came off with a little force. Read your comment after lol
Thats exactly what i am dealing with thank you so much
I seen on other refrigerators, That it's a very simple procedure and there's nothing to unscrew. They need to make this process something women can do easily still having to pay somebody big bucks just to take off a panel and do all that. I'm not messing with it!!! Grrrrr
I've seen ...
For anyone following this video for removing ice please be aware that once you remove the four screws and release the clips, the panel should easily come away from the back of the refrigerator. If it does not, *DO NOT PRY THE COVER AWAY!* You *_WILL_* break something be it the foam on the panel or if you use too much muscle and the ice build up is substantial you can damage the coils or freon tubes near the fan on the panel. The best course of action, if you can't let it thaw out on its own, is to use a hair dryer and let it run blowing the warm air either through the vents or from the right side of the panel if some of it can be gently pulled open to allow the warm air to get behind.
Also, for those like me that had a substantial build up ice, you may notice, once you get the panel off, that your fan is encased in ice. Make sure you clear this ice otherwise this problem with return in short order. Use the hair dryer again and/or very gently chip away at the ice. Be careful not to damage the fan blades. For an easier time removing the ice and to get to some hidden ice, remove the plastic fan assembly from the panel. There are four screws that hold this assembly in place, the gently flip the assembly (this is required as you will notice wires that are fed into the top of the panel). Once you flip the assembly over, you may see a mass of ice, make sure you are gentle getting the ice out to avoid damaging the foam. Reverse steps for re-assembly.
I had the same problem every couple of months. G E repairman told me to take a heavy gauge aluminum wire, (non insulated), about eight inches long. Bend one end into a hook. Hang it on the heating element, with the other end hanging in the drain tube. That will keep the water from freezing in the tube. That's been five years ago. No more problem.
A definite design flaw. Hope this helps. Be sure to clear the drain tube first.
I'm happy to hear this worked for you! :)
Could you tell me which gauge size? 9 or 12 gauge, perhaps?
My GE has exactly that solution.
Your comment is gold
Brian. Thanks for this post. It saved me a TON of money! I have a 2012 model GE Profile. The bottom drawer collecting water and ice. I followed your steps. However I didn't want to defrost overnight and loose all my food. It was very difficult to remove the back panel. It was frozen to the coils and the drip tray. So I used a hair dryer on the lower part of the back panel. and kept prying and wedging it open. It finally popped loose after nearly 3 hours of effort. You have to pry down the top of the back plate from the roof also. On my model the panel is slightly recessed into the roof panel. (pain in the ass...)
After I got it off it was just one plug in the back. I melted the remaining ice with hair dryer. Then I used boiling salt water for the defrosting the drain hose. I poured it in, let it sit a few minutes, toweled it up and repeated. It took about 5 tries and it cleared. I added two small 4 inch pieces of wire around the heating element then down the drain line. It's running great! Thank you so much for the inspiration to tackle this! I had no clue that I could possibly do this myself!
Mega props for the boiling salt water idea!!! Played with 2 hair dryers for an hour before breaking for a beer and some research. Saw your comment, and within 5 minutes we were clear!!! Have a new fridge in storage as we remodel, so this one only has to last a short time (don't want to risk damaging the new one as we rebuild the kitchen). Thanks again!
I agree with Ben -- great quarantine activity. These instructions were really helpful and I appreciate them. I looked at a couple other videos that talked about thawing beforehand. I understand why, because my back cover was frozen in place. Since I wanted to get this done with as quickly as possible, I used a hairdryer to warm the back cover enough to pop it off -- worked fine. I also didn't have a tube to siphon the water, so I again used the hairdryer to blow the cooled-down water out of the tube. Then I used a little bottle brush to poke the ice block every so often. It took a solid 30 minutes of hot water and poking but eventually it came loose.
My wife and I just finished doing this and the video was spot on. Two things we had trouble with was removing the plug from the back panel using my hands. I finally used channel lock pliers to disconnect it. Second finding a hose to stick down the drain so we could siphon the water out so we could add hot water in it. Fortunately I had an extra plastic hose that I used to connect to the ice maker and after about 30 mins of repeatedly adding boiling water and siphoning out after a few mins we finally broke thru and the water went all the way to the bottom pan. It took us 3 hours start to finish. Probably could have been done in about half the time but my wife was also cleaning every inch of the fridge as well. Thanks Brian. Without this video we wouldn't of had the courage to take this on.
That's Awesome! I'm glad it helped. If only we could work as fast as I did when I sped up the video while removing everything.
So how has your fridge been since you posted this? Is it working fine? Is it still leaking water?
An actual GE service tech deemed my fridge NON REPAIRABLE. He said I have tried everything they would have tried. I'm advising everyone with this issue to CALL GE Consumer Relations and be courteous but be persistent for a replacement offer! TALK TO A MANAGER!!! They can do better than the first offer.
GE Consumer Relations 800-386-1215
Good video, and easy to follow. I've unfrozen my drain a dozen times with this method, so it does work. Now... if only I could PREVENT it from freezing in the 1st place... I've put a copper wire extender from the defroster, down the tube. but it still freezes up in about 5-7 days again.
Hey Kurt! I think something that would prevent it from freezing up is insulating around the faceplate before reinstalling it. I’m thinking that would keep cold air from the refrigerator away from the drain tube. 😊
great video - just to add a bit - there are 2 removable tubes going into the catch pan under the fridge - they clog up with debris - take them out and clean them when doing this job - also, DON'T suck the dirty fridge water out ! , simply blow air slowly in as this will circulate the hot water in the frozen tube - also don't forget to clean the compressor coils while u r at it....
DUDE I’m in this process now, with the panel taking a long minute to gently remove as it was frozen in place. Getting the drain to thaw has been a century in my mind THEN I re-read some of the comments and tried your air-blowing tip. WORKED LIKE A CHAMP. Thank you for sharing!
I posted this supplemental video to my original. I do not yet know if this will work because I just installed the copper wire today. I should know whether or not it worked in the coming months. Here's the link to my new video "How To Install Copper Wire To Keep GE Profile Refrigerator Defrost Drain Tube From Freezing" ruclips.net/video/dUW3auh--hc/видео.html
I posted this supplemental video to my original. I do not yet know if this will work because I just installed the copper wire today. I should know whether or not it worked in the coming months. Here's the link to my new video "How To Install Copper Wire To Keep GE Profile Refrigerator Defrost Drain Tube From Freezing" ruclips.net/video/dUW3auh--hc/видео.html
I tried a hairdryer with hot air; tried the hot water…and nothing really happened. Then I thought about what do we put on the roads in the winter…Bingo! After clearing out some ice with a flat screwdriver, I poured some table salt into the top…some more…and within less than two minutes the drain was flowing again. Just make sure to pour some water afterward to flush the salt.
You may not want that salt in the evaporator tray, especially if it is metal.
For anyone trying this fix, there is one more thing to check. I noticed something that looked like seeds both at the top of the drain and in the bottom of the drain tube. Turns out that those were styrofoam beads which had flaked off the bottom of the insulation behind the panel. I cleaned and dried that area as best as I could and then applied a strip of wide metal tape across the bottom, hoping that helps prevent this from happening again. Thanks for the very helpful video!
And you were SPOT ON with your recommendation to use a bit of tubing to pull the water out. Worked quite well. THANKS!
You're welcome! 😊
FYI, my panel was frozen in place and took some muscle to force it off. Be careful, the plastic and foam insulation could break. Be careful but keep at it. Brian, thanks for the video. It was a big help!
Thank You Ralph! I'm glad the video helped you!!! :)
Thank you Brian. I was able to de-ice mine because of your helpful video. Very nice of you to do this. You probably saved me a $200 service call.
You’re Welcome Party!!! Total no pressure to donate to my channel but if you’d like to here’s the link to my PayPal account. www.paypal.com/donate/?token=Y1l2hVIT_8qnwOjdd18gBoLIxQ7gK4AZEP8YtqBNXnjipI7QCLeCJ-xs6qpZUMwVa4Ax40&country.x=US&locale.x=US
You can also find the donate button next to my Facebook and Instagram buttons on the front page of my channel. 😊
So bought my fridge in 2012. Didn’t actually start using it till 2013 since I was remodeling.Started having the freezing problems about five years ago. This video, along with Brian's, showed me how to defrost the fridge and also add copper wires to the heating bar and sticking them down the drain hole in place of the cheap, useless piece of aluminum that came with the fridge. The problems required me defrosting the unit overnight once a year and eventually was freezing in 2-3 weeks. It disgusts me that I had to get a new fridge even though everything else works fine on this and it still looks like new. I wanted to, at LEAST, use this in my garage as a back up fridge but I can’t trust it. I found out that this is a Samsung refrigerator with a GE label. A friend with the exact same Samsung version had the same problem only Samsung recalled theirs and fixed it, even after 10 years. I filed a complaint with GE and a rep called me back, which surprised me. I ended up going back and forth with her in emails for a month only to have her say that there’s nothing she could do since the fridge is out of warranty other than to maybe give me a discount on a new fridge. WHY WOULD I EVEN WANT TO TRUST ANOTHER GE? I have GE everything in my home and I absolutely HATE Samsung anything! I have never had any luck with that brand. Unfortunately, I will no longer be buying ANY GE products if I can’t trust the quality of a GE Profile appliance.
In one of the reps emails, she said this “I did get a little more information from our service. ‘We never had a kit for this model, although Samsung did have one. Our fix has been to install heat probe WR51X10141 off the bottom of the evaporator (not on the defrost heater) and the drain was to be cleared and cleaned with a baking soda solution. The drain line/check valve in the machine compartment also gets replaced. WR02X12751’”. So, in other words, they are WELL aware of the problem.
In a last ditch attempt to get some kind of a positive response from GE, and as a result of reading the suggestion here, I called and asked to speak to a manager. After reviewing my case, she again stated that there was nothing they could do other than send out a repair tech for a initial cost of $100 plus whatever for parts and hourly service charges. I told her that they knew of this problem because they responded with part numbers! I told her at the least send me the parts and I’ll do it myself. We continued to debate this and she finally she would send the part for free and to have a qualified GE service professional install these parts. If this fix did not work, to contact them and they could see what else they could do. That was TWO weeks ago and still haven’t seen those parts...and probably won’t ever see those parts.
At this point it is clear that they DON’T CARE. They won’t do anything to help, and I will post everywhere and anywhere that they should stay away from GE products. I also informed them that I would be filing a complaint with the BBB. I get it, this is an old fridge, but they put out a product that they KNEW was faulty and refuse to make good on that.
I agree with you on this. It's absolutely crazy that they know about the problem and won't recall them. I too was told it is a Samsung fridge and not a GE product. GE is well aware of my video and these types of comments make others aware and companies either have to meet the needs of their customers or they will loose them. Thank you for posting this!!!
Thank you for the video, it worked to unclog the frozen lines. Other tips; we used a 1/4" irrigation line to feed down the drain tube to suck out the cool water at bottom then pour more hot water on top (using a battery filler or turkey baster bulb). Irrigation line, approximately 3' length is ideal. Took about 15 minutes, then the water drained perfectly. Also, the usual suspect which causes water to freeze are the drain tubes in the back bottom of fridge. It is recommended to clean out the rubber duck bills on both drain tubes (our GE has 2 of these exit tubes which drain into pan below black compressor right hand side bottom back of fridge, 1 tube is for the upper fridge compartment and the 2nd tube is for the bottom freezer). These drain tubes are simple to remove, wash out with warm water and ensure no blockages, then reassemble the drain tube/duck bill, can even cut the rubber duck bill on the bottom so water can exit freely. Ours had small pieces of derbies inside the rubber duck bill causing the initial water backing up then freezing up higher inside the drain tube. That should fix problem for good.
Hey Traci! You're Welcome! Those are GREAT tips!!! Allowing the water to escape freely by cutting the duck bills is an AMAZING tip!!! Thanks For Commenting! :))))
@@brianmcdrummer The duck bills allow water to drip out slowly. If the holes are made too large in the duck bills then warm air could get into your refrigerator, making it less efficient (basically you have a hole in your fridge). So I wouldn't make the holes too big. In fact, before making a hole, test the duck bill by pouring some water through it; if water drips out then I don't think you need to make the hole bigger.
Excellent video. Just performed the surgery today. A couple of comments: (1) take a picture of your shelves before removing them (so you can place them back where you had them); (2) the middle screws actually hold a metal bar in place - and I thought it was part of the panel and only after it dropped on my foot, did I realize it was separate; (3) and make sure your put the metal bar back correctly - it is easy to invert it and if you do so, you will not be able to place the shelves back into their location.
I'm glad it helped you!
You need to add a 1-2 inch piece of copper wire, hang it on the defrost tube next to the tab that hangs down into the drain hole. Put wire into drain hole. The existing tab does Not go into the hole far enough & that’s where the freeze blockage starts..
An easy fix while you’re in there. I too replaced the defrost part only to find out that the tab was the problem.
rod lorenz I fully agree. My drip tab did not align directly over the drain hole. Once I adjusted that I have not had a problem since.
Well, after 2-3 years, mine started acting up again. The lower freezer is frosting over & thus the water from the upper unit can’t drain properly, as it gets frozen in the line between the upper & lower unit.
I just replaced the 2 fans on lower unit (freezer) & am waiting for a bimetal unit to see if that’s the problem......
Ok, the problem this time was the fridge drainage tube behind the fridge. It was kind of hard & had lime or calcium buildup & would not drain fast enough. The lower freezer unit would then freeze the water in drain line & was getting water under meat drawer. Drain line for fridge is on the right as you stand behind it.
You have saved me so much $$$$ by not having to call a repair person. Just this week I've done the 3rd clean out of the ice dam from the ice maker in the past 3 years. A true headache, but certainly cheaper than repair, and far less expensive that buying more appliance trash that they are making these days. Job takes about and hour and 15, not a bad investment of time. My since thanks for this video. I have a friend who replaced his for this problem, and he is not happy with the replacement either. Has to open the fridge to get cold water. Why can't they put these things in the bottom freezer section? Oh well. Thanks again!!!!!!
Thanks for your help. You may need 2 hours to defrost the tray and the drain hole. And you may need a hair dry to free up the stroform on the bottom that will frosting to the coil.
You're welcome! :) Thanks for the comment! :)
Also, I had a similar problem on a previous fridge (Samsung). A lot of these fridges appear to be constructed similarly. If you look at your video at 2:40, you'll see there's a metal tab (with a rivet) above the drain hole where the ice builds up. It's wrapped around a heating element (see it kind of slopes down to the middle from each side). This tab is supposed to heat up and melt any ice that builds up. According to the internet, if you attach a piece of copper wire to that tab, and stick it down the drain tube, it will help transmit the heat further down, reducing the chances of ice blocking the drain tube. That may help out for these GE fridges too.
I am having the same issue with my GE Adora bottom freezer model. Note that I have not gone through the defrost process yet but I did find that GE makes a solution for this issue, or so they say. Part #WR51X10133 is a metal hook that connects to the heater and looks to hang into the drain hole. The heater uses radiant heat to warm the hook and stop the drain from freezing. Again, I haven't tried it but assuming it works, it is a cheap solution. You can get the part direct from GE for about $11 shipped. Good luck!
It does work. You don't need to buy something from them. Just get a hefty gauge piece of aluminum wire, and bend one end into a hook. Make it so five to six inches will hang into the drain. Hang the hook on the defrost heater, and no more problem.
I tried a thin copper wire on mine and it did not work. The GE tech said that should have worked but there was probably something else wrong with it. So they gave me a deal on a new refrigerator.
I never had this issue till now in 2023. I bought it in 2010. I’ll try your suggestion. Thanks.
Your unit may not be eligible. I started having issues with mine a few years after I got it. I would still try.
Thank you for the video, this is exactly the issue that is going on with my fridge, not sure if I am going to be able to do this or not...as I am not sure I can move the fridge to get it unplugged. I talked to a repair person yesterday and this is what he explained is going on with my fridge. I am going to defrost the freezer in the meantime so this buys me some time until he can come out on Monday. This is frustrating that this happens.
You’re Welcome!!!
You definitely helped me. My plate was frozen on too. Hopefully now that it has been off and open all night, it will start up and cool off without issues.
Please post when u do get around to insulating to PREVENT the problem. Ty
You're Welcome Christina! I'll do some research and will upload a preventative measure video. :)
I wanted to say thank you very much for your video. It worked fantastic however I added a hot blow dryer to the hose instead of siphoning the water that was frozen. The hot blow dryer and that hose melted the ice completely like butter going down all the way through the frozen ice. Thank you very much for your video and sharing this information with everybody. Always the best to you.
Thank you John!!! Great tip! :)
This video was a life saver as I couldn't find any GE literature that would specify where and how to access the defrost drain!
You're Welcome Bryan! I'm glad the video helped you!!! :)
This is the kind of content that makes YT so good! Thanks for your help!
You're welcome! I'm happy the video helped. Make sure to read the description. I ended up getting a replacement offer. :)
Thank you so much!!! This was my problem and thanks to you, I was able to fix my fridge for FREE!
That’s great! You’re welcome! 😀
This process worked great. Whole project took about 1.5 to 2 hours. The panel was a little stuck due to ice frozen to the back of the refrigerator. Tried hot water first. Was going very slowly, by that I mean the ice dropped about an inch in a hour. Then I tried your tube method and sucked out some water. I then blew hot air through a fairly stiff plastic tube, using a hair dryer. Within 10 minutes the water started to drain. I also tried the wire , but not much help. Thanks for the video.
I posted this supplemental video to my original. I do not yet know if this will work because I just installed the copper wire today. I should know whether or not it worked in the coming months. Here's the link to my new video "How To Install Copper Wire To Keep GE Profile Refrigerator Defrost Drain Tube From Freezing" ruclips.net/video/dUW3auh--hc/видео.html
Also, thanks! A huge help and saved a lot of time trying to figure out where the water/ice was coming from. I do have to note there are TWO drain tubes in the back that need to be checked. One is for the freezer and one for the refrigerator -- I missed that one. Again, many thanks. I owe you a beer but since I can't do that I sent a donation instead. Keep up the great work and tips. Cheers!
Hey Dale! You're Welcome and thank you so much for the donation!!! You're very kind! :)
I just got finished taking apart my freezer on a 25 year old GE 18 cubic foot refrigerator where I could not find any information on where and how to find the drain hole. So, I took all the food out of the freezer, took the ice cube shelf out , Unscrewed the screws holding the floor to the back of the fridge, took out the two screws on the back wall , lifted out the fan circulator cover to the middle of the back of the freezer , lifted out the styrofoam duct , but I could not get the floor of the freezer to come up . Finally I was able to pry it up a bit and saw that there were about 6 troughs going from the front to the back and the troughs were full of ice with scraps of food embedded in them, I worked on getting that ice out and after a little bit of tugging and prying , i was able to lift the floor out of the freezer. It turns out I did not have to take the screws out of the back. After removing all the ice to the back of the bottom , I found a piece of aluminum shaped like a funnel . it was inserted under the coils to the back of the freezer compartment. with a little bit of tugging , I was able to remove that , immediately I saw a hole on the bottom of the back of the freezer and it was kind of black looking. I sopped up all the water in the channel that had collected from the melting Ice i had removed . Once I got that area fairly dry , I took a small bottle of hot water and poured the water into the channel that sloped to the hole . I saw some black stuff float away so I sopped up that water , dried the channel again and pour another small bottoe of hot water into the channel , again some black stuff floated out of the hole. Sopped it up again, After about 6 repeating steps , the water started going down the hole with air bubble coming back up , So I repeated the steps again and this time the water went down the hold and more air bubbles came . I did that a couple of more times. I discovered that the black stuff I was seeing was pieces of basil leaf I had frozen and the zip lock bag must have broken open and the basil went down the air circulating slots to the front of the floor of the freezer. I cleaned all that up and dried out everything and just started my refrigerator back up with fingers crossed that i solved the problem. This was an old GE XF model fridge. bought in 1994. My last refrigerator which was not frost free lasted me 25 years. It was a Fridgidaire back when they made things to last. I hope maybe this will help someone who has an older model GE.
dude this was perfect way to spend a quarantine day...i would only add to your video that i had a "gunk" blockage at the end of my drain line that probably was the original problem before all the ice formed...great video!
You’re welcome Benjamin! i’m glad the video helped! 😊
My fridge was leaking. GE Profile, bottom freezer. Big ice sheet in the bottom of the freezer. Took it apart, thinking the drain tube was iced over. It was, but the cause of the icing was a drain tube clogged with some debris. I recommend cleaning the detaching and cleaning the drain tube first, then fight the ice.
mine is freezing on the bottom of the freezer and leaking water on the floor as well. Did the steps in this video cure yours?
I posted this supplemental video to my original. I do not yet know if this will work because I just installed the copper wire today. I should know whether or not it worked in the coming months. Here's the link to my new video "How To Install Copper Wire To Keep GE Profile Refrigerator Defrost Drain Tube From Freezing" ruclips.net/video/dUW3auh--hc/видео.html
Thanks for the video! Same refrigerator and same problem. If it freezes up again I will try the copper wire from the coil down the drain line so see if the auto-defrost cycle will heat it up enough to melt it during this cycle.
This was a great video, so thank you for posting it. I did the necessary defrost operation, but my refrigerator will not cool down. After I put it all back together, I loaded it up with canned goods to take up space, then plugged it in. It powered on, which is good. GE says to give it ~24 hours to reach temperature stability. 48 hours on it is still not cooling *at all*. So, I am going to replace it. I've already put several hundred dollars into it (new freezer gasket, plus a few other little things), and I am tired of this Samsung POS (it was in the house when we moved in 5 years ago, and at that time was only 2 years old). Going to buy an LG LMXS28626S. Again, great video.
Hey Jim, You're Welcome!!! That's crazy. Hope you have more success with the LG LMXS28626S. :)
Thanks Brian! This was exactly my issue. We just moved into a new home and the fridge was leaking water from the bottom a couple times a day. We couldn't figure it out and I was online looking for new machines. This fixed the problem and saved me a ton of money. It's actually pretty easy to do. The hardest part is unloading and reloading the fridge with all the food. You're the man!
You’re welcome Bobby! Since making this video of been a lot of people to comment on how to fix the issue permanently. One way is to attach a copper wire onto the heating element and push it down the drainage hole. So when the unit starts to defrost it heats up that copper wire and the water doesn’t have the opportunity to freeze. 😊
Great video and explanation. Couldn't figure out why my fridge was collect ice like that. Now it should work fine. Thanks!!
Very helpful. The tip about using hot water really worked, speeding up an otherwise long process to remove the ice blockage in the drain channel. Thank you!
You're welcome mileHi! :)
Your are the best man! thanks for showing us how to defrost the drain line of GE refrigerator , I'm having the same problem with my GE ...
You're Welcome Roberto!!! :)
Thank you for showing me the ropes on clearing the defrost line on my fridge.
You're Welcome Shelia!!! :)
Great video... i discovered ur tube trick a while ago but after getting too many mouthfuls of fowl water I found a small Penske bulb siphon pump that i can stick my smaller 1/4" clear tube into. Add hot water like u did and work the tube into the drain. With the bulb, it's easy to rapidly flush the hot water in and out several times. Once i get to this point i can defrost the line in a few minutes instead of waiting hours (if u just pour the hot water on top of the frozen water in the line). Still need to figure a better way to deice the big cover plate and styrofoam so we can get to defrosting the drain line.
It blows my mind that GE has such a ridiculously bad design. We have to take our fridge apart about 3x a year. The panel is always frozen so that we can't get it off without running a space heater in the fridge for about 3 hours as we slowly pry the panel loose from the bottom to let the warm air get behind it and loosen it.
What really irritates me is that we are thinking of replacing the fridge due to the trouble it has caused. GE probably figures if the don't fix it, the can sell two fridges to us instead of just one. Anyone thinking of a class action to get their attention?
An actual GE service tech deemed my fridge NON REPAIRABLE. He said I have tried everything they would have tried. I'm advising everyone with this issue to CALL GE Consumer Relations and be courteous but be persistent for a replacement offer! TALK TO A MANAGER!!! They can do better than the first offer.
GE Consumer Relations 800-386-1215
What does a replacement offer look like. I paid $2300 back in 2010.
Thanks man! Took me a while because I cleaned my fridge as I went. The hardest part was definitely removing the fan housing - one of my screws was totally rusted into place and it took 20 minutes to bust that one screw loose. But everything worked just like you said it would.
You're Welcome Erik! That's awesome! I'm glad the video helped you! :)
You are absolutely brillant. So explicit and easy. Thank you. My GE refridgator is about 19 years. Only the top is leaking.so will try your wise trick.🌝
You’re Welcome Beebee!!! 😊
Wow I got screwed I bought this fridge what I thought was new in 2010.
Thanks a million for your video. I followed your instructions and everything worked. The panel was frozen on and some of the styrofoam broke when I pulled it off. I put duct tape on the cracks of the styrofoam and it seams to be fine.
You're Welcome bking! I'm glad the video helped you! :)
Great video, couldn't figure out why there was water under the crisper - following your steps fixed it!
Gotta try this tonight, after work!!! Hardest part is gonna be cleaning out all the stuff to take out the shelves and drawers! LOL. Looks like an easy fix. Thanks!!!
You're Welcome!!! 😊
So, I've had to do the hot water down the frozen drain pipe, several times over the past couple years. GE Profile fridge is 7 years old.I've tried the wire thing down the drain with little or no improvement. Here's an idea I'm going to try. Try typing in " Portable hot air desoldering gun".There are several different models ,and it appears that they are small heating fans that allow you to adjust the heat temp and the force of air that you can shoot up the drain line. Its gotta be a lot simplier than removing all the stuff in the fridge and spending a couple hours screwing around with this pain in the ass.They run around 50 bucks..If you get it from Ebay, you can pay with Paypal and protect your Credit card bc all this stuff comes from China..jus sayen
What’s causes the drain tube to freeze? How can I avoid this happening?
If you look at that little tab on the bottom that hangs over the drain hole. On my fridge I moved that tab out of the way and made my own out of a peace of scrap copper. mine is about 2 1/2" long. Everytime the coil defrosts it melts the ice that forms in the drain. I used to have to have a sheet of ice in my fridge every 2-3 months. I am ice free since doing this mod. I hope this helps someone
Awesome advice for solving the problem, THANK YOU!!!
This fix only lasts for 3 to 4 weeks. An actual GE service tech deemed my fridge NON REPAIRABLE. He said I have tried everything they would have tried. I'm advising everyone with this issue to CALL GE Consumer Relations and be courteous but be persistent for a replacement offer! TALK TO A MANAGER!!! They can do better than the first offer.
GE Consumer Relations 800-386-1215
Thanks Man, this was exactly our issue, your video helped me!
You're Welcome! Glad it helped!
Not all Profiles are the same. Same problem but I ended up defrosting the unit for three days. Took the back off and found on mine that at the bottom of the drain tub there was a insert that consisted of a a flat nozzle with a very small gap. So they have a 1/2" drain tube going into a slot that a razor knife just fits into. I guess this is to prevent room temperature are going back into the fridge?? What ever the case the gap is very small and can clog with just a dust build up. Even if you clear the ice from you tube it may happen again just because of the way the other end of the drain tube is designed. It is simple to clean but you have to put the fridge out and take the bottom plate off to access the tubes. My unit is also has French doors with a freezer draw.
what is your model?
my model is gfe26jymnffs ive had to constantly repair it. stupid defrost bulb wont work. ive bought new and nothing. anybody else have this issue
Thanks man....this isn't as hard as I thought it was thanks to your video
You’re very welcome!!! 😀
Great ... thanks. Fixed the problem in less than 20mns like a pro
You're welcome! 😊
thank you thank you. this video that you made is exactly my problem. finally i know what to do.
Thank you so much! This was extremely helpful and has solved our problem.
Glad it helped!
I did all this before and it’s a lot of work for a short time fix , mine started freezing again in no time on recommended temp settings , even the water holder freezes solid and I can’t get water from the door , I end up with thick ice under the veg/fruit bins about every 2-3 weeks and can’t find a true lasting fix
I haven't had the time to try this but I've heard some people say to attach a copper wire to I think the cooling element and drape it down the drain tube. Then when the unit auto defrosts it will heat up the copper wire too and keep the water from freezing as it drips down the drain tube. 😊
Tip to anyone doing this, Mr. Clean Magic Erasers are fantastic at removing the rust stains. Cleaning mine now, and trying to get the tube to defrost and drain clearly...
Noticed water on the floor, found your video, impromptu date night with the wife removing ice from the fridge. Hopefully that's the whole reason, and not just a reason.
Thanks!
You’re Welcome True!
After trying twice, with longer and longer flushes with hot water to no avail, I discovered my solution lied in the rear drainage tube. There is a black sleeve at the top that friction holds the drainage tube in place with ridiculously small slits in it. I don’t know how but they had clogged with lint and a Hershey’s kiss wax string. These holes seem purposely small, like a cat’s eyes in the dark. If you’ve been flushing (turkey vaster is good for that) and wondering if you have the world’s biggest ice dam somewhere in there check for a clog!
I unplugged my fridge for 3 days, plugged it back up and yep, it freezes instantly I think it is something to do with the condenser
Great video! I was able to fix it on my own in 30-45 min.
Glad it helped! Keep in mind this fix only worked for me 3 to 4 weeks. An actual GE service tech deemed my fridge NON REPAIRABLE. He said I have tried everything they would have tried. I'm advising everyone with this issue to CALL GE Consumer Relations and be courteous but be persistent for a replacement offer! TALK TO A MANAGER!!! They can do better than the first offer.
GE Consumer Relations 800-386-1215
Best explanation and walkthrough! Thanks for making this!
You're very welcome!
Appreciate you you saved my refrigerator 🙏🏻
You're Welcome!!! I'm happy it helped you!!! :) 🙏🏻
I've the same this refrigerator and had the same problem but in a couple of months, it will have the same problem again. What else do I needed to do to eliminate this icing issued?
I posted this supplemental video to my original. I do not yet know if this will work because I just installed the copper wire today. I should know whether or not it worked in the coming months. Here's the link to my new video "How To Install Copper Wire To Keep GE Profile Refrigerator Defrost Drain Tube From Freezing" ruclips.net/video/dUW3auh--hc/видео.html
A) Thank you SO much, I expect this saved me hundreds of dollars in repair fees. Thank you thank you. B) It's INSANE that this fix is needed in a modern refrigerator. What a crappy design that would let this freeze-up happen. I imagine all they needed to do was to better insulate the tube -- not rocket science.
You're Welcome! FYI...GE made me an offer on a new refrigerator to replace mine and I took the offer. An actual GE service tech deemed my fridge NON REPAIRABLE. He said I have tried everything they would have tried. I'm advising everyone with this issue to CALL GE Consumer Relations and be courteous but be persistent for a replacement offer! TALK TO A MANAGER!!! They can do better than the first offer.
GE Consumer Relations 800-386-1215
Seems like a design flaw not to insulate the drain tube.
It would have been helpful to show the removal process for the faceplate instead of just showing it removed. It's a fairly critical part of the procedure.
I had to bail because, while the bottom three tabs released 'fairly' easily, the top of the faceplate would not budge. There's no room to work on either side at the top, and the venting on either side make it extremely fragile, in terms of trying to pry it free.
Hey Mark, Sorry the video didn't help you. It's very possible the reason you were having such a difficult time removing the faceplate is because it is frozen to the back wall of the refrigerator. It comes off pretty easy that's why I did not show the removal in the video. You may need to leave it unplugged for a few hours so it can thaw the ice buildup and then try again. :)
Brian hit the nail on the head. Depending on how bad it is frosted up you may need to thaw over night or risk breaking the cover.
Thanks Raymond! GE should put out a recall on this issue?
@@brianmcdrummer GE should get out of the refrigerator business. I have the exact same frig. The galvanized steel tray with the drain hole has rusted through after 9 years. The insulation material underneath is socked with water. I am wondering what those 6 sigma black belts are all about at GE.
Why don't they have a defrost element in the drain tube to keep it free of ice?
Hours and still clogged! Though improving. Added baking soda to hot water. 1 Tbsp to 2 cups. Still trying.
I put a #12 copper wire inside the drain hole, and I hung it loose on the defrost heater. Will this trick work??? I hope so. Time will tell
Did it work? 10 months, any update?
When you got to the drain pan under the coil, did you notice rust forming around the drain lip? On my profile unit the rust has gotten so bad that I had to replace the drain pan and the cover that covers the coil and goes to bottom of refrigerator. Some kind of clog has formed in the drain line that causes freezing every 2 months. G E has said that the drain line is deteriorating. My repair person believes that the rust from the drip pan is building up. Can’t find configuration of drain line so to properly attack problem. Any suggestions?
Does anyone know if this tip applies to an over frozen freezer part on this same fridge model. Thanks in advance
the advice was great but the audio is very poor if you can increase the volume on the recording please, thank you.
Thank you and I'm sorry about the volume. When I uploaded it to RUclips the volume decreased from the original due to the mt2s format. I've sense started using a different upload format that is much better. Long story short I'm not able to increase the volume after the video has been uploaded. Sorry again.
Wow. Thank you so much!!!
You're welcome!
I've defrosted and taken everything apart, but can't get any water to drain down the drain hole (interior upper fridge portion); but it is draining fine through lower freezer drain. Could something be stuck or broken at the base of the drain? I can feed a tube in ~18" but no more. HELP!!
How often do you need to do this process?
Thank you, this was very helpful!!!!
You're Welcome Hector! I'm glad the video helped you!!! :)
I have done this before. Works great. I am thinking of drilling a hole in the front, to pour salty water in there periodically. Also, what temperature do you keep refrigerator at?
Before I replaced it I kept it at the recommended temp. I think it was 38 degrees.
Thank you, super helpful
You're Welcome JR! I'm glad the video helped you out!!! :)
Thank you!!! Perfect video.
You’re welcome! Be sure to check out the video that goes along with this one detailing how I fixed my issue. I posted a link in the description. So far it’s working. 😂
I have same fridge but my freezer is in 65 wont freeze fixed evaporator motor thawed out whole fridge I dont know what to do next?
Brian, am about to try your advice but am wondering if, as long as the fridge is pulled out to unplug it, there's anything I can do while I'm behind it.
Our 13-year old GE Profile is has been trouble free until the past month, when we noticed a bit of water on the floor in front of the fridge every couple of days.
Sure enough, a half-inch sheet of ice under the deli tray. When some of it leaks, it goes to the floor.
Thank you for your video. I had a exact problem you showed in your video. All I done as instructed but I am not sure how I can adjust tempreture with the front panel. It just does not work. Thank you.
You're Welcome Toshiko! If the buttons on the front panel are not working then you may need to contact a repair person. Try unplugging the refrigerator for a minute and then plug it back in and check the temp buttons again. Hope this helps! :)
I can’t thank you enough for this video!
Glad it was helpful! I'm still looking for a permanent fix. I have an appointment with a service tech on 2/1/22, We'll see what they have to say.
@@brianmcdrummer oh great! I’ll be watching for an update!
An actual GE service tech deemed fridge NON REPAIRABLE. He said I have tried everything they would have tried. I'm advising everyone with this issue to CALL GE Consumer Relations and be courteous but be persistent for a replacement offer! TALK TO A MANAGER!!! They can do better than the first offer.
GE Consumer Relations 800-386-1215
You uploaded this video 3 years and it’s still not fixed? So what you said in the video doesn’t work?
Clearing the defrost tube works but it does not fix the issue and eventually I have ice forming under the deli tray again. An actual GE service tech deemed my fridge NON REPAIRABLE. He said I have tried everything they would have tried. I'm advising everyone with this issue to CALL GE Consumer Relations and be courteous but be persistent for a replacement offer! TALK TO A MANAGER!!! They can do better than the first offer.
GE Consumer Relations 800-386-1215
Good idea on the tube to get down inside - and then maybe try hot salt water..and suck it up and push hot back in. TY
Did this... water still does not drain. Left it unplugged all night still the water won’t drain... any other ideas?? Thanks
How long does it usually take to clear the drain line? Mine was frozen right to the top. I have it cleared to about 14 inches. How much longer is it? Also, thank you so much for your excellent video that has enabled me to get this far. I am handy but your instructions made it simple enough for anyone to tackle.
Not sure how long it took me. You're welcome! 😊
Thanks for your post, l think one needs to replace defrost heater or what do you think?
i did what you did , then i found your video . bummer
waiting for it to freeze again . thanks GE could have cut my time in half , but still a long dismantle .
Yeah it takes some time to take it apart. GE made me an offer on a new refrigerator and I took the offer. I got tired of dealing with it. Thanks for commenting. :)
I have the "ice under the deli tray" problem too. How big a plastic tube are you able to stick down the drain tube?
Is what you show in this video a short time fix? Is there more to get a long term fix?
I commented on your other post concerning a long term fix. 😊 I have yet to try it because I heard about it once I had mine all back together. Here's a part number that someone else posted for a part that's a possible fix. DA82-01415A
I have the same issue. I found that a wire had detached from the damper motor wire harness in the back bottom center of the frig. I removed the assembly and saw that the coupling holding the wire had corroded and the wire was not attached. I was able to solder the wire back in place, put the frig back together and will see if that stops the freezing/leaking. I think the leaking is from the motor not working properly then it is icing up under the drawer from water pooling. I have seen on other posts that people are using a metal pin but have not seen where the pin is placed. I ordered the metal pin from Amazon, part # DA1-0679
Thanks for the instructions, do you know how to replace that cover for that large bottom draw, my broke and I can figure out how to replace it. Thanks
You're Welcome! No, sorry I don't. I would try to figure it out for you but I don't have that fridge anymore.
Anyone try replacing the evaporator heater? Mine has no continuity so thinking to replace that maybe it warms it enough it doesn't ice in the drain when it cleans the coil.
Thank you so much for this. The manual damn sure doesn't give any valuable information. Our refrig. is 10 years old and just started the leaking
You're Welcome! Glad it helped. I have yet to put a copper wire down the drain hole as others have suggested in the comments to keep this from happening. So I'm needing to fix the issue again or just chip away the ice every once in a while.
Has same problem and this fixed it, however I am having a hard time getting my panel back on, I can re-attach the connectors, but mine has a large piece of form insulation that goes behind the panel, its seems in the video yours did not, anyway I cannot seem to get it back on tight enough to put screws back in.
Hey Barbara! I think yours has the extra insulation to keep it from having the defrost line freeze up so I'm not sure why yours is freezing. The only suggestion I have is to keep trying to get it to fit. I know this isn't the best suggestion but I hope you're able to get it figured out. :)
Any luck?
Thanks for the tutorial. Stupid me has been pulling the bottom tray out every month and shop vacing the water out. Hopefully this will last awhile now! Only thing I could have used a lil more info on is, where does the drain actually drain too???? Just a pan? How to drain said pan? Thanks.
Hey Gregory, yeah the water drains into a pan on the bottom of the refrigerator and then evaporates. If you look on the back of the refrigerator you’ll see a few screws that hold a metal plate in place near the bottom. Remove those screws and that plate will come off and you’ll see the drain pan. On my model the drain pan is on the bottom right hand side of the bottom of the refrigerator.
Thanks so much for this tutorial and for all the additional tips from other viewers! What size/diameter and length of tubing did you use to help clear the drain line?
You are so welcome! Happy to help! 😊
@@brianmcdrummer What size/diameter and approximate length of tubing did you use to help clear the drain line?
I'm not really sure. I just used what I could find in the house. I would recommend like others have said not to suck out the water. lol Rather, after putting the tube down the drain then I would use your finger to block the hole on the opposite end to draw out the water a little at a time. 😊
I use a steamer, makes a fast process to flush out the line, inverting also shoots hot water out of completely flush drain
Does this freezing up also cause your fridge to "knock"? Sometimes it is so loud!
I'm not sure about that. I never had a knocking sound when mine froze up.
Probably from your evap fan
Fan may be hitting