Gladiator Fridge / Freezer drain ice defrost questions

[JT_Bak]

Greetings all,

I'm trying to think through this process, and see what others may have done to resolve the problem.

My story continues similarly to the story of other Whirlpool Gladiator owners.  I purchased mine 4-5  years ago for a great price secondhand locally (Bakersfield , CA) Within a few months it started to ice up again.  Model # GAFZ21XXRK02, August 2008 manufacturing date.

Started with the copper wire wrapped around the defrost heater trick... Seemed to help, but then over time lost efficiency.  Inspecting, it has started to corrode and was about 1/2 it's initial diameter in spots.

Removed that and installed the official Whirlpool kit (819043)... Still freezing up. 

 I live in a pretty arid region - we average about 6-7" of rain annually, and it is rarely humid.  On my short list of things to check are the door seals and the defroster operation (I did check the resistance when I put the kit in, and it was within spec).

My question:  I see there are drain defrosters available for other makes and models, why couldn't this be added to my unit? Thinking through the possible issues, they might include:  additional element may draw too many amps through that circuit, and would have to have a separate AC circuit (And relay(, and of course finding a drain heater that will work for this application (narrow enough to fit down drain, doesn't heat to the point of melting the drain tube).  So suggestions on an appropriate part would be appreciated.

Thanks in advance for your help!

 

[citizenX]

There are add on drain heater kits just for this problem. This one is a Supco SH201 but there are others. Google search "defrost drain heater kits."  You can wire it into the evap fan motor circuit so it is only on when the fan is running. If you needed, you could wire it to be on all the time if there is a constant 120v available. I think these are all like 10-15 watt low wattage heaters so I doubt you'll ever melt anything, and they don't require a relay. 

https://www.supplyhouse.com/Supco-SH201-120v-15watt-Drain-Heater?utm_source=google_ad&utm_medium=Shopping_HVAC&utm_campaign=Shopping_X_HVAC_X_SSC_ClassB/C&utm_campaignid=21633352527&utm_adgroupid=164986448125&utm_targetid=aud-754990415661:pla-2352433400835&utm_product_id=SH201&utm_matchtype=&utm_keyword=&utm_adtype=pla&utm_category=HVAC&gad_source=1&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIwpuUys3IiwMV1wGtBh0bGhlQEAQYAiABEgIwf_D_BwE

Edited February 16 by citizenX