Sub Zero Model 430 Wine Cellar Water Leak

[diamondrichlb]

Aloha,

I have 2 Sub Zero Model 430 wine cellars sitting next to each other and one of them - I know not which - has started to seep water. Both of the water trays at the bottom are mostly dry and dusty with just a little water in them. Not even enough to even see if you weren't trying to find it. In the past few days I've started to see some water in the front of the cellars at the center of the two. The insides of both cellars are bone dry. I mop up the water and a couple days later there will suddenly appear about as much water as from 2 or 3 ice cubes melted.

Anyone out there can give me an idea of how to find the problem and how to fix it?

[AccApp]

I'll bet these were installed right next to each other without the heater kit between them and condensation is forming between them and dripping down to make it look like one is leaking.

[diamondrichlb]

Thank you for your response.

You are correct on both counts. However, wouldn't you think that if the heater kit was needed the water would have shown up before now as they have been installed for 10 years? This just started a couple days ago. There is no water on the floor under either unit, except at the very front of the left unit right by the legs. Like an ice cube melted. 

[johntech]

Cabinet Insulation breaking down and letting the outside walls get colder forming condensation. Can start to happen any time. 

[diamondrichlb]

Wouldn't there be water on the floor under the unit. Seems odd that it only show up at one small point.

I cleaned the condenser coils. Let's see if that helps.

[Hiroshi]

You could put a flat pan under them, where the water drips, so it can just evaporate without wrecking the floor... on older refrigerators that start weeping moisture from their external tubing, I have used sponges and thin cloth to make a wick of sorts to collect the water and evaporate it... works great if there is not a large volume of moisture.

[diamondrichlb]

Thank you. Unfortunately, the drip is on the outside or forward side of the kick plate. So any sponge, cloth, or pan would be visible.

[diamondrichlb]

After cleaning the coils the water seems to have slowed down. Only a spot a little larger than a silver dollar on the floor close to the bottom of the right leg of the left cooler.

Does anyone know how the water gets from the coil area - on top - to the drain pan - at the bottom? There must be a tube of some kind from a collection area on the top taking the water, if any, to the pan at the bottom. To this untrained mind, it seems logical that perhaps that drain tube is plugged and the liquid is flowing down the framework instead of thru the drain line? As we all know, water will find a way unless you give it a way.

Thanks for the help.

[Hiroshi]

So it is leaking out of the front of the door? 

On 4/27/2017 at 3:12 PM, AccApp said:

condensation is forming between them and dripping down to make it look like one is leaking.

There is a defrost drain drip pan and drain tube to carry water down to the evaporative pan... inspect the inside of the unit for such a tube and flush it with a turkey baster.

 

[diamondrichlb]

Thank you. That seems reasonable, unfortunately it is not obvious when I look in the area of the condenser on top. Nor at the pan underneath although that's not easy to see.

Is there a schematic anywhere that shows this tube? Does the tube come down the left side or the right side? The drip pan is on the left, but the drip I'm still getting is on the right.

[Hiroshi]

All machines with evaporative tubing have a pan under that tubing to collect the moisture that is inevitably created by the difference in temperature... you have to remove the back wall of the unit to expose the evaporator "coil" and the drip pan will be immediately below it- and the hole in the pan will be the entrance to the tube.

[diamondrichlb]

Thanks for following up. What you say makes sense.

I've had two conversations with very nice Customer Service people at Sub Zero who don't know about and can't find any information regarding any tubing running anywhere in the wine cellar. I cleaned the condesor coil on top after being told that might generate water if not clean. The cleaning didn't help. During a followup call, I mentioned that it seems reasonable that there would be water coming from the evaporator coil in the top part of the unit which is set at 41 degrees. Since the cellar is in an air conditioned condo with a temperature in the low 70's it seems doubtful there will be a lot of moisture - if any - coming from the lower unit which is set at 61 degrees. However, as the agent pointed out there is no tubing showing on any schematic. 

Sub Zero has been good enough to pay for a repair person to come out and find the leak. They said it should be a simple fix and will probably be done while the unit is open. This saves me from opening up the unit so I see it as a good step. The reason Sub Zero is paying is that I mentioned that our 10 year old Wolf Range R366 IR burner, after all these years and multiple attempted repairs, is still intermittently exploding when starting. Flames coming out the top of the door and door rattling type of action. The agent was taken aback by that and then offered to pay for the exploratory work on the wine cellar. Good things can come from bad. Now, about the Wolf Range.........I think i'll start another thread since I'm here.

[diamondrichlb]

Positive result here. The tech came in, removed the bottom two racks, and showed me the trough where water collects at the back of the inside of the unit. There is a hole approximately 5 inches from the left which allows water to drain into the drain pan under the unit. That hole was plugged. He unplugged the hole and we're good to go. He said it will probably plug again depending on humidity etc.