Kenmore 253.79253703 (refrigerator). Condensate dripping into refrerator compartment.

[melvinsmellvin]

I have a Kenmore refrigerator  253.79253703. (freezer on top)    Water is dripping from the back part of the "refrigerator temperature control thermostat housing".      I opened back panel of the freezer compartment to take a look.   There did not seem to be any ice build up on the evaporator which leads me to believe that the defrost system is functioning.   In the refrigerator compartment I dropped the thermostat housing and actually put a shop vac hose on the water outlet on back of fridge to dry to suck up any blockage in drain tube.  I put It back together and poured water down drip tray under evaporator and found that it ran down tube and in to tray in bottom of fridge like it is supposed to.   I noticed some slight formation of rust on right side of drip pan (under evaporator) on right side of hole and on right side of pan along front edge.     I replaced the drip pan with a new one.   I also put a little silicone caulk on bottom edge of the hole in new evaporator  pan where it drops water into plastic inclined tray part of thermostat housing where it ultimately connects with drain tube.   I was also concerned that evaporator was not far enough back causing it to drip in front of the pan.   With that in mind I used a 2 inch piece of  adhesive weatherstrip  between the cover panel and some existing foam on each side of the evaporator to hold the evaporator back and hopefully over  the drip pan.    Well after all that, the thing is dripping into the refrigerator compartment,  exactly as it did before.   I am stumped and may just have to just keep the Tupperware container under the drip.    Any suggestions??   Thanks

[darren412]

Hi Melvin,  What you have is a Frigidaire built refrigerator with a sears /Kenmore name on it.   I run into the same issue you are having all the time with these top freezer mount Frigidaire built refrigerators..     what I have always found when this has happened is that during the defrost cycle, the water will find its way more toward the front of the drip tray located at the very back end of the thermostat housing . It will then miss the drip tray in the housing and then drip into the back top shelf of the fresh food section.  Right where the tray in the back of the thermostat housing comes in contact with the top section of the fresh food compartment is where I find the water to miss the drip tray in the thermostat housing (towards the front) of that little drip tray.  What I do is use the GE white silicone sealant which cures to the touch in 10-20 minutes and put a generous bead and don't be stingy. You want to make sure any and all gaps are covered once you put that thermostat housing back up and screwed into place again .  Put a bead of silicone all the way from the left side to the right towards the very front of that thermostat housing drip tray and about a half inch around each corner.  I have found that the water makes its way to that one area between the thermostat housing drip tray and the air flow chambers going into the fridge and freezer section.   That will usually take care of the leaking water issue in the top shelf by the back of the fridge.  You have already mentioned that the drain was clear and not clogged and that the drip pan water was draining into the drip pan at the bottom of the fridge so with that said there are no drain line clogs from the evaporator drip pan all the way to the lower drip pan at the very bottom of the fridge. This is what is leading me to believe this water is coming from where I mentioned.   I did once come across a water leak in the top shelf of a fridge one time and then it eventually leaked and filled the bottom of the fridge below the crisper drawers.   Very slow leak but significant enough for me to  "assume"   it was coming from the drain line system.  It actually was coming from a tiny leak in a brita filtered water container that had a tiny crack in the very bottom. once it was put on the shelf,  the water flowed out faster through the crack . The drip was so small and slow when you lifted the container that you didn't notice it was coming from the water container in the fridge    I think that the Frigidaire thermostat housing is so cheaply made and manufactured that it not only has a lousy fit but I think that if you have a model with a light in that thermostat housing , that in time it will warp the thermostat housing and then it creates a lousy seal at some point in that thermostat drip tray  and the defrost drain water misses the little drip tray in the thermostat housing.   Good luck . hopefully this will help.

[Rhubarb Tau]

There's a service kit available to address this. They've made the drain ferrule a little longer, and advise sealing the gap between the control housing and the styrofoam diffusor block with foil tape.

The new drain ferrule is p/n A04520001. I wouldn't bother ordering the foil tape from the factory, any foil tape will do. I've had pretty good luck with this kit resolving the dripping; I've done 2 or 3 with no call-backs.

Be careful when you move the evaporator out of the way to slip the new drain ferrule in. Make sure the evaporator is FULLY defrosted, and be gently. The old ferrule can take a bit of force to get out.

 

 

 

[melvinsmellvin]

darren412,       Wow what a wonderfully helpful response.   I kind of enjoy working on things as a homeowner, but when I run in to an issue like this I realize how difficult it must be for a professional to go out in to the field and try to fix things that often aren't designed perfectly.   To find a fix that will work and satisfy a customer without devoting way to much time to one appliance must be a real challenge.   Thanks for sharing your experience and knowledge with me on this problem.   I'll try to get on it in the next few days.    Thank you and thanks to those who provide this forum which has been very helpful to me over the years.     

[melvinsmellvin]

Rhubarb Tau            Thanks for adding another bit of info which like darren412's  advice is extremely helpful.    I'll check in to the service kit.   you guys have made my day.   Thanks so much

[darren412]

Yes I have heard of a bulletin on this issue .  As mentioned I have always just put a big bead of silicone in place of the foil tape  I never am comfortable moving evaporators no matter what fridge I may be looking at.  I always have this phobia i'm going to owe a customer a new fridge one of these days      Thanks for that Down load Rhubarb Tau ,  Good stuff man.  So The Parts in the actual repair  are the Foil Tape 5303918733   and   the drain ferrule  A04520001   .  Awesome . I'm going to order a couple of the drain Ferrules and like you mentioned I have some quality dryer vent- foil tape,  that I can use to replace the factory foil tape as a replacement like you suggested.  Cool  Take care and thanks again for the down load information. Much appreciated.

[Rhubarb Tau]

Sure thing, good luck guys. FWIW, I haven't had too much trouble moving the evaporator out of the way; you just have to make sure that it's warm so the connecting lines aren't too brittle. You only have to pull it up and out a few inches to get room to pull the defrost drain trough, then the ferrule. The whole process is, at least in my experience, a lot less anxiety-inducing than manhadling the FFIM evaporator to install the new icemaker air handler kit on Frigidaire / Electrolux units.

[Budget Appliance Repair]

Yes, these Frigidaire evaporators move out of the way of the defrost drain though pretty easily.

Best to hold onto copper tubing that comes out of freezer wall and carefully and slowly bend the copper tubing with one hand and supporting the left side of the evaporator with the other hand being careful not to bend any of the aluminum evaporator tubing.

I've never had to replace one of those drain ferrules but always pull the evaporator out of the way and remove the defrost drain though a re-seat the drain ferrule all the way down after removing all the ice and water that has collect under the drain though and around the ferrule seating channel - probably wouldn't hurt to put a small bead of silicone seal in that channel - the moisture collecting and freezing in this channel is  probably what causes the drain ferrule to migrate upwards out of position.

I used to run a bead of perm-a-gum across the defrost drain cup/air diffuser  channel but recently have just been using a strip of foil tape - makes them come apart a little easier.

[darren412]

awesome thanks for all that great advice !!    I'm  constantly always welcome and open when it comes to advice unselfishly  offered from other more experienced Techs than myself.  You just can't put a price on this sort of help.   This site has always  been a fantastic resource for me since I became a member 3-4 years ago and continues to be.   Thanks again for everyones input. I just hope I can offer as much assistance as I have received in the past.  WOO HOO GO PATS !