Dripping Fridge...bad Thermo or Defrost Timer?

[AmateurDisaster]

Just when I thought it was safe to get a beer, a year later, it's back again.

Cont'd from: http://applianceguru.com/forum1/1754.html

Appliance => Refridgerator/Electric Sanity Destroyer

Manufacturer: => Frigidaire

Model/No: => "FRT21H7ASB2"

Serial/No => LA 302 26 859

http://www.frigidaire.com/support/ResultsPage.asp?strModel=FRT21H7ASB2&User=&Search=Search

In short, I've got the same problem ...condensation/dripping on the ceiling of the food compartment. Very frustrating. I've checked and corrected for all the usual Ninja subotage including, dirty condensor, clogged drain, bad door seal and - oh yeah, the tilt of the box too. So far, no success. 

Now, I think something electrical went, like a Thermo or a Defrost Timer. Two clues. One: Seemed to pop up, a week after a nasty storm that fried a router & other electronics (may or may not be a correlation) and Two: Freezer seems to endlessly run - but strangely, ice never seems to build up to the point of really clogging things).

Before I start buying and plugging in semi-random parts, can anyone kindly suggest an additional testing routine I could try, to isolate the offending element?

Thanks in advance for any responses.

-D 

[Chat_in_FL]

I didn't see this in the previous referred-to link. The Styrofoam block #12 tends to warp over time, not sealing well against the plastic wall of the control housing #17. When the defrost water is supposed to go into the funnel on the other side of that plastic wall, it may now find its way through the vent, onto your shelves. Seal the gap between the Styrofoam and the housing using water-proof tape and see if that doesn't reduce the moisture.

[AmateurDisaster]

Ooooh, thank you for the excellent suggestion. I will give that a shot.

[Samurai Appliance Repair Man]

How did Chat's suggestion work out for you?

[AmateurDisaster]

Too Much Water..Overwhelmed the seal in a few days.....The Celery is now having an epic naval battle with the sliced cheese at the bottom of the fridge

[Samurai Appliance Repair Man]

So you tried sealing the air duct and you're still getting too much water?

And you've verified that the condensate drain is clear by pouring a warm, mild bleach solution down it?

If you adjust the cold control to a slightly warmer setting, does the compressor go off? If you have to crank it all the way over before it stops, then you probably have a bad cold control.

Check the door gaskets for integrity by closing a Federal Reserve Note in the door at frequent intervals around the perimeter and doing the tug test-- should take a light tug to pull the note free. If it pulls out freely, then you have bad gaskets. Also, look for obvious splits and tears.

Last step is to tear apart the freezer-- backwall and bottom panel. You're looking to see if there's a slab of ice built up underneath the bottom panel.

[AmateurDisaster]

Sorry for the delay in responding. The problem has recently gone away on it's own and I wanted to verify that it was really gone with some time, before I wasted readers time on a post.

To answer the last question: Yes, I've torn the back panel open several times. I've become quite good and annoyed at this process. And yes there is frequently a slab of ice covering the freezer tines and the drain hole - but usually not enough to toally block the drain. 

To fix, I've always poured warm water mixed with a bit of bleach, over the  tines and into the drain hole, untill any ice is gone. I then cover it all back up and turn it on and clean out the food cabin.  Typically, the cabin would stay dry for a few days to a week and then the water would start condensating and dripping off the ceiling again. So, I would open up the back panel and de-ice and clean up the cabin again. I've gone thru this cycle about 5-6 times this summer.

<Edit: I just re-read the post about tearing apart the bottom panel..it looks like this is not possible, without taking the entire box apart.. or cutting into some plastic, I don't see an obvious seem>

However, now suddenly the problem is gone. I did a clean up and noticed, no ice slab and the water is not coming back.

What could be different? Could the fall cooler weather be affecting something? It's the only thing I could think of that is changing. If this is a reasonable assumption, coudl there be an electronic tempature gauge that is failing?

Thanks again.

[Samurai Appliance Repair Man]

The cooler weather also means lower humidity and less condensate produced during the defrost period. So, it's reasonable to assume that the leak is somehow related to the volume of condensate. Also keeping in mind the 7th Law of the Prophecy, "All leaks are visual," I would disassemble the freezer enough to expose the condensate pan and then pour some water into it while watching for leaks into the beer compartment.

[AmateurDisaster]

Hmmmmm.

Looks like surgery can't be avoided...

[Chat_in_FL]

[user=1]Samurai Appliance Repair Man[/user] wrote:

The cooler weather also means lower humidity

 

Along this idea, check to see if you have a trap in your drain (#84) as illustrated, or if it is a straight piece of tubing that would allow humidity to be blown up into the freezer:

948781

(Click to link)

[align=left]Drain tube kit (aka, frost kit for Frigidaire top-mounts)[/align]