View single post by Lisa
 Posted: Wed May 4th, 2005 11:11 pm
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Lisa

 

Joined: Wed May 4th, 2005
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 For the past two years my seven year old Whirlpool (ET21DK  XDN05) has had the defrost drain tube freeze up with increasing frequency.  Then the defrosted water backs up into the bottom of the freezer, refreezes, blocks the air vents and I get no cooling in the refrigerator.  The freezer is too cold, ice cream rock hard, even on the warmest setting.  Water also drips into the refrigerator, and sometimes food in there freezes even on a warm setting (before the airvent get blocked)

I have to defrost the freezer and thaw the tube every month now.  The tube drains freely when I do.

I had a repairman today who claims that this a Whirlpool design flaw, the fan sucks frozen peas or rice grains into the cooling area, they fall into the tube, they block it and it freezes up.    He ignored everything I said about the increased frequency of the problem, the freezer being too cold, that I've thawed it out before - he said he sees this a couple times a month. 

So, he charged me 95 dollars to defrost my freezer.  There was no solid object in the drain tray that coould have blocked the tube.  I refused to pay him unless he guaranteed his work - he wouldn't so I told him I would keep everything in the freezer in ziplock bags as he suggested and send him a check in two months if the problem did not recur, along with an abject apology. 

I think he is talking through his hat  - the fan could not lift a sesame seed off a shelf and there was nothing in the tube but ice all along.  All the dozen times I have done this there has never been anything in the tray but water.

So what do I do now?  Was he right -is this a Whirlpool design flaw?  I think the tube stays real cold when the fins defrost but why?