Dumb question about a fridge!

[RiffRaff 10]

A Beko fridge, bog-standard, drain hole in a channel at the back.

Every other week I have to hack the ice away because the drain hole has frozen solid - I'm talking of ice build-up on the back wall to such an extent that it's sometimes grabbed/frozen around the rear of the shelf - it can be literally inches deep, crystal clear, and solid as.....erm...

We're not talking 'frost' here - this is thick ice, full width of the fridge.

I've tried turning the fridge down; I've tried turning it up; doesn't make any difference - the ice still forms.

How do I stop the drain hole freezing up?!

[Berberis 10]

Are you putting hot food directly into the fridge to store? This causes condensation that can freeze. Plus your fridge is too cold if things are freezing. It should be around 2 degrees.

[retep 68]

Blocked drain hole?

[Alcoblog 10]

Simple check first ... are you sure you haven't bought a Beko freezer by mistake?

Failing that, are you sure the ice is water ice and not deuterium (heavy water ... 2H2O) which freezes at 3.8 degrees C? A lot of people make this mistake.

[RiffRaff 10]

Blocked drain hole?

 

Not until it's frozen up!

 

---------- Post added 19-05-2015 at 19:09 ----------

 

Are you putting hot food directly into the fridge to store? This causes condensation that can freeze. Plus your fridge is too cold if things are freezing. It should be around 2 degrees.

 

No - never put hot food in.

Had thermometer on middle shelf since lunchtime - accurate as far as I know - and it registered 7°C a few minutes ago.

'Things' aren't freezing, by the way. Milk flows, butter spread, coldslaw slaws...it's just the fridge that ices!

Next time it does I'll take some photo's!

 

---------- Post added 19-05-2015 at 19:14 ----------

 

Simple check first ... are you sure you haven't bought a Beko freezer by mistake?

Failing that, are you sure the ice is water ice and not deuterium (heavy water ... 2H2O) which freezes at 3.8 degrees C? A lot of people make this mistake.

 

Hmmmm....

Well, I did buy it from Comet in Chernobyl, so........

[handypandy 14]

Is the door sealing properly?

You can test it by trapping a piece of paper in the door, the magnet should be strong enough to stop the paper falling out. If it is weak, a cheap solution is to fit one of the little straps that are intended to keep toddlers out.

 

Does water flow freely all the way through the drain into the drip tray? and is there a good couple of inches gap between the back of the fridge and the wall to allow the drip tray to evaporate?

 

 

 

.

[RiffRaff 10]

Is the door sealing properly?

You can test it by trapping a piece of paper in the door, the magnet should be strong enough to stop the paper falling out. If it is weak, a cheap solution is to fit one of the little straps that are intended to keep toddlers out.

 

Does water flow freely all the way through the drain into the drip tray? and is there a good couple of inches gap between the back of the fridge and the wall to allow the drip tray to evaporate?

 

 

 

.

 

Door fine.

After I've spent 10 minutes plus clearing the ice with whatever tools come to hand - usually a paint scraper, hack into ice and then use the blade to lever it away from the back wall - I pour boiling water into the drain channel, and then push a metal meat skewer (also heated in boiling water) down the drain hole to (eventually) clear it. I've looked around the back of the unit a few times - the metal drain tube is 3 or 4" inches long, and simply point towards a plastic 'drip tray'. I suspect what's happening is that the water - from? - is freezing in the pipe first, meaning the channel inside starts filling/freezing...and so on...

As regards distance behind, it is admittedly a bit closer to the wall than I'd like, but is close to a couple of inches...I could pull the fridge out a bit, but then it would be proud of the worktop, and all the knock-on difficulties that would/could cause......worth a thought, though....cheers.

[JayG 10]

Only time I've had ice build up on or near the evaporator plate is when a food item had been pushed too far back and was touching it, which meant that it became permanently frozen itself and all the condensation melt from the evaporator froze onto it, a process which once started accelerates rapidly.

 

If that's not the case, and it doesn't sound as if you have the thermostat set too low, I can only suggest using a plastic substitute for the skewer to help keep the drain hole clear (my Indesit has one built in - I think you're supposed to wiggle it from time to time, but it hasn't been necessary up to now.)

[RonJeremy 10]

Have you tried turning it off and then on again a little later this works for faults on:

My computer

My TV

My router

My phone

My car

My wife's car

The x box

My iPad

The printer.

The wife.

A fibrillating heart.

Just about anything.

 

Why not the fridge.

[waddy13 10]

I seem to recal that there has been recent discussion in the press that some manufacturers say this problem is caused by the location of the fridge being too cold, e.g. room cools down too much during the night. T`old grey matter is getting a bit weak now so can`t remember where I read it but it wasn`t too long ago. A google search may throw up more info.

[Janus 28]

Have you tried turning it off and then on again a little later this works for faults on:

My computer

My TV

My router

My phone

My car

My wife's car

The x box

My iPad

The printer.

The wife.

A fibrillating heart.

Just about anything.

 

Why not the fridge.

 

It`s colder than the wife?

[RonJeremy 10]

It`s colder than the wife?

 

My wife is hot and then becomes very cold for no apparent reason.

I know I'm not alone.