Your chest freezer contains a compressor which evaporates the excess water from the freezer. The freezer will defrost excess ice and the water flows down the drain tube to a pan where the heat of the compressor evaporates the water.
TipWhen coupling hoses, smear a little petroleum jelly onto each side of the coupler. The jelly acts like a lubricant. And the hoses will push readily onto the couplers.There are several types of drain plug adapters, available at hardware stores or appliance shops, that will push or screw into the drain hole. Once the adapter is in place, a regular garden hose is screwed on and then placed into a drain.
The freezer water will drain through this hose into the floor drain, and the hose can be left in place for a no-hassle draining solution every time the freezer defrosts.
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After several minutes, my wife called again.' There's water on the floor in front of the freezer,' she said uneasily.After her second prompting, I decided I'd better have a look. Anyhow, I needed a break from the morass of tax forms and instruction booklets lying before me. I forced my mind to shift into the 'do-it-yourself repair' mode. It wasn't easy.There on the floor, in front of the freezer, were two puddles of water, one on the left and one on the right.The freezer warranty, of course, had just expired.So, what's the problem?Generally, water on the floor indicates one of several possible problems. 4Gallery: Leaking Freezer1. The temperature control, or thermostat, has gone haywire.
The thermostat controls the temperature inside the freezer. If it's no longer functioning properly, the freezer can become too warm, causing food to thaw and water to puddle onto the floor.
This is probably the most expensive repair, and you'll need to install a new thermostat or have one installed.2. The door gasket leaks.
The gasket seals the door, keeping cold freezer air inside and warm air out. If there are gaps or cracks, the gasket will need replacing. Removal simply requires loosening the retainer screws (without actually removing them) and pulling the defective gasket out. The retainer is what holds the gasket in place. To install the new one, work the bead of the gasket under the retainer, then tighten the screws.
The door is sagging. That will let cold air escape and warm air enter. To adjust the door, empty its contents, loosen the hinge screws on top, straighten the door, then retighten the hinges. You'll need a helper for this project.4. The drain is clogged. The drain removes melted frost when the freezer is defrosting itself.
If the drain clogs, water will collect and spill onto the floor when the freezer door is opened. The drain can be cleared with a stiff wire.5. The rubber drain tube or drain pan is cracked. The pan collects water from the defrost cycle. If either is defective, it will need replacing.6. The freezer needs defrosting.
If you have a self-defrosting model, obviously this is likely not the problem.7. Someone has left the freezer door ajar.What about the owner's manual?I pulled out the owner's manual and glanced through the troubleshooting section on what to do for water and/or leaks. It said, 'See OCCURRENCE 'Door Problems.'
' But oddly, there was no 'OCCURRENCE 'Door Problems' ' category on the list.So much for the owner's manual.Because it was a problem we'd had with our previous freezer, my initial suspicion was a defective drain hose or drain pan. To check, I removed the grille, also called a kick plate, at the bottom of the freezer. Some simply snap off.
Ours attaches with two screws.If the drain tube was clogged or defective, or the pan was cracked, water would be under the freezer.I scanned the area with a flashlight. There was no sign of water, but dirt and dust bunnies were plentiful. Probably best to keep quiet about that, or I might soon find myself with a vacuum in hand.
Worse, I might find myself emptying the freezer and pulling it away from the wall before vacuuming.Next, I inspected the door gasket for cracks or gaps. The seal seemed secure.Then I opened the door.
No water had pooled on the bottom of the freezer. But water moistened my fingers as I rubbed them along the bottom of the door gasket. I looked more closely. Water had filled the gasket and trickled out each corner onto the floor.A warm freezer doorApparently, things were getting too warm in the freezer door.I emptied the water-filled gasket, then cleared away food that had been tightly packed against the thermostat. The thermostat needs to sense the inside temperature of the freezer to function properly. That means air needs to flow freely around it. I shut the door snugly and decided to wait to see whether that would solve the problem.But now that I was in full 'do-it-yourself repair' mode, I'd have to switch back into my 'income tax preparation' thought pattern.
That would require reactivating the math hemisphere in my brain.It wasn't easy.But I soon found myself again tackling the puddle of paperwork on the dining room table.Water no longer is puddling on the floor in front of the freezer.I suspect my older son had simply left the door ajar.