106.54783803 Kenmore Elite Refrigerator Excessive Water from Freezer Defrost

[jdliveit]

Model Number

106.54783803

Brand

Sears Kenmore

Age

More than 10 years

Hello, I have a Kenmore Elite with french doors, 106.54783803, manufactured June 2010. Every day, so much water drains out of the freezer that the drip pan underneath of it overflows (I can hear the water trickling out during the defrost cycle). I can see that excessive ice builds up on the right side of the coils in the back of the freezer. I've observed the following:

- Seals on the fridge and freezer side both seem fine and there's obvious suction when pulling open a door.
- The ice dispensing flap seems to close just fine.
- It's not a leak from the water source, I turned that off for weeks and it didn't make a difference; plus, I've seen the water come from the drain line.
- The drain is the P-trap design, not a straight one or one with a flapper, so outside air isn't coming in through it.
- The vents going from the freezer to the fridge side aren't clogged.
- Temperature in the fridge and freezer seems fine and there isn't excessive condensation or frost in the compartments.
- Weird observation: the front, external part of the wall that divides the fridge and freezer sides is warm, almost hot, to touch; I'm not sure if that's related.

Any help, ideas, or suggestions would be greatly appreciated!
-Jacob

 

[rickgburton]

Make sure the coils under the refrigerator are clean and not packed with dust or pet hair. Check if the condensor fan motor by the compressor is working.

 

[jdliveit]

Thank you for the suggestion! Yes, the fan is working, and yes there's plenty of dust. I'll clean it out as much as I can, I'd be surprised if that fixes the problem, but it's something I haven't tried yet, so I'll give it a shot!

 

[rickgburton]

I'd be surprised if that fixes the problem,

Prepare to be surprised. It's a common problem. Not as much today as it was 10 -20 years ago but still common.

 

[jdliveit]

I said it was french doors, but it's actually side by side. Anyway, after cleaning, it's actually worse now. I figure the compressor is on the fritz or low on freon, so it's not working correctly and that's why there's excessive ice buildup on one side. We're about to resort to replacing the fridge.... Thanks for the help, but we can't keep mopping up the wood floors.

 

[rickgburton]

OK, sorry I couldn't help