The drain hole in your refrigerator is a crucial part of maintaining its efficiency and preventing water leakage, unpleasant odors, and even food spoilage. It is the most common cause of water dripping and pooling inside a fridge, and cleaning it is essential to prevent this issue.
The defrost drain is a small drain tube at the bottom of your refrigerator that carries excess water formed by condensation or melting ice to a drainage pan underneath your appliance. It is usually located behind the salad drawers. If a leak appears inside your fridge or water is visible at the bottom when the drawer is pulled out, this is usually a sign of a blocked drain inside.
On most modern refrigerators, the drain tube and hole are usually located inside the refrigerator at the bottom in the back. To protect the hole, there may be a panel made from plastic that can be removed with a screwdriver. The drain hole is typically located at the back of the freezer compartment, near the bottom. It may be covered by a fan.
Larder-style fridges have a “wet wall” located at the back, and you may often notice moisture forming on the back wall inside the fridge. To locate the drain tube, consult your refrigerator’s manual.
The drain hole can be found at the base of the back wall, with ridges leading down towards it to guide beads of moisture. Identifying the problem with your drain is important, as the drip pan is located behind the freezer panel. Remove the panel to see the drip pan under the freezer coils, melt the ice in the drip pan, and some Side-by-Side Refrigerator models have a defrost drain hole located on the interior back wall of the freezer compartment. Properly handling the drain hole is essential for maintaining your refrigerator’s efficiency and preventing water leakage, unpleasant odors, and even food spoilage.
📹 How to unblock your fridge drain hole | by Hotpoint
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📹 Fix A Clogged Fridge Defrost Drain WITHOUT Opening Panels – How To
How To Unclog a Defrost Drain in a Freezer without opening any back panels, today on Lex’s Lounge. In this case we did this on a …
Wow!!! I bought my (crap) Hisense fridge freezer a few years ago but never got that nifty unblocker so it’s great to be given some safe alternatives that can be used too,thank you all so much for this article,I’ve had these exact issues for a while now so hopefully this can all be resolved. I’ve just got to find out how to stop that black sludgey mould that covers the nozzle on the darn things water dispenser and hopefully in time for summer because I haven’t used it in years because of that,I mean no one wants to be drinking anything that’s been in contact with that kind of nastiness lol
Thanks for this simple yet eminently helpful article! Thought I’d share a drain-hole cleaning hack I just invented: if you don’t have one of those hole cleaning thingys, nor a cotton bud, nor a pipe cleaner, nor even a damn straw :O, you can improvise something with a kebab skewer stick, some gauze bandage pads, and a bit of duct tape. Wrap a bandage pad (oh, i’m american, so i guess a gauze ‘plaster’ for British people? 😀 ) around the end of the skewer, put a strip of duct tape along the bottom edge so it tapes the pad to the stick, another small piece around the middle of the pad to keep it wrapped tight around the stick. Then break the stick along its length under the pad so it will be flexible–don’t break it too much, just enough so it will bend a bit! Stick it carefully into the drain hole a ways, then pull it back out. I had to be careful that the tape didn’t get caught on the way out and come loose, but by my second try I had a serviceable tool and it worked like a charm! I poured a bit of boiled water into it and it went right down. 🙂
I don’t have a Hotpoint fridge – mine is a Bush, but it looks almost identical inside. I don’t know about the manual for Hotpoint fridges, but I can say with certainty there’s not a word about any of this in the Bush manual. It mentions the hole & tool but doesn’t say what they’re for or how or why they might get blocked and need cleaning. When the fridge arrived I was puzzled as the drain hole appears to lead to a very shallow open tray on top of the compressor. I assumed any liquid is supposed evaporate away due to the heat of the compressor. Not a word in the manual and another commenter says his is full to overflowing. The engineer blithely recommends checking it occasionally. I don’t know anyone who pulls their fridge out for that purpose, and I’d be surprised if many realise they should (apparently). A shocking gap in customer information.
A very good, basic and simple explanation. Unfortunately for me (and yes, I did leave this article a Like), It isn’t enough for me. So much dirt is starting to build up in my fridge I have to get instructions on how to clean the evaporator collecting ‘cup’ from somewhere else. But I can’t expect that kind of technical advice from a website focusing on general advice, now can I? So to the creators of this article: Well done. For me personally; I have to look elsewhere. (You see that? Leaving a constructive comment? That wasn’t so hard now was it, comment section?) <3
Why do they use this horrible design? It’s almost impossible to stop packages touching the back wall and it’s so unhygienic when they get wet. Also, the water can freeze and develop chronic problems. I love my own autodefrost fridge, but not all builders fit them into new houses, due to saving a few quid.
Hi. I’m using LG GR-V2522SL model refrigerator. There is water leak inside and I’m unable to find any drain hole inside the refrigerator. I checked the drain hole locations mentioned in the YouTube articles like near the vegetable tray, but I’m unable to find it. Has anyone faced the same issue? Any help is highly appreciated. Thanks.
Anyone bought aHotpoint Integrated Freezer HF1801EFAAUK in last 12 months and experienced a loud noise problem caused by ice build up hitting the fan? We had this issue within 6 months of buying this model and Hotpoint have been out many times to ” repair” but never do. Don’t buy.. useless v poorly designed product beyond repair despite being les Ethan 12 months old. Very fed up….
I noticed the space beneath my crisper drawer was nearly flooded yesterday. I couldn’t figure out why, and that little hole behind the shelves was so innocuous I thought it couldn’t be the reason why…until I saw water pooling around it. Thank goodness for Google. It took 10 seconds and 2 cotton buds, and I could actually hear the water running again through my fridge. Thank God for the internet. lol
I usually just leave this problem with the mindset that my tenancy lease is about to run out. “I’ll get a new fridge” however, I’ve just achieved my first hotpoint unblock drain cleansing & I’m surprised at how basic the plug is, a flimsy plastic rod. Surely with today’s technology I can have a fridge that doesn’t require my attention this way? Is there a design that’s achieved such grandeur?
Sorry, for me this does not work blockage is further down and unable to clear, have tried various method including passing a tube down as far as 15 inches, where it stops and still unable to clkear the blockage, have considered removing the rear cover as to remove and clean the tube but again unable to do as the cover is spot welded so a differcult situation.
Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!! I’ve been chipping ice out of the bottom of my side by side for 9 months or more. I bought me a turkey baster and followed your instructions. Well, mostly!!!! My turkey baster had an attachable injection syringe which I used to squirt the hot water down into the hole after I melted the ice in the tray above it. It took a little time to get 9 months worth of ice melted but…I kept at it and EUREKA!!! no more peeing fridge! Thanks so much. All of the other articles showed taking apart the whole freezer. This was the only one that didn’t. I really wasn’t up for tearing apart the fridge. So, Thank you Lex for posting this article.
Worked for me! I have a french door GE with freezer at bottom. Been getting ice under bottom tray for a while. Defrosted vents, but could’nt get bolts off to take panels off. Saw your article, got a bulb syringe and some hot water, and gave it a go. After the 3rd or 4th time, heard a loud suction sound and that was it. Put a few more cups of hot water and some baking soda down there. Took some of the water out of drip pan to make sure it did’nt overflow, and fingers crossed that problem is solved!
I have a Frigidaire. I firstly use this method, but it did not work, and continue to leak. Then, I open the panel a little bit, and found out that there is a layer of ice of half inch thick. I used a metal skewer to dig out inside the panel until I can see the drain hole. I pull hot water in, but it seems like the drain hole is still blocked. I used the same metal skewer to dig inside the drain hole, and get some ice out. After some iterations of digging and pulling hot water, it finally works. Thank you for the tips. My recommendation is to clear the start the process of pulling hot water at least you can see the drain hole (without being block by inches of ice), otherwise, the hot water won’t be able to melt such big piece of ice.
I am going to add another “Thank You!” I started on the inside and took off one shelf bracket and the back lower interior panel. I saw the condensation drain and then found your article. Because I had the panel off, I could dump hot water down. But the turkey baster (and having the panel off) actually allowed me to pressure the line a little to clear it out so that it drained. On a side note, I concurrently have a rust stain on the back of the freezer that I thought might be the issue and I was running down a rabbit hole of manufacturer defect chasing remedies, spray foam insulation, cutting metal access panels, etc…. Turns out, just a clogged drain line… Thanks again!
I had to come back and say thank you! I did this on April 6th. I’m still amazed this was such an easy fix for what I thought was possibly something major. Plus, I thought I would have to take all of my food out but instead I watched your article, I looked up about my drain pan(I had no idea where it was or if I had one) but I do and I could kinda see it underneath so then I proceeded to remove food from the bottom only yay and saw I had a ziploc bag stuck to ice covering the drain hole! I poured the hot water repeatedly, then I could hear like a gulp of air and the water running to the drain pan! yay Thank you so much! I liked and subscribed too.
Might be a good idea to add some baking soda to the water You’re boiling (it will convert it to sodium carbonate aka soda ash solution), since it softens the water and comes highly recommended for removing clogs from all kinds of drain pipes (shower, sink, etc.; for the toilet I let the solution to cool), it’s safe for seals and rubber too. Thawing of the fridge beforehand might be helpful, if not crucial, for some fridges I guess. Never tried that myself though, just an advice I’ve heard. Anyway I’m having the same issue as You do with my old European style of a fridge, made by LG, where freezer is in the bottom compartment and the refrigerator is in the top. The only drain hole I can find is at the bottom of an upper (fridge) compartment, covered with a white plastic grill, similar to yours. I need to find a way of removing this grill in order to be sure my water-soda solution goes where it should.
Okay, this worked perfectly to fix a problem I have been having for probably over a year now. This article helped me find the drain hole, and the pan under the fridge (which I was always wondering where it was). Turns out… The drain hole was completely covered with a layer of ice, and then was also plugged with ice too. I didn’t have a turkey baster but I had a condiment squeeze bottle with a pointy tip that I was able to use instead and it worked great. Thanks for the article! I was so sick and tired of having to chip out ice from the bottom of my freezer!
Thank you. I was about to call repair service AND to shop for a new frig when I found your article. I figured I had nothing to lose except a few minutes, so I boiled some water, got out the turkey baster and a knife, and after removing bottom ice and scraping ice away from bottom of the vent slots (this was iced over), I sent the boiling water down as directed. Much to my utter surprise and great delight, it worked! No ice collecting at bottom now, and it’s over a week. Whirlpool says it needs a ‘permanent fix’ of a new drain pipe, but for now, I’m happy and will deal with the permanent issue later if Needed. Thank you again.
Thank you! My refrigerator was serviced. My refrigerator never leaked before but after the service it started leaking in the back onto the floor. Oddly the drain line was pointing outside of the drip pan. Your article helped me locate the issue, hopefully the line is not clogged and was merely directed incorrectly. I’ll keep an eye on it.
For those with a Maytag french drawer freezer it may be worth the extra effort to pull panels off so you can check for excessive ice buildup in addition to the drain problem. I had a huge chunk of ice in the upper right hand corner I had to thaw out and I put in some extra effort to do some cleanup maintenance while I had things pulled apart.
I never comment on youtube articles but i just wanted to say this helped me so much, I didnt have to remove any panels. I pumped hot water from the sink through a turkey baster, adjusted the piece over the hole so it wasnt covering it at all, and it fixed the issue. my fridge has been leaking/forming ice for over a year and I never figured it out. THANK YOU
I repair for a living. The last at least 10 units I have worked on. Doing this would of only made a larger mess. Very inconvenient to do. But pretty full proof. Remove everything from freezer and fridge. open doors wide. Get fan and blow room air into freezer area. Run fan several hours Ice melts slowly. For me on a call and equipment I use it takes 2 hours to take a frozen evap and drain line back to working order. The drain line is very slow to melt. and make sure you check drain line in back that it is freely flowing. If it has a rubber cap looking thing covering the end of pipe. Remove is and clean it out under running water. make sure it is not stuck shut. Its job is to keep humidity out of freeze while letting water drain out of drain tube.
If hot water does not do the trick, try using an air compressor connected to the bottom drip tube to see if you can get air flowing up through the drain in the freezer. We just did it this morning after having issues for several months. Ours is a top freezer. After a few short moments running the air compressor, the freezer drain started to bubble and some water and ice shot out. Then the air started flowed freely up through the drain hole. We kept the air going a few minutes and immediately tried flushing water down the freezer drain and whoosh, the water went right down. And I flushed a LOT down to be sure. We used a bucket and noticed that several tiny pieces of styrofoam came out with the water. That had to be what was clogging the drip tube!
Yup, that was it. Of course my turkey baster couldn’t get enough water through the vent. I had to take off a panel inside the freezer to get to the drip tray that had a huge block of ice in it. There was also some ice above the fan that came loose. Every situation is a little different I guess. Thank you much!
I could see through that grill that i had 2-3″ high ice, so i took the four screws off that hold that panel on, then slid it up about a foot* (it flexes) Then i used lots of hot water and used the baster directly on the drain hole for the hose till it flowed through. 🙂 But YOUR article showed me the problem and how to fix it. Thumbs up!
Thank you so much!!! When I saw your article, at first I couldn’t believe that it might work, so I tried to follow the instructions on someone else’s article and opened the back panel of my fridge, but unlike their fridge, mine doesn’t have an access to the tube from the back of the fridge, being too scared to open the panel that’s inside the fridge, I finally decided to follow your recommendation, and wow! I see water finally dripping from the tube in the drain pan under the fridge, and 12 hours have passed and I haven’t seen any leaks any more. Thank you so much. ( I used a plastic syringe to push the hot water in)
Thank you for this article. I’m having a hard time finding the answer to my question. My freezer seems to have this noise that when I find out it’s origin, there’s like a puff of missed that gets spit out. It seems to be louder than I’ve heard it in the past so I didn’t know if I should be concerned. I’m thinking it’s justThe part of it that keeps it defrosted, but I’m not sure. Can you give me any information please?
FYI, as with just about any fix, it depends on the make/model. I have a 2021 Whirlpool (Model: WRT518SZFM00) and using the baster only sent water into the refrigerator. I had to take off the inside back (defroster) panel of the freezer in order to get the water to go down the drain/defrost tube. It was a PITA but the only way to get the hot water to go down the tube. So my suggestion is; try this baster method BUT watch the inside of the refrigerator to see if that’s where the water is going.
My freezer was so horribly clogged that this technique didn’t begin to solve the problem. The ice dam was so extensive that it filled the entire drain tray below the heat exchanger, including a plug that extended over an inch into the drain hose attachment. And below that, at the entrance to the drain hose, just above the twist, there was a clog where flour had spilled, gone into the drain hose, and made a paste. What a mess. I had to remove the ice maker valves to get access to the drain hose, unclog and flush that, remove the freezer panel, unscrew the heat exchanger so I could get access to the drain tray, remove the gigantic ice dam (which was infused with flour), then pour in cup after cup of hot water until the ice cylinder finally melted out of the drain hose attachment nipple.
On the Jenn-Air, the drain tube goes down makes a hard right go slightly uphill, then straight down to the pan. the problem is that when the horizontal tube pitches up to the second elbowit, it develops a swamp and buildup starts clogging the tube. This is is a manufacturing screw-uphorizontal line should be sloped downward. you need to shim that Elbow on the second turn before it goes into the pan, to prevent swamping and buildup of debris that clogs the horizontal short of turning down to the pan. .
A cup of Fishy Water spilled in my Hotpoint top freezer drain vents Model #CTX18EFC. I trust I need to disassemble inside the freezer to reach the draining tubes and trays…which are clogged as evidenced by the large amt of water in the bottom of refridge. It further leaked out onto the floor. I’m drowning in fishy fishy stink.
Omg you saved my freezer. I used this method but added some vinegar in the boiling water and I wasn’t sure if it was going to work cuz I still saw a bit of clogged water but I think over night that vinegar helped also released what ever was clogging the whole behind that wall. All done with out removing any panel’s…. thank you so much. It’s so hard to get appliances with the pandemic and I was not wanting to have to replace it. Thx again
Thank you! This led me down the road of exactly what was happening with mine. Had to loosen all the frozen ice in the bottom of the freezer to remove the bottom bucket pan (good ole hairdryer), then had to take the back panel off (4 screws/7 mm socket) and the condensor coils were even froze up let alone the pan. The hot water helped but had to blow it out with air compressor to finally get the drain to start draining. I will definitely start making this part of my monthly tasks is couple droppers of hot water down the drain just to make sure all is well.
Something you haven’t fully covered yet…Hey lex I went through all your articles and there’s something I want to know which you haven’t covered (yet) can you explain window sill grows fully and if it’s possible to grow with only 4hours of sunlight (is it worth it) and if it’s possible to get a healthiesh grow with only morning sunlight shining through a window want to know haven’t tried it but interested if there’s potential maybe. Thanks lex
I can’t even get a service manual online for my fridge without having to pay for the fk’n thing and yet a regular manual doesn’t even show you where the freezer drain plug is. Grrrr! I’ve been endlessly trying to figure out why my fridge is dripping water from the freezer down into the INSIDE of my Haier Model hte14waaww (pakistan product), all over my food. I didn’t buy it, it came with the house I bought. rolls eyes but I guess you’re not an actual fridge technician are you? I turned off the fridge and I took my freezer apart (from the inside) a couple hours ago trying to figure it out myself. I used to be an RV Technican and could fix anything in an RV, even the fridges, but my own fridge…uh..NO, because I don’t have a service manual. I figured if it’s dripping from freezer to into the fridge, there’s gotta be something in there doing it. Nevermind, I’ll go back and swear my face off at my fridge until I can figure it out.