Indesit CTA55 - Freezer Icing Up At Bottom (blocked drainage?)

[Skyhigh]

Short:
Does anyone know where the freezer drainage hole is for this model?
(It doesn't seem obviously visible and I'm not keen on removing the radiator as it looks pretty involved)

http://www.tesco.com/direct/indesit-ctaa55-fridge-freezer-a-energy-rating-white-55cm/134-0782.prd


Background:
We've had a CTA55 for coming up to a year now.

Initially the fridge wasn't draining - but a quick clean of the drain hole sorted that out.

Recently (2-3 months) the bottom of the freezer has been collecting sheet ice.

I checked the reservoir at the back of the fridge where the water drains to and evaporates to see if anything was blocking the outlet but it looked fine and had water in it.
(suggesting the fridge drainage is working OK)

Taking the back off the freezer, it's clear the area that collected the water hasn't been draining and has built up a lot of ice.

I carefully removed the ice with a hairdryer on very low heat (and 45 mins).
Despite this, it still didn't want to drain.

I tried adding some warm water and agitating it for 5 mins in case there was some ice blocking the drainage hole that the hot air couldn't reach. No luck.


---

Back panel removal (just before disconnecting fan power cord to completely remove the panel)

Small mountain of ice

Ice removed

Cheers!

 

[Skyhigh]

To help anyone else who has this problem, I'm posting how I fixed it in the end.


Symptom:
Indesit freezer builds up ice at the bottom of the freezer.
The water collection unit at the back of the fridge (on top of the compressor) was clear of obstruction - so it was likely the draining tray/hole/tube had iced up of there was a blockage.
(a blockage is unlikely as in this design, I can't see how anything would get to the draining tray)

Cause:
Freeze meltwater drain is blocked, causing no water to drain - which freezers and blocks the entire draining tray (see pictures in previous post).

Solution:

Tools

• Hair dryer
• Pozidrive screwdriver
• Pencil & Stanley knife (!)

Prep
Turn off the fridge freezer using the thermostat at the top of the fridge, also turn it off at the socket and unplug.
If you need to move the fridge, empty the fridge compartment as well as the freezer to make sure it's easy to move and nothing will move/break.​

Empty Freezer
Empty everything in the freezer into cool bags. It's likely to take up to an hour to sort this out depending on how much ice you have built up (ours was pretty bad).
Remove the draws and shelves too.

Remove Back Panel
Inside the freezer, you need to remove the back panel.
There are four screws, two at the top and two at the bottom.
You'll also be able to see another two screws through gaps in the panel - these need removing too but to get to these, you need to pull down the top part of the panel which covers the fan - this pull down & forward to be removed completely.
You can then access the two further screws to remove them.

When all screws are removed the panel is loose, carefully lift it away.

You'll now need to disconnect only only the fan cable so you can remove the fan completely.
The fan cable (red connector if I remember correctly - it's at the top of the block where it connects to the freezer for power) - can be unclipped. You may need a flat screwdriver to help release tension.

Thaw Draining Tray
Use the hair dryer on a low setting to carefully thaw the ice in multiple passes over the ice - don't let it get too hot and don't hold it on any area for a long (3-5 seconds) time!
It helps to remove melted water also as this otherwise absorbs heat from the hairdryer - use a paper towel or very clean cloth.
Keep going until all ice is gone - do not use an implement to try and prise the ice away - you may break something.

If the water doesn't start to drain, try some warm water too - it could be ice blocking the draining hold beyond sight.

Hopefully that should do the job.


Water Still Doesn't Drain
So, this was our issue - water still did not drain.
The draining hole is in the middle of the draining tray, it's partially obscured by the metal tray itself - so it's really hard to see, even with a bright torch.
I tried more warm water - no luck.
I tried using some thin plastic-coated wire to clear a blockage - nothing.

So, going back to the drainage collection tray at the back of the fridge - there was water, but this was from the fridge draining point - pouring water into the fridge draining hole came right through.

It turns out this model has a separate draining line and exit point for the fridge and freezer.

When you're looking at the rear of the fridge - the draining tube exit right in front of you is for the fridge.
There is also another one about 4 inches behind it (grey, hard to see).
The freezer draining tube has a rubber/silicone valve - basically a small piece of rubber with a 'X' shape - this allows water to drip out and (I'd assume) nothing to get in - especially warm air.

Upon giving it a prod with a pencil - water gushed out, but stopped when the pressure of the pencil was removed.

There was no 'gunk' or any build-up - it looks as if the seal on our fridge was very inflexible and wouldn't allow any water through and/or the 'X' wasn't fully cut through.
Carefully using a stanley knife, re-score the 'X' shape into the seal, allowing each of the four 'flaps' to be able to move and allow drops of water through.

Done.


Note
Our fridge had iced-up since purchase - but it took quite a while for it to build up. Although I guess this rubber seal could also gain a build-up of gunk in some scenarios causing it to fail to allow water through too.


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