What is wrong with my fridge?

[Bluebirdnick]

The picture tells the story really. THe back of my fridge ALWAYS grows this lump of ice, and always in the same spot. This lump is about 2 months old now - every now and then I get a knife and lever it off.

Any guidance on:

1) what causes it;
2) how to stop it; and
3) how to best remove the lumps of ice when they do form? using a dinner knife to prise it off is probably not the best idea.

Thanks

 

[sxturbo]

Is it a Samsung fridge?

 

[Bluebirdnick]

How did you guess?! Yes. One of those american style fridge freezers with ice and water

 

[sxturbo]

How did you guess?! Yes. One of those american style fridge freezers with ice and water

Is one part of the fridge cooler than another?

The fridge should auto defrost, but if the door isn't quite shut home it works over time and freezes up the evaporator and the drainage hole.

You then get this build up of ice in the coldest part of the fridge.

Way to fix it is to defrost the fridge freezer the old fashioned way.

I've got a hand held Vax steam cleaner, so to speed up the process I use that to defrost the evaporator and clean the drainage hole. To do so though it does require the internals of the fridge to be taken apart.

 

[Bluebirdnick]

Thanks. Is one part colder? Not that I've noticed, other than obvious stuff like the door bins are warmer than the back of the shelves. I'll take a look at the door but i think it closes OK - the kids can't open it, there seems to be a really good seal.

Now you mention the drainage hole - I think there is a hole where the ice forms.

 

[sxturbo]

Thanks. Is one part colder? Not that I've noticed, other than obvious stuff like the door bins are warmer than the back of the shelves. I'll take a look at the door but i think it closes OK - the kids can't open it, there seems to be a really good seal.

Now you mention the drainage hole - I think there is a hole where the ice forms.

The door will be ok by sounds of it.

When we first moved in our current home the previous owners left the fridge freezer (it can't come out, certainly not easily) and it happened to me twice, except our evaporator is at the bottom of the fridge, the top stuff was going off quicker than expected, was still cool but not fridge cool, yet the fridge temp display on the front showed 3 degrees. Turns out the sensor is almost on top of the evaporator.

The 2nd time it happened only a month or 2 later, unopened the door and thought that didn't feel as "stuck" as normal, looked down at the bottom of the fridge and low and behold there was ice formed, took it apart, defrosted it again.

Now I've had a word with the household we've not had the problem since (2.5 years) and we make sure it's shut properly each time we enter it.

 

[foxhole]

If coolant pipe is blocked by debri ( poor quality leads to internal lining decay) the blockage spot becomes the coldest . If that’s what causing it then it’s not a viable repair.
The American fridge freezer have a fan in the centre which can get iced over but yours looks like it’s on the side so it’s more likely the above.