larrybluhm wrote:
Another approach to frost buildup is to "head it off at the pass." Warm air can enter the cabinet through the drain tube and contribute substantially to the problem. The simple solution is to extend the drain tube 8-10" with some appropriate tubing and a barbed connector and form it into a loop creating the equivalent of a p-trap. The tube will drain normally and the bit of water trapped in the loop will block any warm air from entering the cabinet. The difference was quite dramatic for very little cost and effort.
We just went through this with our 3 year old house refrigerator. Bottom freezer was getting a sheet of ice on the floor of the freezer again and again. About the same time the ice maker died so we assumed it was hand in hand but the ice sheet kept coming after we cut off the water supply.
We talked to the appliance store and they admitted this was a problem caused by the defrost drain tube. A newer style drain tube would be covered by warranty but the service call to install it was $100. We decided to get the part and try it outselves. It turned out to be a 15 minute job, and that included removing and replacing the back panel. Problem solved.