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Almot's avatar
Almot
Explorer III
Dec 14, 2022

Norcold fridge - clogged drain tube?

Under the fins inside the fridge there is a tray to collect dripping water. There is a hole at the back of the tray, with a flexible tube going to the outside.

Somehow it stopped draining. No water comes out on the outside, the tray got filled with water, then it froze - I tried to keep freezer at 0F as it should, this required the fridge bin to cool down to low 30-ish. Now I'm checking it every day and manually remove pieces of ice from the tray - VERY awkward under the fins.

Tried to run 1/16 wire through the tube from inside - it hits some hard obstacle within a fraction of inch from the entry. Tried to push wire from the outside - same thing, wire stops after approaching more-less the spot where the tube goes into the fridge back wall. Tried to blow the tube by mouth from the outside - nothing, air doesn't go in. The tube terminates outside with a plastic plug and a tiny hole (to stop insects from coming?), removed the plug, no help.

Tray seems to be glued to the "holed" fitting in the fridge wall, or some caulk, can't pull out the tray to inspect the hole.

There were some dust winds in my absence, but to push the dirt all the way up the tube, and to pack it so hard that steel wire can't go through?

Any suggestions or comments on how to clean the passage or remove the tray, are welcome.

Model N611L, if this matters.
  • The Checkvalve/plug is designed to NOT allow warm air migration back up to the refer. So, the plug is necessary to help keep temps colder. Norcold refers are designed to self defrost the evap fans when icing happens. ICE on evap fins is BAD. Ice is a insulator and will not allow convection air inside the refer to flow over the fins and remove the heat. The Defrost cycle is built in. ONLY for Norcold refers left ON continuously. If left ON, every 48 to 54 hours the refer shuts OFF, for 2 to 3 hours. This allows any ice build up to thaw and drain out the drain pan and tube. Ice build up inside the refer is a product of humidity in the air. So, opening and closing the refer too often will increase the instance of ice build up.
    1. Has the refer Cooling unit been replaced?
    2. Did it drain before and just stopped?
    3. 0 to 10 degrees is the normal operating range of the freezer. 0 is best. But, as you have found, ANY heat source to the RV on the outside will degrade the cooling performance. So, yes, in hotter climates you may have to go to 5 for max coldness. When it gets cooler, you go to 3 or 4.
    4. Regardless, you have a drain tube problem. FIX the problem and you will not have frozen ice build up on the drain tray giving you problems
    5. The reason I ask about the cooling unit is simple. The USUAL reason a drain tube fails to drain is because the person replacing the cooling unit was not a professional and kinked the drain tube when installing the new cooling unit. VERY COMMON. Dometic refers have a different drain tube design thru the insulation of the cooling unit. Doug
  • Almot's avatar
    Almot
    Explorer III
    RLS7201 wrote:
    ... try pouring some hot water in the tray. Might melt the blockage.

    Richard

    Bingo. Boiled some water, poured in - very inconvenient, can't get to it with a cup, had to feed it with a table spoon, melted ice in the tray, removed icy cold water, poured more hot water. Blockage opened, next day closed again - slightly - but now I know how to deal with it.

    Could've been ice and dust too.

    Doug - cooling unit has not been replaced. I'm just pushing the limits of this machine. Hot and dusty. But at least it's sunny. I'm missing and a normal compressor fridge of huge capacity, not measly 6 cu.ft, and a separate chest freezer.
  • wa8yxm's avatar
    wa8yxm
    Explorer III
    Re the compressed air suggestion NOT GOOD IDEA IF ICE BLOCKED.

    BUT YOU CAN GET A TUBE LONG ENOUGH AND THE NEEDED ADAPTER TO FEED IT A GOOD FLOW OF HOT WATER (TAKE THE OUTSIDE END OUT OF THE CUP THATS THERE AND ADD HOSE TO IT AS WELL LARGER HOSE SO IT RUNS ON THE GROUND) THIS WILL HELP CLEAR ANY OTHER BLOCKAGE.

    Sorry about hitting caps lock.

    I have found when the drain tube starts freezing... (This was on a residential not an RV unit) it tends to keep doing it

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