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I keep getting ice buildup in the exact same spot. If I turn off the fridge, let the ice melt, dry fridge and turn it back on, ice will start to form in the exact same place within a couple hours. The only place that there is ice is this one spot. The drainage hole next to the ice is not blocked.
What is causing ice to form here, how can I stop it?
It is a Defy DAC332.
Re: Ice buildup
Thermostat fault or insulation failure.
Never heard of that brand, where did it come from?
K.
Re: Ice buildup
Thank you for the reply.
I don’t think it is the thermostat, the fridge does turn off and with the exceptions of ice in that spot, any ice that has formed melts and runs down the drainage hole.
Defy is a pretty common brand in South Africa.
Edit: Not sure if this is of any help but here is what it looks like 15 hours after I had defrosted the fridge. It will take a month or two(maybe more now that we are in winter) before it gets as big as it was.
Re: Ice buildup
It does look like there’s something up with the insulation from that last picture as the ice is forming in a single spot by the looks of it. If that’s the case it’s pretty much terminal. 🙁
How old is the unit?
K.
Re: Ice buildup
I’m guessing around 8 years but looks in perfect condition and apart from icing in that spot it work perfectly. That spot also looks and feels normal when defrosted.
How can that be terminal, surly something can be done. Would there be foam between the plastic and the rear of the machine? My DIY skills are pretty good, there is no way it’s going to the dump without me at least trying to fix it. 😛
Re: Ice buildup
Ok, I pulled the fridge out and had a look at the back, there are several large bulges that I assume are not normal, there is also patch/block of ice on the outside(ambient temp around 20C).
Not looking good, is it?
Re: Ice buildup
Here’s the thing about an insulation failure…
It’s caused by an ingress of water into the foam insulation somehow usually, often from condensation on the back wall inside the cavity or, from some other method of moisture getting in there.
Now, you can, if you so wish cut open and, it will be a case of cutting, the back wall behind the condenser open, digging out all the “wet” insulation, refoam it, then seal it back up. But, the kicker is that, even when you know what you’re doing and, I’ve had to do a few in my time, you have a roughly 50/50 chance of a successful repair.
For someone who doesn’t know what they’re doing the odds will drop substantially.
You see, if you leave ANY moisture in there AT ALL it will fail again within months as the moisture just creates more moisture as it negates the reason for insulation. Don’t seal it 100{e5d1b7155a01ef1f3b9c9968eaba33524ee81600d00d4be2b4d93ac2e58cec2d} airtight and, same problem again within months.
It is a very, very hard repair to get right, even for a seasoned professional. For a novice I’d rate it as virtually impossible.
Aside from which you also need to not burst any pipework and, to do that, you pretty much need to know where it is behind the wall as there probably will be some in there. Avoid busting the pipework of the condenser, which you will have to move to get to it and, you can’t bust the rear wall digging out the insulation which, you have to get down to the back wall out, completely.
Then you need to have the unit off for at least 48 hours in a dry and non-humid environment before you start to re-foam and reseal it.
To have it done professionally is prohibitively expensive (at least in the UK it is) and will always come with the catchphrase of, “this may not work and it’s at your own risk”.
It is, without doubt, one of the the most difficult repairs to possibly do.
The bulges are the insulation being full of water I expect.
Like I said, terminal. 😉
K.
Re: Ice buildup
Thank you for all the help.
I will contact someone and get a quote, in SA repair is probably more of an option as we pay more for new goods. If repair is going to be expensive, I will just leave it until I’m feeling lucky and then give it a shot, if I fail I lose nothing considering the fridge is already terminal.
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