Liebherr CND5204 Fridge Freezer – Drain hole in fridge keeps blocking.

[Divizion]

I have a Liebherr CND5204 Fridge Freezer which I bought in November 2023 from a local electrical retailer. It is frost free. It is under its 2 year manufacturer guarantee. I also bought an extra 3 year warranty with the shop.

In the last 16 days the drain hole has been constantly blocking. I have tried to clean it with a cotton bud as recommended by the manufacturer manual, I then bought some plastic trimmer cable which is very flexible and it is 2mm thick. The plastic cable appears to go the full length of the drain pipe but when I look at the back where the drain is it doesn’t come out the other end. The shops engineer tried with his drain hole cleaner which had a brush on the end as well, but that didn’t go all the way either.

The pan that collects the water is behind a fan which evaporates the water, so it cannot be got to easily. It is not on top of the compressor like some other fridges and my previous fridge.

Yesterday I made a phone call to Liebherr and I am waiting for a call back regarding an engineers appointment.

What can I do to unblock it?

I have also tried warm water down the drain hole, but it hasn’t worked.

[kwatt]

Is it blocking with ice? If so the temperature might be a bit too low in the fridge.

K.

[kwatt]

It is odd and not a thing Liebherr is known to have a problem with, first one I’ve come across and I can’t think on any other reason other than there being some sort of a blockage.

K.

[Divizion]

The fridge drain hole still keeps getting blocked. I have tried unblocking it with a syringe and some tubing (bought from eBay), I have also tried a net curtain wire (outside of which is plastic). Both of which appear to go all the way down to the end of the fridge drain tubing however it doesn’t come out the other end (I have looked). I have also tried hot water. I have tried these methods several times now. It did unblock it briefly with these methods once however within a few days it got blocked again. My fridge and freezer are very clean. I have also had the engineer visit from the retailer and he put his brush down the drain hole but again it didn’t unblock anything. This has been going on for several weeks now. It’s weird and very frustrating.

[Tony R]

I do know that both the fridge and freezer defrost water on most CND 5204 units,exit into the same water discharge container before going into the water evaporation tray which is actually the cabinet base. The container is situated between the right hand side of the compressor and to the left of the fan and held in place by one screw, once emoved the drain discharge valves can be seen, they may or may not be the same for each section, depending on model./ year
These black rubber drain valves prevent air entering into the different sections via the drain pipes.
Get Liebherr to send the Engineer back out and get him to remove the rear panel and carry out more intensive checks.
Regards,
Tony.

[TRS UK]

This is pretty common on the CND5204. The fridge drain gums up, and the little rubber duckbill valve at the back sticks shut. Clear the drain hole from inside (use the Liebherr pin or a zip‑tie), then flush it with hot water plus a splash of vinegar/bicarb using a turkey baster or syringe until you see water run into the drip tray. Unplug, pop off the lower rear cover, pull the drain tube and duckbill, clean them thoroughly (you can trim the slit a touch wider), and clean the tray. Refit, level the fridge so it tilts slightly back, keep food off the back wall, and set ~4°C. If it blocks again soon, replace the duckbill/drain tube.

[Tony R]

Never in my life have I needed to disagree with a proffesional poster, but having worrked as an agent for Liebherr for 25 years TRS does not know what they ae talking about, regarding this Liebherr unit.

[TRS UK]

Thanks for the detailed update. Since it’s still under the 2‑year guarantee and you’ve got a Liebherr engineer booked for Fri 10/10, it’s wise to pause DIY. What you describe does sound like a displaced drain tube or a stuck “duckbill” valve at the back. Please ask them to check the tube seating at both ends, the duckbill, and any kinks/insulation around the drain. Do let us know what they find-it’ll help others with the same issue.

[TRS UK]

Thanks for weighing in – I respect your experience with Liebherr of 25 years, which is great. If anything I’ve said is off for this specific model, could you please point to the exact point(s) and the correct approach (ideally part numbers or a service bulletin) so we can all learn.

[Divizion]

I have just had the Liebherr engineer visit and all he did is take the cover where the compressor is and put his brush down the fridge drain hole. He could then see that his brush wasn’t going all the way down to the end of the pipe (which is what I said on the phone when making the appointment).

The engineer said that it could be an insulation issue or possibly a thermostat problem.

I mentioned about the removable panel in the freezer compartment and he said all that is for is to access the freezer part of it and that you cannot access the drain pipe as it is has to be accessed from the back. The back is sealed and not removable.

I should hear something from Liebherr in the next 24 o 48 hours.

Sadly I am not surprised that he was unable to fix the problem.

As I said in a previous post, the water is going somewhere else behind the fridge and not down the drain pipe anymore.

[Divizion]

[USER=”63330″]TRS UK[/USER]

I have tried pouring hot water down the tube several times and their was only 1 occasion that it worked as I mentioned in a previous post. Water, brushes and tubing do not come out of the bottom of the drain pipe. Myself and 2 engineers have tried it and seen that it doesn’t. Since then the water does not go where it should do, it seems to build up elsewhere behind the freezer compartment, I use the syringe and tubing to extract the water once a day as it starts to overflow into the fridge.

The Liebherr engineer said that the removable panel in the freezer only accesses parts for the freezer and that the drain pipe cannot be accessed this way.

It is ridiculous that the drain pipe cannot be accessed and maintained as necessary with this Liebherr fridge freezer.

My previous fridge freezer which was a Zanussi / Electrolux was never a problem, if the drain pipe blocked which it rarely ever did in the 18 years that I had it then it was immediately solvable.

[Divizion]

I received an email form Liebherr this afternoon (16/10/25) saying that they will replace the fridge freezer with a new one as it is under guarantee with the same model number.

I hope the new one will last many years…

[b4u2]

Divizion wrote:I received an email form Liebherr this afternoon (16/10/25) saying that they will replace the fridge freezer with a new one as it is under guarantee with the same model number.

I hope the new one will last many years…

Well done ✔️
good to know warranty means something
I just bought a liebher with a 10 year warranty
It’s a promotion until the end of this month.

[Author]

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