I have a GE Top-Freezer Refrigerator, bought brand new 4 yrs ago, Model # GTA20LBNABB (20 CF). I need to remove the back panel in the freezer compartment to access the drain hole. The panel does not have any screws. It is snapped in tight... hard to pull off. Can someone tell me how to "pull-out" the panel without damaging it or without breaking the retaining clips? There are several air-vents type "holes" in the panel. Do I need a special tool to pull? The fridge started to leak water and collects under the fruit & veg crispers. I think the defrost drain hole and tube may be plugged.

Once I pull out the rear panel I can clean the ice build-up and can clean the drain tube from there. The tube runs hidden inside the fridge and is not exposed from the back of the fridge... in a totally sealed system.

Thank you for your help.

If the tabs your talking about are just plugs with plastic cap (like a screw head with no slot) then they are meant to snap into place and spread out after they are pushed all the way in. At four years old you might get lucky and they may not break. But typically a fridge repair person carries several types of replacements because they break easily after many years. If you have the room to maneuver in there, I would try a combination of a butter knife and steak knife to get behind the tabs. First use the sharp knife to get behind then the butter knife to put on more pressure. If you can get two butter knives in, one on each side, you will have a better chance at not breaking the tab. Then twist them outwards (lifting not prying) to see if the tab will release. By lifting not prying I mean do not lift back on the knife handles but instead twist them so the part under is raised slowly. Some panels have tabs that have a screw slot or knob like extension on them, and are meant to be turned a quarter or half way to release. In that case the shape of the hole in the back is similar to this -O- so when turned a quarter turn it locks. These type will have a way to turn them though, and if your caps are smooth they will be the pry type.

Mon, Jan 24, 2011

Appzalien, thank you so much for your PROMPT answer. I appreciate it very much!

As I mentioned in my question... The panel does not have any screws... no tabs, no plugs, no slots... nothing. It is a plain panel (... back wall of the inside of the freezer compartment), snapped in tight... hard to pull off... but it has several holes which look like air vents. It's hard to see where the "snap clips" are located behind the panel. There isn't any room to manoeuvre because the edge of the whole panel meets right at the adjoing side walls... ie makes it harder to pry.

I hope you will be able to understand my description... so that you can suggest other ideas to remove the panel.

Thank you, once again.

If the panel is meant to be removed (sometimes the sides have to come off first to get access to a few screws holding it in place) you might need to make yourself a pry tool (I had one in my tool box when I did refrigeration) it was similar to a doctors tongue depressor but made of strong but thin metal. I could use it to get behind panels and pull but I always made sure first that there was no other way in. Manufacturers do not want you to do your own work so they make it hard to do yourself. Let me see what I can find on your model.
That's strange, when I go to the GE site and enter the model number you give it fails to find it. Their site recommends a service man and they will not tell you how to remove the panel. It might be worth your while to call a service tech and watch him so you can do it yourself next time.

As a side note, up front of the freezer section are usually four lock-in panels, top bottom and two sides that can be pried out and pressed back in. If your adventurous you might try and see where that leads you. Look carefully to determine which lock-in to remove first, and reverse the order when you replace them. You might have to remove the bottom of the freezer from there to get access to the back panel.

As a temporary fix, after a good defrost, you can used a can of compressed air (available at computer stores like office max) to blow the tube out from the bottom by using the little tube that comes with it and sealing the larger refrigerator tube with something (wrap tape around the little tube or a piece of napkin) so the air is forced to go up the tube. The problem with that, is any debris will still be up there and can come back.

Mon, Jan 24, 2011

Appzalien, thank you again for your PROMPT answer. I appreciate it!

I am in Canada but also could not find it on the Cdn site. I will unplug the fridge for 2 days to defrost it completely. And I will also try your suggestion. Will repost once I have had a chance to progress.

Thanks again.

I used to work for Sears doing heating cooling and refrigeration. There I had access to all kinds of manuals and diagrams for up to 1995 models anyway, but that's not available to me now. If you Guys have Sears in Canada, you might want to walk in to their Customer Service Center late in the day when the service techs are coming back (you would see more trucks if the techs are station at that center). Sears techs are paid by the hour so they do not mind giving free information since a visit during their working hours doesn't benefit them for selling parts or stuff, just Sears. If your lucky, you might talk to someone who does side jobs. They're under paid so they often will do work on the side for a lot cheaper than Sears would charge.

I forgot to mention, the last one I had to access with no screws (back panel), I had to remove the front lock on panels (they're like a long T with the top of the T all you can see, the post of the T is pressed into the edges of the gap between the fridge and freezer near the door all around the edges), then the whole sides and top could be taken out as one piece, and I was able to unscrew the back panel.

Thanks again.
I'll look into that later today.