[Gabrielle]

I have a Magic Chef refrigerator with the freezer box on top. Model is GT15A6. There is ice inside the top of the fridge just underneath the freezer. Also there is ice inside the freezer box on the bottom. I had this problem before, and I defrosted it manually about 3 months ago, and it was cooling just fine. Now the ice is back. Eventually in the fridge it melts, but the ice build up stays. After reading a few posts, I think it might be the drain in the freezer section that is clogged. I can’t figure out how to get at it. I can’t see the drain tube either. Everything is encased.

Can anyone give me instructions on how to get to the drain tube on this refrigerator?

[applguy]

I really don't think I would recommend you try to access this drain system if you've never done it before. The drain is under the evaporator that is buried in the center divider between the freezer and fresh food sections. There is a lot of styrofoam that you must be very careful with, because if it gets too beat up, the airstreams aren't right and the unit goes down hill from there. Also, this unit utilizes glass tube defrost heaters that usually get crushed by ice build up under the evaporator, which will be the first place for the ice to develop when the drain gets restricted. It would be very easy to get in way over your head very quickly. If you would like another reason, the evaporator must be literally bent out of the way, and if you bend it too far, the refrigerator is junk. If you had almost any other refrig, I would be more than ready to help you. These older Maytags are just a big pain in the rear. Good luck.

[Gabrielle]

Thanks for your help. I already got into it after some step by step that I found on a repair site. It was a bear to get at the evaporator, which was covered with ice, and took a lot of hair dryer/heat gun to get it defrosted. There was no problem at all with the drain since all the water from the ice flowed nicely to the tray underneath. The heater defroster was open. I have a new one on order. Hopefully, we didn't bend the evaporator too much and it will all be fine. Thanks for your tip on the styrofoam. I'll use some glue on the piece I broke off and cross my fingers.
Gabrielle

[applguy]

I'm impressed! Most people give up when they can't get the floor out. Usually after these units get a few years on them, the styrofoam starts falling apart and plugging up the drain. If you see any places where the foam is starting to deteriorate, you might smear a light film of silicone over it in an attempt to prevent this. They also say to clean the glass tube with alcohol to remove finger oils before reinstalling the heater. Cheers.