If you have water leaking from the top of your Whirlpool Imperial Series refrigerator, chances are good that it is the result of an ice dam in your freezer. Ice has clogged a small drain hose that is designed to move condensation out of your freezer and into a tray at the bottom of the refrigerator, where it can evaporate. When this drain is clogged with ice, the water formed by condensation is not able to go down the tube. Instead, the water leaks through openings in the bottom of the freezer into the refrigerator. If you suspect this is an issue with your Whirlpool Imperial refrigerator, you should attempt to remove the ice dam and repair the fridge. Does this Spark an idea?
Instructions
1. Pull the refrigerator out from the wall and unplug it. If you cannot do this, turn off the power at the circuit breaker box. Never work on a refrigerator that is connected to a live electrical supply.
2. Remove all food from the freezer and the refrigerator and put it into a cooler. To help preserve the food, cover with blankets and sleeping bags. Move the cooler away from the refrigerator so that you have room to work.
3. Observe the freezer compartment of your Whirlpool refrigerator. If you have an ice maker, it is on the ceiling on the left-hand side of the freezer compartment. In the center of the back wall of the freezer compartment, you will see a vertical column. At the bottom of this column you may be able to observe some ice. Note the two screws on either side of the column, several inches from the top of the freezer compartment. You may find it helpful to step up on a small stool or ladder to work on your freezer.
4. Remove your ice maker, if you have one. Make sure the valve to the ice maker is turned off. With your 1/4 CV-R socket, remove the screw holding the ice maker to the top of the freezer. You can see it on the ceiling of the freezer. You will also observe two screws on the left-hand wall. It is not necessary to remove these screws. The icemaker is attached to these screws by slots that enable you to simply lift the icemaker up to remove it. Disconnect the water hose in the back. Disconnect the wiring harness and the grounding wire. The wiring harness just pops apart in the center. The grounding wire easily disengages from the back wall of the freezer.
5. Remove the freezer shelf by lifting one side while sliding slightly to the other side. One side will pop out and then you can pull the shelf to the opposite direction to remove the prongs from the slots in the other side.
6. Remove the two screws on the back wall of the freezer compartment with the socket.
7. Lift off the back wall of the freezer compartment.
8. Observe the inner workings of your Whirlpool freezer. You will notice the freezer coils that cool your freezer. At the bottom of these coils is a narrow tray. Chances are it is covered with ice. Under this ice is a small hole, slightly to the right of the center of the back wall.
9. Remove the visible ice. Avoid using any sharp tools on the ice, because you may damage your freezer.
10. Use a hair dryer on high setting to melt any remaining visible ice. Use towels, rags or sponges to soak up water as the ice melts.
11. Find the drain hole. It should appear as a small, black circle in the bottom of the little silver tray.
12. Melt the ice from the drain tube by blowing hot air from the dryer combined with dropping hot water into the drain, using the turkey baster. When the water runs through to the bottom of the refrigerator, your drain hose is clear. If you listen carefully, you will be able to hear the water flowing down to the bottom of the refrigerator. Run a turkey baster full of hot water to be sure all of the ice has been removed from the hose. Do not put too much water down the tube or you will flood the tray under the refrigerator.
13. Wipe up any water that remains in the bottom of the freezer and around the drain hole.
14. Screw the back wall of the freezer back on, being careful to provide access to the icemaker wiring harness and water supply. Ground the icemaker to the back wall of the freezer by attaching the little clamp onto the wall.
15. Reverse the disassembly steps to reassemble the icemaker in your Whirlpool Imperial refrigerator.
16. Wipe up any remaining water in the refrigerator and any that might have spilled onto the floor.
17.Reconnect the power supply to the refrigerator by plugging the unit in or at the circuit breaker box. Return your food to your freezer and refrigerator.
Tags: back wall, back wall freezer, freezer compartment, wall freezer, your freezer, your Whirlpool
