In automatically defrosted models, water from the melting frost flows out a drain in the floor of the refrigerator and into a pan, where it evaporates. Food particles can be carried along, clogging the drain and causing odors. Clean the drain regularly by following these steps:

• Remove the stopper.
• Use a pipe cleaner or similar device to push any accumulations through to the drain pan below.
• Force a solution made from soap, ammonia, and water through the drain.
• Empty the pan and wash it.

From time to time the drain systems on some frost free refrigerators can become clogged. When this happens, cleaning water from under the crispers may become a daily task. On designs that have the freezer near the floor, you'll notice more and more ice building up. Whatever the design, this situation should be repaired as soon as possible, for if allowed to continue, more serious problems to your refrigerator cabinet could result. Problems such as wet insulation, burnt out drain trough heater, fan or light switches shorting out just to name a few.

Because of the vast number of variations of designs that have evolved over the years, how to clean out and flush your particular drain system will require a bit of innovation on your behalf. This is not a complicated procedure, and once you understand some of the general principles, how you do this will become straight forward.

The purpose of the drain system is to provide a path for the condensate water to flow by gravity from the drain trough under the freezer coils to the condensate evaporator tray. Here this water will be evaporated back into the air by heat, once the hermetic system starts up again after the defrost cycle is complete.

Note: Some newer uncommon designs don't use any fittings or tubes. The defrost drain water trickles down the back of the refrigerator section and flows down a drain underneath the crisper, which is very prone to clogging.