Temperature, noise and cooling
Why Is There Water Under the Crisper Drawers?
| What you are looking at | What it means | If it is the part |
|---|---|---|
| Frost or ice on the back wall | Meltwater runs forward under the drawers instead of down the drain | $280–$610 |
| Debris in the drain trough | Water backs up along the back wall and spills into the drawer bay below | Quoted after the diagnosis |
| Ice blocking the drain tube | Same puddle, but it returns within days of being wiped away | Quoted after the diagnosis |
| Where owners can clean it | Trough and tube are reachable only on 200, 300, 500 and 600 Series cabinets |
Water under the crispers is a drainage problem before it is a cooling one. Sub-Zero Appliance Repair Los Angeles clears the trough and checks the defrost side before calling it fixed, (310) 496-7399.
Ranges cover parts and labour on this company's own price bands; the $89 service call is separate until you approve the work, and then it is not.
- Evaporator fan
- Air duct opening
- Cabinet liner
Telling the two apart
Empty the drawers and look at the wall behind them. A film of frost, or a pane of ice low down, points at the defrost side: the water has nowhere to go but forward. A clean, dry wall with a puddle underneath points at the trough, where a scrap of lettuce and a winter of dust make a plug that the next defrost cycle simply floods over.
What we do about it
A blocked trough is cleared and flushed, and the tube is proved clear to its outlet rather than assumed clear. If the wall keeps frosting after that, the defrost circuit is measured through a cycle, because a heater that never runs and a sensor that lies both look identical from the front of the cabinet.
Two more things people ask
- Can I clear the drain myself?
- On a 200, 300, 500 or 600 Series cabinet the trough and tube come into view once the drawers are out, and those are the ones an owner may clean. On Classic, Designer, 400 and 700 Series units they are not reachable that way, so leave them to a visit.
- Is the food in the drawers still safe?
- Standing water is not a temperature fault by itself, so the contents are usually fine. Dry the bay out properly, because a wet drawer well grows a smell long before anything in it spoils. If the reading has drifted too, call (310) 496-7399.
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