Freezer Problem

[Janbuck]

Hope someone can help please. We have an American style fridge/freezer. We bought it from a local newspaper ad and for about 5 years it's worked fine. We have no manual but did download one but it doesn't address our problem. Water keeps collecting at the bottom of the freezer section and freezing. We have to keep chipping it away. There is nothing obstructing the shutting of the door, the freezer is not overfull and it is on at it's maximum temperature. It's only just started doing this and we can't understand why. My main point is this - is it something that can easily, and relatively cheaply, be mended or should we cut our losses and buy a new one?

[murraymints]

perhaps the wee drainage hole at the back is blocked ? try poking a cotton bud in to clear any obstruction

[Clanad]

As murraymints describes, there is a small drain hole (to drain the water produced by the automatic defrost function) towards the back of the bottom of the freezer, but the blockage may be deeper than the reach of a cotton bud. You can safely straighten a wire coat hangar or other wire object and gently push that into the hole. The drain tube attached to the hole drips into a wide but shallow tray under the floor of the freezer and genrally evaporates. However, overtime, remove the tray, (it should just sit in its holder unsecured) and wash it out with Clorox to disinfect it. It can produce some less than humorous scents if not cleaned...

[Janbuck]

Thanks everyone for help, will certainly check out the drain hole.