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How to Unclog a Refrigerator Drain in a Magic Chef Refrigerator

Dale Yalanovsky

All refrigerators have some type of drain system which purges regular condensation from the unit. In most cases, it is a simple drain hole with an attached hose that runs along the back of the refrigerator and empties into a drain pan. These simple drains usually work flawlessly through the life of your appliance.

However there are times when, ice, food particles or a piece of debris will clog up the drain or the tube, and leakage will occur inside of your refrigerator or freezer.

Using a Turkey Baster

  1. Unplug the refrigerator and then locate the drain hole which is usually found at the back of the unit.

  2. Pull out the basket and look for the drain hole. Some refrigerators like Magic Chef have drains located behind the bottom basket in of freezer.

  3. Remove any ice that is blocking the hole with a hair dryer.

  4. Snap off the panel covering the plastic funnel tray used on some refrigerator models. This panel snaps off to reveal the drain tube. If the drain tube is covered with ice, thaw it out using your hair dryer.

  5. Inspect the top of the drain tube for any debris that may be blocking it. Remove debris if there is any present.

  6. Fill a regular turkey baster with hot water and squirt it down the drain tube. The heat and force of the water should unblock the tube and drain out into the pan. If that occurs, replace the snap on cover, put back in the freezer basket, and then plug in the refrigerator. If none or very little water has drained into the pan, there is still blockage. Go to the next section.

Speaker Wire as a Snake

  1. Grab a length of speaker wire that is as long as the refrigerator to unblock a drain hole that is still blocked.

  2. Using this wire like a drain snake, carefully insert it down the drain tube using an up and down movement.

  3. Thread it in fully all the way down to the drain pan. This will positively remove any remaining blockage including food and stuck on paper. Once it reaches down to the pan, pull your snake out of the drain hole, fill your turkey baster with water, and squirt it down the tube. It should drain out quickly and easily.

  4. Replace the snap on cover, put back in the freezer basket, plug in the refrigerator, and you are all set.

Tip

Virtually any flexible plastic coated wire will work as a snake. Speaker wire is preferable because there is no plug on either end.