I used to clean homes when I was young. EVERY SINGLE refrigerator had an easily accessible drip pan behind the kick plate that was part of regular cleaning. Took me less than 3 minutes. This design seems meant to dissuade consumers from maintaining. I'll definitely be checking for this when I buy my next fridge.
This has to be the most annoying method of removing a simple plastic evaporator tray in the history of refrigerator designs. The guy who designed this should get an an award. I had to buy a new one because I completely lost it trying to get the bastard out from the front of my Kitchenaid refrigerator, the exact same one as in this video. The front opening is too narrow because of the filter housing and it is a pain to roll the refrigerator out because it is lower than the height of my kitchen tile floor.
Either I have missed something or this is insanely difficult to do normal cleaning. I had a heck of a time getting that front guard off to clean it and now I can't get it all the way back on. It doesn't need repair. I didn't even try to get at the drip pan. Frustrating!
Thanks for the video but on another video from a diff company they didnt remove the water line. Hopefully that works for me too. Otherwise I am going to town haha. Subbed and liked!
Lemme tell you something, Whirlpool: If I had known that my fridge came equipped with a hidden oasis for thirsty insects that no doubt doubles as a swampy graveyard I would not have bought it. I can barely see the tray under mine. I can make out that it is coated with something brown and rough. Hazelnut husks or cast-off cockroach carapaces? Why don't you have a look and let me know. Another thing: unlike those described in manuals and shown in exploded drawings, the lowest hinges must be removed and the doors pulled away from the appliance before the panel that prevents access to the drain pan can be removed. Fantastic. And the inaccessible coils? Those undulating out-of-reach structures that lie beneath a half-inch layer of a grey felt-like material composed of dryer lint and dog hair - I hope? Thanks for leaving any mention of those out of the manual. I like high power bills and nasty surprises. P.S. Fellow youtubers: don't undertake this repair unless you have the replacement tray in hand. It seems you cannot buy a new one for love or money.
Can't you simply cut the tape in the back without removing the parts if you use a one-sided razor blade. Seems like a lot of work in the back of fridge just to cut the tape
@@MrAerialsoundyou can, however, then you’d have to disconnect the water hoses to the water filter hosing in the front to get it out of the way enough to pull the tray out. I was wondering the same thing and being lazy I did not disconnect the water inlet valve in the back first. Then I understood why he did that. My frig is very hard to pull out and even harder to turn/twist to the side so I can suck in and squeeze through the tiny space to get behind it.
Why you must disconnect the water tube before move to the front side? Is it because you can't take out the filter and move aside if you don't disconnect the water tube? Thanks.
That tape is sometimes called strapping tape, used for taping packages for mailing. Any tape - duct tape or something like Gorilla Tape - can be used. The main question is why the manufacturer relies on something that crude to hold a piece of the appliance in place long term. Likewise for those cardboard access covers. Really?
Poor design on WP's part. Not user friendly at all. The pan gets nasty and smelly. My parents and I both have the "same" fridge with the same problem. At least theirs doesn't have the filter in the front. And the coil design under the fridge section are impossible to clean properly. Planned obsolescence.
This is the height of stupidity. The purpose of the evaporator tray is to catch the water so as to avoid water on the floor. In order to dispose of the water in the evaporator tray it must be removed. In order to remove the evaporator tray from the refrigerator the tray must be tilted at which point the water spills onto the floor. It baffles the mind to think that a manufactures design team comprised of educated, salaried adults would conscientiously produce such an aberration. Access to the drain pan should not involve having to remove fasteners, water lines & inline water filters. Idiots is the first word that comes to mind. P.S. did you notice in the video that there wasn't any water in the tray?
micheal, your tray should always be dry when you check it. it gets wet when the fridge goes through a periodic defrost cycle: fridge temp goes up, slowly melts any frost buildup, water from frost drains into the tray, fan blows across the wet tray and the water evaporates the slowly accumulating water from the slow melting frost. if your tray is wet then your fan might be broken or your system is truely on its last legs with way too much frost accumulating. in short, the evaporator try evaporates all the wetness from a defrost cycle. next time consult an educated salaried adult. puuuuleeeeeeez!
@@bbq5727 How about Kitchenaid design the refrigerator so the evaporator tray is easily removed from the front instead of going through this insane procedure? Next time have the designer consult a human being.
That depends on the shape it's in. If it's just dirty, you can clean it, but if it's cracked, it's better to replace it so it doesn't leak on your floor.
I used to clean homes when I was young. EVERY SINGLE refrigerator had an easily accessible drip pan behind the kick plate that was part of regular cleaning. Took me less than 3 minutes. This design seems meant to dissuade consumers from maintaining. I'll definitely be checking for this when I buy my next fridge.
Spot on video! Thank you very much!!
This has to be the most annoying method of removing a simple plastic evaporator tray in the history of refrigerator designs. The guy who designed this should get an an award. I had to buy a new one because I completely lost it trying to get the bastard out from the front of my Kitchenaid refrigerator, the exact same one as in this video. The front opening is too narrow because of the filter housing and it is a pain to roll the refrigerator out because it is lower than the height of my kitchen tile floor.
Either I have missed something or this is insanely difficult to do normal cleaning. I had a heck of a time getting that front guard off to clean it and now I can't get it all the way back on. It doesn't need repair. I didn't even try to get at the drip pan. Frustrating!
Thanks for the video but on another video from a diff company they didnt remove the water line. Hopefully that works for me too. Otherwise I am going to town haha. Subbed and liked!
Very thorough and good. Thank you.
Lemme tell you something, Whirlpool: If I had known that my fridge came equipped with a hidden oasis for thirsty insects that no doubt doubles as a swampy graveyard I would not have bought it. I can barely see the tray under mine. I can make out that it is coated with something brown and rough. Hazelnut husks or cast-off cockroach carapaces? Why don't you have a look and let me know. Another thing: unlike those described in manuals and shown in exploded drawings, the lowest hinges must be removed and the doors pulled away from the appliance before the panel that prevents access to the drain pan can be removed. Fantastic. And the inaccessible coils? Those undulating out-of-reach structures that lie beneath a half-inch layer of a grey felt-like material composed of dryer lint and dog hair - I hope? Thanks for leaving any mention of those out of the manual. I like high power bills and nasty surprises.
P.S. Fellow youtubers: don't undertake this repair unless you have the replacement tray in hand. It seems you cannot buy a new one for love or money.
Can't you simply cut the tape in the back without removing the parts if you use a one-sided razor blade. Seems like a lot of work in the back of fridge just to cut the tape
@@MrAerialsound did you ever figure this out?
My evaporator tray doubles as a great watering trough for the mice behind my walls.
@@MrAerialsoundyou can, however, then you’d have to disconnect the water hoses to the water filter hosing in the front to get it out of the way enough to pull the tray out.
I was wondering the same thing and being lazy I did not disconnect the water inlet valve in the back first. Then I understood why he did that. My frig is very hard to pull out and even harder to turn/twist to the side so I can suck in and squeeze through the tiny space to get behind it.
Why you must disconnect the water tube before move to the front side? Is it because you can't take out the filter and move aside if you don't disconnect the water tube? Thanks.
It is to prevent water from leaking.
@@appliancepartspros many thanks.
You're welcome!
Where do I get the tape that holds the tray in place?
That tape is sometimes called strapping tape, used for taping packages for mailing. Any tape - duct tape or something like Gorilla Tape - can be used. The main question is why the manufacturer relies on something that crude to hold a piece of the appliance in place long term. Likewise for those cardboard access covers. Really?
@@thardyryll LOL, exactly! I used duct tape...
I bought a roll of the official tape from Kitchenaid that should last me close to 1000 years of refrigerator evaporator tray maintenance. Not.
Poor design on WP's part. Not user friendly at all. The pan gets nasty and smelly. My parents and I both have the "same" fridge with the same problem. At least theirs doesn't have the filter in the front. And the coil design under the fridge section are impossible to clean properly. Planned obsolescence.
Why remove parts from the rear. If you are removing the tray from the front ?
Because it was designed by an award-winning refrigerator design guy.
does it have to be taped down?
It is a recommended part of the repair to keep the tray in place.
Thanks.
No. I put a brick in mine when I replaced it.
No water filter on my 25 year old Kenmore elite side by side fridge.
My evaporator tray does not have to be replaced ... it holds lots of water .... why isn’t water evaporating from tray?
Did you ever find out why? That's the same problem I'm having
This is the height of stupidity. The purpose of the evaporator tray is to catch the water so as to avoid water on the floor. In order to dispose of the water in the evaporator tray it must be removed. In order to remove the evaporator tray from the refrigerator the tray must be tilted at which point the water spills onto the floor. It baffles the mind to think that a manufactures design team comprised of educated, salaried adults would conscientiously produce such an aberration. Access to the drain pan should not involve having to remove fasteners, water lines & inline water filters. Idiots is the first word that comes to mind. P.S. did you notice in the video that there wasn't any water in the tray?
micheal, your tray should always be dry when you check it. it gets wet when the fridge goes through a periodic defrost cycle: fridge temp goes up, slowly melts any frost buildup, water from frost drains into the tray, fan blows across the wet tray and the water evaporates the slowly accumulating water from the slow melting frost. if your tray is wet then your fan might be broken or your system is truely on its last legs with way too much frost accumulating. in short, the evaporator try evaporates all the wetness from a defrost cycle. next time consult an educated salaried adult. puuuuleeeeeeez!
@@bbq5727 How about Kitchenaid design the refrigerator so the evaporator tray is easily removed from the front instead of going through this insane procedure? Next time have the designer consult a human being.
does it have to be replaced? can i just clean the old one and reuse it?
That depends on the shape it's in. If it's just dirty, you can clean it, but if it's cracked, it's better to replace it so it doesn't leak on your floor.