Where does this water go??? Refrigerator drain.

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PastorTravis

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Apr 25, 2009
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The picture is the back of my refrigerator from outside my motor home with the cover off. On the right side of the photo there is a white hose that empties water into the little tin cup. I guess this is condensation water but I am not sure. Where does this water go when the little cup fills up? I don't see a drain of any kind on it??

 

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It evaporates from the heat of your refrigerator.  The other end of the hose goes to the tray under the fins inside your refrigerator.
 
Yep.  That is why it is located where it is.  Next to the heat stack vent line.  Notice the insulation.  It will build up if you turn off your fridge and then the fins defrost and fill the cup.
 
On home style refrigerators that drain line goes to a pan located on the compressor motor.  Same principle - the motor heat evaporates the water faster than it can condense on the cooling fins.
 
My old trailer was the same.  My new one does not have a drip tray, so I routed the drain hose through the vent holes of the access panel so it drips outside rather than inside.
 
Okay, makes sense to me I guess. I have a leak near there and am trying to track down the culprit. Thanks for the input.
 
Our Endeavor drains it outside, via a drain tube from the defrost tray. Love it!
 
Now a days I believe they all have the drain hose outside to drip outside.
 
Norcold fridges generally uses the rain cup or pan, while most Dometics do not. And RV manufacturers (or dealers) often do not put the Dometic drain tube outside (looks ugly), so the water runs down inside somewhere.
 
56kz2slow said:
My new one does not have a drip tray, so I routed the drain hose through the vent holes of the access panel so it drips outside rather than inside.

Same with mine, the drain hose was just sitting there in the compartment around a bunch of wiring and such.  :p  I ran it into the rail that the louvered door latches onto, so at least any water is contained there and evaporates or (hopefully) drains out the bottom crack of the cover.  My fridge is a Dometic so Gary's explanation is right on with my setup.
 
I have a Dometic, as Gary explailned, no drip pan. the hose goes through the vent so the water drips, drips, drips, on the ground.

When I got the rig, (NEW) the hose was inside the compartment.  I read the manual and moved it (I read everything, even owner's manuals)

When I had the Dometic Recall done.. First thing I checked even before opening the door and driving off the lot was.. ... The drip hose.. Yup, it was inside again.

I moved it out again.

I spoke with the dealership later and commented on this "We always put them outside"

Sure they do...
 
On my 2 Dometics, the drip hoses bridge together in the rear compartment of one of them. A single tube is then fed down and out the bottom to drip on the ground. In the end of the hose outside, there is a plastic screen-like piece which stops little critters from entering the trailer. This does have to be removed from time to time and be cleaned or else the water will back up and not drain.

We do pour hot water down from inside the fridges from time to time to insure the drains are working as they should just as we do at home.
 
Alfa38User said:
On my 2 Dometics, the drip hoses bridge together in the rear compartment of one of them. A single tube is then fed down and out the bottom to drip on the ground. In the end of the hose outside, there is a plastic screen-like piece which stops little critters from entering the trailer. This does have to be removed from time to time and be cleaned or else the water will back up and not drain.

We do pour hot water down from inside the fridges from time to time to insure the drains are working as they should just as we do at home.

We had been having trouble with water on the bottom of fridge and getting on our coach floor when traveling.  Traced it to the pan under the fins being full because the "screen" (on ours it's a black plastic plug looking thingy) at the end of the hose had become plugged.  When I removed it a great deal of water poured out. Problem now solved and cleaning this little guy is now on my list when I defrost the freezer.
 
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