Frigidare French door refrigerator ice build up and damage to dry wall

Hi,

The refrigerant that is pumped through the system, changes to a freezing cold gas (at least 0°F) inside the evaporator unit, inside the freezer compartment (behind a panel at the back) to produce the necessary cold temperatures in both compartments. If there is a blockage in the sealed system at this point you can get an ice buildup on the outside of the pipes leading into the evaporator unit from the condenser coils (near the compressor), eventually pushing its way out through the pipe's access point.

The ice comes from the moisture in the air condensing on the pipes and then freezing. This builds up over time as you are unaware of it if the refrigerator temps remain within their normal operating range.

Usually what happens with a blockage in the system is you notice problems with either the refrigerator compartment being too warm and also sometimes the freezer compartment being too warm as well.

One way to keep a check in the future is to once a year, pull out the refrigerator so that you can vacuum the dust build up off the condenser coils under the compartments at the back of the cabinet. This will maintain the efficiency of the cooling system as the condenser coils will release the heat absorbed by the refrigerant in the refrigerator as it passes through the evaporator unit, more quickly rather than it being trapped by the dust. That way you can also check the cabinet over for any obvious problems before it becomes a real problem. Turn the refrigerator off and disconnect the power before moving it as there is AC voltage in proximity in the back of the cabinet