The walk-in freezer drain line heater helps keep your drain pan dry and the drain line clear of ice. In order for it to work, it has to go through a defrost cycle first. If a walk-in freezer’s drain is frozen, what is the best way to deal with the situation?
Replace a malfunctioning drain line heater wire or condensate pan heater to prevent things from freezing up. Ice on the drain line indicates that the heater needs to be replaced.
There must be heat tape and insulation on the condensate drain of a walk in freezer drain line heater that extends to the frying pan. Make sure the tape is warm when it freezes by connecting it to the fan’s power supply. After the defrost, any extra water can be drained away in this manner.
A defrost timer and a defrost element work together to avoid your refrigerator’s pipes from being clogged with too much ice, while the drain system components keep everything running smoothly. Refrigerator drain heaters can be found in a wide variety of forms, from simple heaters to more elaborate systems.
Typically, the wrap is wrapped around the outside of the drain pipe. You can either run the tape to a receptacle located on the box or hard-wire it into the defrost timer to run it constantly except when the freezer is defrosting.
When I’ve seen walk-in freezer drain lines, the heating cable is usually on the outside. Dispose of that PVC pipe. In addition, the pipe is likely fractured and damaged by now due to the plastic being an insulator and preventing the heating cable from doing its job efficiently. I don’t like seeing PVC pipes used in coolers either because I believe they clog up more frequently than copper pipes.
Running the drain down 3/4 of a turn is what I normally do with enough pitch, I.D. copper and heating cable, and aluminum tape every few feet to maintain the cable in excellent contact with the pipe. Armaflex insulation is applied to wrap the entire thing. They should always have power. A timer controls both the defrost heaters and the condensate pan heater, allowing them to come on and go off at the same time.
Ways to Prevent Frozen Drain Line Heater
- Drain line heater wire should be wrapped around the exterior, as has been largely emphasized. When using electrical tape, use it to guarantee that it doesn’t touch itself (it can burn out if it does). Armaflex can also be used to protect the electrical tape from itself.
- A 208/230V heat tape should be connected to (1) and (N) on the time clock if at all possible.
- If possible, the drain should be copper, sloping, and without a trap in the freezer. If this is not the case, then a trap is required. As a result, no air is drawn into the container.
- If the drain pan is properly wired, there should be no condensate in it unless the coil is defrosting, which is why the time clock should be wired to (3) and (N) from the time clock.
Your walk-in freezer’s drain line heater wiring diagram should always be checked because the terminals might be used with various types of refrigeration equipment.
Some of the walk in freezer drain line heaters can be used on any model, but others can only be used with specific brands and models. When it comes down to it, fridge defrosting and drain system items are low-cost components that will come in helpful during routine maintenance.
