What Causes Water to Leak from a Refrigerator?

Modern refrigerators offer many conveniences: cold storage, freezer space, water, ice, a warm little nightlight, and even more.  It can be difficult, because of all of these interconnected features, to understand what causes water to leak from a refrigerator. Water leaking from a refrigerator can mean many things,  and it just takes a little detective work to understand what the cause of water leaking might be. Don’t let a little refrigerator leaking water ruin your floor, your kitchen, or your home. With this guide, you can work to diagnose the water leak problem yourself, and fix it with some helpful tips. Read on for more information. Or call us for help at ️(800)657-0765

Check First: A Blocked Refrigerator Defrost Drain

Every refrigerator is equipped with an indiscreet defrost drain tubes, which helps move water that accumulates during the defrost cycle to a built-in drain pan under the refrigerator. A blocked defrost drain is the most likely cause for any fridge leaking issues. The drain is out of the way, small, and is easily clogged by food particles, grime, or ice. When this occurs, water from the defrost cycle can’t drain properly to the pan below the fridge. If enough defrosted water accumulates, it will begin leaking from the refrigerator and onto the floor. Refer to your refrigerator instruction manual (often available online if you’ve misplaced yours) to locate your freezer defrost drain. More information about it in this article …

If the drain is blocked with ice, you can use a cloth soaked in hot water to melt the opening. If once exposed, you can see ice inside the drain line, use a cup of warm water to flush it out until it is clear. A short piece of wire (such as a guitar string, piano wire, or wire clothes hanger) can be used to remove a physical blockage, if necessary. Call us for help at ️(800)657-0765

Check Second: A Broken or Overflowing Drain Pan

As mentioned above, water from the defrost cycle drains into a pan at the bottom of the refrigerator. It is normal for water to accumulate in the pan, but the small amount of water is quickly evaporated by the action of the condenser fan blowing across its surface. There should never be enough water in the pan for it to escape, but if you have water leaking from your refrigerator, it may be from a faulty drain pan. Though this problem is rare, a drain pan can develop a crack that can cause it to leak defrost water. Refer to your instruction manual for information on how to access your drain pan, and inspect it for signs of wear and tear. If it is damaged, it should be replaced immediately to avoid further leaking or flooding.

Check Third: Ice Maker Malfunctions

The ice maker is a common cause of water leaking from a refrigerator. Usually, you’ll find water running down the hose that supplies water to the ice maker. The water line connection to the ice maker can fail, becoming loose, or the tube itself can crack and fail. This can lead to leaks that end up pooling under, around, or inside your refrigerator. Follow diagrams in your instruction manual to trace the water line and all of its connections, fittings, and valves. Be sure that the line itself is not damaged or kinked. Check valves to see if they turn freely and are working properly. Any sort of damage or wear to the line can result in leakage of water from the ice maker or related assembly. If there is damage to the water supply assembly, you can purchase easy-to-use kits that will come with all of the parts you need to replace what is broken. More information about it in this article …

Check Fourth: Water Filter Problems

If you have water leaking from a refrigerator, the water filter is a good place to check as well. In models with filtration, water commonly leaks at the place where the filter connects with the fridge.  The connection can fail and leak if the filter is installed incorrectly, if the wrong style or model of the filter is used, or if the filter is so old that the housing or seals within the filter fail. Any of these issues can result in water escaping from the filtration housing. Usually, this will be indicated by water running down and outside of the filter, into the interior of the appliance. It’s easy to check if this is the problem simply by removing and replacing the filter according to manufacturer’s specifications. Make sure that you have the proper size and model of filter for your fridge.

We hope you found this post useful and it helped you fix your fridge. For all professional repair services, contact us and we’ll come out right away. Call us for help at ️(800)657-0765