If you see a puddle of water under your refrigerator, don’t panic, most likely it is not a serious malfunction, but something you can easily fix on your own.
If your fridge keeps freezing, there’s no need to panic – the problem hasn’t touched important parts of the unit, so everything is fixed. It is much worse when a puddle on the floor is accompanied by the fact that the fridge does not work at all.
If everything works, and all you are worried about is water, then you should carefully examine your fridge and find out exactly where and how the water is removed from the fridge.
The main reasons for leaking fridge
The first thing you have to do after noticing a puddle on the kitchen’s floor — is to make sure whether it is really the fridge, that is leaking, as in most cases the water drips out of the washing machine or a dishwasher.
So if it is really the leaking fridge, this is what you need to do:
Check the condition of the fridge chamber: if it is dry, there is no puddle under the boxes for fruits and vegetables, the walls are normal (no extra ice or frost) – maybe the drainpipe is damaged, and instead of accumulating in a special bath, water flows straight to the floor.
It also occasionally happens that the water collection tank itself breaks or gets damaged. Most often, such problems occur if the refrigerator has recently been transported or moved to another place.
You can check where the water flows from simply by pushing the fridge aside. The drain tube can be easily fixed by hand, but to replace a broken tray you may need to call a professional.
Check the condition inside the freezer compartment in models with NoFrost system: if you see a large layer of frost and ice on the walls of the freezer, the evaporator heater is probably out of order and needs to be replaced.
Depending on where the water is, you can determine and eliminate the reason for the leakage.
The water is in the fridge underneath the vegetable drawers (obligatory), under the fridge (in case of long-standing clogging).
Most likely it is a clogging of the drain hole in the chamber. To fix it just take every-thing out of the chamber, wash the shelves, and clean the hole. Be careful and don’t use any sharp object not to damage the walls.
Keep the chamber clean and the problem will never appear again.
The water is in the refrigeration chamber, under the fridge, it flows under the door.
Check whether your appliance is leveled properly. The uneven surface under your device may lead to the loss of cold air inside the chamber (the doors can not be closed tightly). So the compressor starts switching on more often, trying to com-pensate for the loss of cold, and extra ice and frost appear on the walls. This ice starts melting and the draining systems can’t cope with its amount, this is when the leakage occurs.
Water under the fridge and inside the chambers.
Another possible explanation for the fridge leakage is that your device is placed in a warm place, near the battery or stove, or a hot wall. So in this case the leakage can be caused by a constant overheating. The air inside is not cold enough, so the compressor starts operating more active and the drainage system can’t cope with all the amount of melting ice.
These were the examples of the situation, where you can easily fix the problem on your own, but there are also some possible issues, where you may need professional help:
- The seal of the door is worn out and has to be replaced. If you want the gasket to last longer, make sure you open and close the door only by holding its handle. It’s also important for the seal kit to dry out.
- The liquid tank is broken. Of course, it is better to replace the damaged element, but if the crack is small, you can try to glue it carefully and keep using your device for some time.
- The heater malfunction (in fridges with NoFrost system). It’s not difficult to deter-mine — in addition to the puddle of the water under your appliance there will also be extra ice on the inner walls of the freezer. In the case of the heater breakage, you will also see the water under the vegetable sections.
From all the above it can be concluded that there are no super scary reasons that can provoke a leak from the fridge, water in the refrigerator, or freezer. Almost all cases can be solved even without the help of a professional repairman.
But the main thing is not to delay, no matter how tiny and silly the failure may be. As it is really dangerous when water gets into the electrical appliances, so try to fix the problem as soon as possible.
And do not forget that water is the number one catalyst for all the corrosion processes, and if you keep ignoring the leakage, sooner or later your device will rust or just stop working.