What to do if your refrigerator leaks?

Leaking refrigeration or freezing compartment is an unpleasant symptom that may indicate a variety of problems. If your refrigerator is leaking, try determining reasons for failure yourself, though the best solution is to refer to the service center to get your appliance diagnosed and repaired. Water may appear in the fridge for many reasons.

Water in the fridge

 Refrigerating equipment leakages are manifested in different ways. In some cases, water accumulates under the drawers for storing vegetables at the bottom of the refrigeration compartment. In other cases, you may observe condensation on the walls. Sometimes, water appears on the bottom of the fridge and on the floor, forming puddles. Where does the excess moisture come from? After discovering a puddle on the floor, check the freezer. Often, the fridge is leaking, if there was an accident and the power went out for several hours. In this case, stocks in the freezer may partially defrost. Failure of the outlet may be the reason for the lack of power. You can check it by plugging in a desk lamp or any other small appliance. Some models require regular defrosting. If you have been using the appliance for over a year and have never defrosted it, try doing it, then wipe the walls dry and switch the refrigerator back on. In some cases, the problem disappears after this. If the water appeared in the refrigerator with No Frost system, and you can’t understand the reason for it, the best way is to avoid experimenting and immediately call the specialist of the service center. The specialist will find the malfunction much faster.

The fridge may leak only from the bottom

Water is accumulating under the refrigerator with No Frost function? Perhaps, condenser heater broke down. Another sign pointing to this type of breakdown is a so called snow “coat” on the walls of the freezer. Ice crystals are melting every time you open the freezer, water flows to the drainage system, but does not fit in the tank. When you see the bottom of your fridge leak, try to remember if there have been any changes around your kitchen recently. When you move a heave appliance, you may accidentally displace a drainage pipe or water collection tray. It is easy to adjust – you just need to look at the appropriate scheme in the user manual. Sometimes, when you try moving the device during deep cleaning, you may hear crackling noise. Be sure to check whether there is a crack in the water collection tray. If this happens, you will need to replace this part, otherwise the water will constantly appear on the floor. However, before calling the technician, talk to other family members. Perhaps, someone accidentally spilled water while taking it out of the freezer, and did not have a chance to wipe the floor before your arrival.

Causes of malfunction

You can understand why the refrigerator is leaking only if you have respective experience. Statistics of calls to the service center shows that reasons for leaking are most often limited to just a few cases:

– Clogging of the drain hole in the refrigeration chamber or freezer;

– Cracks in the container for liquids;

– Displacement of the drain tube;

– Depressurization of one or both compartments due to seal wear;

– Malfunction of the thermostat;

– Failure of the No Frost system.

In addition, the appliance leaks when the motor fully stops. In this case, the cold is not produced, and all of the frozen water turns into liquid and leaks onto the floor. Violation of the device operating procedures may also lead to appearance of water in the fridge. Manufacturers necessarily specify in the user manual that any products in containers and jars must be placed at some distance from the walls. A habit of filling the fridge shelves all the way may lead to disruption of normal air circulation, and result in appearance of condensation. Besides, it is recommended not to place into the refrigeration chamber dishes that are not fully cooled down. To determine the cause of malfunction, visual inspection is usually enough. Places where moisture accumulates may point to the reason of failure. When filling the application or talking to the technician on the telephone, remember to name the model and brand of the appliance, as well as time when the problem appeared and preceding circumstances. Some parts are very sensitive to voltage fluctuations, others to strong physical impact. If you experienced power drops in your apartment, or you have moved kitchen furniture, be sure to mention it.

If the reason is drainage system

Drainage blockage is a common cause of water in the refrigerator. To see where the drain hole is, use the scheme in the operating manual. Usually, two-chamber appliances have two holes: for refrigeration and freezer compartments. If you know how to clean the drain hole in the fridge yourself, you may avoid extra expenses on the technician. For cleaning, we recommend taking a rubber bulb with warm water and rinse the tube with a water stream under pressure. If the blockage is small, it will eliminate it, and the fridge will stop leaking. Some models are equipped with a special probe for cleaning, but its length may not be enough. In case of unsuccessful outcome, you can always call a technician for help. In case of success – you will quickly solve the problem without any financial investment.

Leaking refrigerator – what to do

Some failures may require replacement of the evaporator. This is a rather complicated procedure, and therefore, it should only be performed by experienced technicians. To ensure the level of competence, we recommend reading feedback on completed works. Another benefit in favor of the technician may be an after-repair warranty. In order to plan your expenses, ask the price of drainage system or refrigerator evaporator repair in advance. However, the most important rule is not to panic: if water accumulates in the appliance, in most cases, it is possible to repair it. In rare cases (when all of the most important units have broken down), the technician may recommend buying a new household appliance. emergency refrigerator repair nj