Leaking fridge help

[scoutabout]

Our fridge is a no frills GE unit -- probably of early 1990s vintage (came with the early 1990s vintage house...).​

Anyway, last coupla weeks we've come down in the morning to find a great bloodly puddle on the kitchen floor under the door. My first thought was the door seal is going (and it is, somewhat) which was letting warm air in, which was condensing on the bottom side of the freezer, creating water which in turn ran down the inside of the fridge and out the aging seal.​

Then I remembered reading something about how auto defrosting fridges actually have a heating element that turns on periodically, thaws built up ice and drains the water into the back somewhere.​

Anyway, I can see a drain tube inside the fridge running from the freezer down to a little funnel kind of thing which heads out the rear of the fridge. Thinking this might be clogged I gently ran some wire in there but felt no obstructions.​

Can anyone narrow this down for me? I was figuring more on the clogged drain side as the flooding and leaking happens only every 24 hours or so versus what I'd assume would be constant leaking if the door seal was no good.​

(whew -- that's the most I ever thought I'd be typing about fridges in one lifetime.... )​

 

[DJ]

Re: Leaking fridge help

That little drain goes down to an evaporation pan.

Is the pan rusted out?

 

[scoutabout]

Re: Leaking fridge help

Thanks for the idea DJ. Where's the pan -- under the fridge? I'll have to check that out. Water always seems to be out front of the fridge starting at the door seal.

 

[ob]

Re: Leaking fridge help

Ours has plugged up a few times.Same vintage , but Whirlpool.Try running some very hot water down the spout using a measuring cup or funnel.Pour slowly and verify that the line drains freely into the pan.My pan is located under the fridge.Just have to remove the lower front panel to access.

 

[oops!]

Re: Leaking fridge help

sorry scout...i didnt see this post...

i dont uasually hang here....gonna hafta come to this one more often...

dj is correct....the tube goes to a pan that is located either under your compressor...or under your fridge....

if the pan is under the compressor and water is leaking.. the pan is rusted...no biggie..just add a plastic liner of some..(any) ,,kind.

if the pan is under the fridge....(pull down the kick plate below your door)..and have a look....just empty it...its probably just overflowing

the pan might actually be ontop of the compressor held on by wires...(im really tired and cant remember if its whirlpool that does that or not..ge has several different ways)

just follow the tube down.

all frost free fridges have a heating element that comes on every 12 hours (approx) and melts ice on the evaporator...the water then drains to a a small cup in the back at the top of the fridge part...the water then traveles down the tube and into a evaporation pan somewhere around the compressor...if your fridge is leaking water around that area you know its working properly...

....if your pan is damaged beond repair...a pie plate will work....

cheers
oops

 

[SS MAYFLOAT]

Re: Leaking fridge help

A bad/torn door seal will also allow an excess of humid air to collect on the evap coil. Sometimes when this happens it can overfill the drain pan due to the excess frost on the coil.

When I had my oldest daughter and kids living here, I had a similar problem. However it was due to the grandkids getting in an out of the freezer ever few minuets (popcicles). After they were told to leave the door shut and to stay out unless they have pemission, the problem went away.

Also some of the drain pans are made of plastic. After a period of time of the excess heat from the condenser/compresson, it gets brittle and will crack.

 

[Caveman Charlie]

Re: Leaking fridge help

If I don't remove and clean my pan every so often. Especially in the spring. It will start to grow mold and other things and smell really bad.

 

[Solittle]

Re: Leaking fridge help

Good idea to vacume the dust & stuff out from the coils at the bottom if a side by side unit.

 

[rwise]

Re: Leaking fridge help

The fridge I had last started doing exactly this, wetting its self, I gave it away and got a new one. Not much longer they told me the compressor had went out and I thought it was the ice maker leaking! :redface:

 

[ThumbPkr]

Re: Leaking fridge help

If the plastic drain pan is cracked you can line it with tinfoil.
Since it does not have water/icemaker etc. there is not too much to go wrong.As mentioned before,take the time to clean it well while you have it opened up,it will cool better and run less/last longer.Ron G

 

[Caveman Charlie]

Re: Leaking fridge help

I agree with a good cleaning. Suck all the dirt off the coil under there. (It looks like a little radiator) My sister had a fridge die on here because that coil got to dirty and it over heated.

 

[arboldt]

Re: Leaking fridge help

Most of the time, the evaporator, self-defrost mechanism, and drain pan are the problem. The freezer defrost drains through a tube to the drain pan. Once in a great while there can be an issue in the fridge itself. If you've had spills, etc there is often another drain from the bottom of the refigerator directly to the drain pan that can get clogged. Remove any crisper drawers and check the bottom of the fridge, then clean out any drain hole. Not usually an issue, but check it while you're at it.