Fridge Leaking Water? Here Is Where It Is Coming From

You step into the kitchen barefoot and find a puddle creeping out from under the fridge. In the middle of summer, with the fridge working its hardest, leaks are one of the most common calls we get. The good news: most fridge leaks come from one of five places, and a couple of them you can fix yourself.

1. A Blocked Defrost Drain

This is the number one cause. Your fridge defrosts itself on a schedule, and the melted water runs down a small drain at the back of the fresh food or freezer compartment into a pan underneath. When that drain clogs with food debris or ice, water backs up, pools under the crisper drawers, and eventually finds its way to the floor. Try flushing the drain hole with warm water. If you see water inside the fridge before you see it on the floor, this is almost certainly your problem.

2. A Cracked or Overflowing Drain Pan

The drain pan under the fridge normally lets water evaporate harmlessly. If the pan cracks, or the fridge is running so much in summer heat that the pan overflows, you get a slow leak that seems to come from nowhere. Pull the front grille off and take a look.

3. A Loose or Frozen Water Line

If your fridge has an ice maker or water dispenser, a thin water line runs to the back of it. Connections work loose, and in some models the line freezes and splits. Pull the fridge out and inspect the line while someone dispenses water. Drips at a fitting can often be tightened. A split line needs replacing.

4. A Faulty Water Inlet Valve

The valve that feeds the ice maker and dispenser can crack or fail to seal with age. Leaks here typically appear at the lower back of the fridge. This is a proper repair job, but an inexpensive part.

5. An Unlevel Fridge

It sounds odd, but a fridge that is not level front to back cannot drain defrost water properly, and door seals may not close tightly either. Your fridge should lean back very slightly. A level and the adjustable front feet take five minutes.

Why You Should Not Wait on a Leak

Water finds floors, and floors are expensive. A slow fridge leak can warp hardwood, lift vinyl, and feed mould under the cabinet kick plates long before you notice. Compared to flooring repairs, a service call is a bargain.

Fast In-Home Fridge Repair

Al's Appliance repairs fridges and freezers in your home across Kitchener, Waterloo, Cambridge, and Guelph. We will find the leak, quote the fix honestly, and tell you straight if the fridge is not worth saving. If it is time for a replacement, our selection of new and used fridges has you covered without the big box markup.

Stop mopping and call Al's Appliance at 519-824-8828 or visit alsappliance.ca to book your repair.