Repairing a leaking refrigerator is not much complicated and can be done easily. Leaking water out of the refrigerator can reduce its efficiency. So, the food can't be cooled down properly. It can also damage the kitchen floor and make you slip. So, it's better to repair this refrigerator problem as soon as possible. Here we are going to teach you 5 probable reasons for water leaking out of the fridge and the ways to repair the refrigerator.
Warning: before starting any refrigerator repair or service operations, unplug it to protect yourself and also the appliance.
Repairing refrigerator leaking water by replacing the drain pan
- Remove the refrigerator grill at the bottom. In some refrigerator models, there are some screws to be removed. The drain pan in some refrigerators is located at the back, next to the compressor. So, you should open the back panel of the fridge to access it.
- Slide out the drain pan. It is usually in the shape of a square or rectangle around 25×25×5 cm in size. The pan is probably full of water. So draw it out slowly and look for any holes or cracks.
- Replace the drain pan to repair your refrigerator leaking problem.
Tip: the drain pan contains the condensation water from the refrigerator. But if the fridge works properly, the water should be evaporated by the compressor heat before filling the pan and cause refrigerator leaking
Repairing refrigerator leaking by leveling the appliance
- Simply use a spirit level tool to check your refrigerator leveling. Put the tool on top of the refrigerator and also on the fridge interior floor. Pull out the drawers if necessary.
- Refrigerator should be lean back slightly. The back of the fridge should be about 1 cm lower than the front part in order for the better water draining and also the door to be closed completely.
- In order to repair your fridge and solve the refrigerator leaking problem, remove the appliance bottom grille.
- Use a screwdriver to turn the adjustable legs and adjust the fridge height. Turning the legs clockwise will shorten them, and turning them counterclockwise will lengthen the legs. Adjusting both front legs is usually enough and there is no need to adjust the back ones.
Tip: if you want the fridge to be properly declined backward, the level lines of the spirit level should be located at the middle of the bubble.
Note: if it is necessary to adjust the back legs too, unplug the appliance and ask somebody to slide the refrigerator. So, you can access the back legs. Adjust them just like the front ones.
Repairing refrigerator leaking water by cleaning the drain line
- The drain line is usually located at the back wall of the freezer, behind the interior drawers. Move the food items blocking the air flow to this line.
- If the drain line is clogged, first unplug the refrigerator and use a mixture of hot water and baking soda (one teaspoon baking soda and two cups of water) to open it. If the drain line is frozen, just pour some hot water on it to melt.
- Clean the drain line and replace it if necessary. Ask an expert to help you with this stage which is a little more complicated. In this way, the refrigerator leaking is repaired.
Tip: drain line in frost-free refrigerators leads the water of the ice on evaporator coils melting to the drain pan. If the line is clogged, the result will be refrigerator leaking.
Note: if it is needed to access the drain line to unclog it, be careful not to confuse it with the refrigerator water supply line at the back of the fridge. Drain line runs to the bottom of the appliance.
Repairing the refrigerator leaking water by repairing the water supply line
- Unplug the refrigerator and pull it away from the wall
- Examine the water supply lines at the back of the fridge. If your refrigerator is equipped with an ice maker, there will be more lines. Look for any hole, crack or any other damage on the lines.
- Use a wrench to tighten the connection points.
- Replace the lines if necessary to solve the refrigerator leaking problem and repair your fridge.
Note: if the fridge door is closed, the food will be in an appropriate temperature for 4 hours and the food in the freezer is safe for 24-hours.
Tip: some refrigerator water supply lines are made of flexible plastic or in some cases braided metal.
Repairing refrigerator leaking water by replacing the door gasket
- If the refrigerator door gasket is faulty, the humid air enters the fridge chamber. So, condensation process increases and extra water drops are produced and consequently leads to refrigerator leaking water.
- Unplug the refrigerator and remove the door gasket. In some refrigerators, there are some screws holding the gasket. Just loosen them and pull out the gasket.
- In order to install the new gasket, start from a corner. When the gasket is in place, tighten the screws if there is any.
Note: in some new refrigerator models, there is no screw. Just pull the gasket out and replace it by a slight push.
Tip: before placing the new gasket, let it stay in hot water for some minutes for ease of installation.
What we talked about here were 5 main reasons of refrigerator leaking water and the ways to repair this fridge problem. If you need more information about refrigerator function and repair, watch refrigerator training course in HelloTechnic website. Our experts will teach you everything about refrigerator installation, service, troubleshooting and repair through films and animations.
