Is your refrigerator leaking? If it is, you can probably correct the problem yourself and that’s mostly what this article is about. If our suggestions don’t work, the leak could be due to a plumbing problem, which we have solutions for too!
The most common reason for refrigerator leaks is a clogged defrost drain. To understand that, you have to understand a bit about refrigerators; knowledge that will serve you well because it’s a good parallel for how air conditioners work. The main component you need to know about is the evaporator coil. This part of your refrigerator and freezer is what’s responsible for cooling things; hot air passes over the coil which contains very cold refrigerant that absorbs the heat. These coils are so cold, however, that ice can form on them.
When ice forms on the coils, they need to be defrosted; if they don’t, they’d become clogged with ice crystals and are inefficient at removing heat from your unit. Defrosting is a simple process; the coils are heated which causes the ice on them to melt. Water then flows from the coil to a drain which drops the water into a defrost tray. When that drain is clogged, the water has nowhere to go, so it can end up on the outside of your refrigerator. Fortunately, you can unclog this fairly easily with a small plumbing snake – just be sure to disconnect your refrigerator before using the snake!
A second reason, related to the first, is that the drain pan you have might be cracked. Normally, the water in the drain pan evaporates quite quickly; that’s because there’s rarely a lot of water in there and the heat that passes over it is enough to dry the pan out. When there’s a crack in the pan, however, water can leak out of it and onto your floor. Simply replace the drain pan and you’re good to go!
A third reason can be found on some of the more modern fridges – those with ice makers and water dispensers. These refrigerators require a water line to function and if this water line is leaking or not properly sealed, you’ll end up with water pooling around (or near) your refrigerator. There are times that you’ll be able to replace the water line yourself and other times where you may need our assistance.
We offer residential plumbing in Winnipeg so when you have a leak that you can’t fix, give us a call. We’ll find out what’s causing the leak and get it fixed. We will then offer you advice on how you can prevent similar leaks in the future. That’s our holistic approach to plumbing and we’re more than happy to bring it to you.
