The 4 Most Common Causes of Refrigerator Water Leaks
The fridge is leaking. Can you DIY the repair?
Like most people, you take your fridge for granted. You open the door, help yourself to a snack, and close the door again, repeating the exercise several times throughout the day.
The refrigerator is the one appliance you never have to think about. Ol’ reliable. It never occurs to you that your comfortable routine might be interrupted until the time you reach for a midnight snack and find yourself standing barefoot in a cool puddle of…
Let’s hope it’s water.
Or, reconsidering, let’s hope it’s NOT water because if it is, what THEN?
Fortunately, not all refrigerator repairs cost an arm and a leg. And you can do a few simple repairs DIY if you know where to look.
For anything more complicated than a DIY repair, contact West Coast Chief. We offer free estimates, same-day service, and we guarantee every job we perform.
If your old refrigerator has come to the end of its life, and it makes more sense to replace that fridge than to repair it, we’ll give you an honest assessment. We’ll sell you a new energy-efficient refrigerator and haul the leaky old appliance to its final resting place.
Trouble-Shooting a Leaky Refrigerator
Don’t delay. Water can find its way into nooks and crannies and do plenty of damage on the way. It’s far cheaper to repair a leaky refrigerator than to replace a kitchen floor.
Here’s where to start.
1) Your Water Filter Is Leaking
If your fridge has a water filter, this might be the source of your leak. Maybe the connection to the filter has come loose. Or maybe someone installed a filter that’s too small, or the filter is old and cracked and in need of replacement.
Replacing the water filter is a DIY repair if you’re handy with a wrench. But if you don’t trust yourself to do this sort of troubleshooting, call us at West Coast Chief Repair.
We’ll pinpoint the source of the leak — or sources, since there may be more than one water leak — and replace your filter, if necessary. In most cases, we’ll have the parts for the repair already with us.
2) The Defrost Drain Is Blocked
The defrost drain collects condensation from the freezer’s refrigeration lines.
Water in the defrost pan should evaporate between your refrigerator’s regular, automatic defrost cycles. That’s how it should work.
But if the defrost drain is clogged, water will back up into the freezer and down into the fridge. Eventually, it will pool on your floor.
Food particles may be clogging the drain, in which case you can flush the drain with hot water and clear it with a small brush. Even an old toothbrush will do.
3) The Refrigerator Drain Pan Is Cracked
Water from the defrost drain empties into the defrost pan at the bottom of your fridge. Usually, this water evaporates before it can spill over.
If the pan is cracked or split, water will leak onto the floor before it evaporates. And from the floor, it will continue to evaporate!
A small leak may go unnoticed for years. But even small leaks can present a safety hazard and damage your kitchen floor.
Call us if you’re unsure how to inspect or replace the drain pan.
4) Your Ice Maker Connections Are Loose
Most refrigerators come with a built-in ice maker. How convenient! Ice at the touch of a button!
That modern convenience becomes eminently inconvenient when it leads to a water leak.
Ice makers are connected to water lines. Connectors and water lines can crack or wear with age.
It’s easy enough to spot the problem. Just examine the ice maker’s water line and connectors to see if they’re in good condition.
Call West Coast Chief to Fix Your Leaky Fridge: 888-832-3599
- We have decades of experience repairing refrigerators.
- We can make your fridge leak-free in no time.
- All of our services are guaranteed.
- If you call us before noon, the odds are good we can do a same-day repair!
- All estimates are free.
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