Why does water leak from a refrigerator

refrigerator

My Whirlpool refrigerator is leaking water. I was using the the highest setting #5. My landlord said I probably froze something behind the unit (it is not a freezer that ice builds up in and you have to defrost); he claimed that the temp should be 50F-55F. As I see it, this is not true; 35F-40F is a safe temperature. We are going to defrost the unit for 24 hrs, then adjust the setting so it is 40F degrees and see if water keeps leaking in the fridge. Does anyone have any advice for me? Does anyone know why water would be leaking in the fridge part?

Best Answer

Internally there are evaporator coils that produce the cold. Condensation will build up on them. There is a drain to the bottom. Often so little water is built up that it evaporates and you never need to empty the drain pan. That drain pipe/tube may be blocked. If the drain is blocked the water will drip into the refrigerator (by design). A fan may have gone out and the coils are iced up. Defrost the whole unit is worth a try - the drain could iced over or the tube could be iced.

A freezer with defrost cycle would not eliminate chance of a drain tube icing.