Fridge Leaking Emergency

[stark]

Because I'm leaving town tomorrow. Stuff always happens when you're least capable of handling it.

Water's appearing on the floor beneath a side-by-side self-defrosting fridge. Looks like there's a small ice accumulation on the bottom inside the freezer. Maybe a half to three-quarters of a cup every five or six hours. Home air conditioning's on, but it's warmer than it's been. What's going on? Can I put some towels on the floor and leave it for a couple of days? Temps appear to be holding on both sides of the fridge.

[mm]

You'd be least capable if you were leaving yesterday. :)

By a couple, do you mean two?

What kind of floor do you have?

If the floor is invulnerable, such as sheet vinyl linoleum, I would put a whole roll or two of towels on the floor, or better yet, stacks of old newspapers where the water lands and the surrounding area.

I used to think ceramic tile was invulnerable to water, but here I heard that the grout is always water permeable. I really don't know.

I don't know much, but do you have a friend or neighbor who could look in every day for the first couple days, and every couple days if it's not so bad. Or who could mop it up?

My next door neighbor used to have a key to my place, but they moved. I had to go 2/3rds of a mile away to find someone I trusted enough to have a key.

[stark]

Thanks. Floor's linoleum. I'll try towels for two days.

[Richard J Kinch]

Defrost drain tube is clogged or covered up by something.

[mm]

I should have asked what time you are leaving, and if you are driving or taking a plane. If driving, you could start defrosting now, stay an extra hour and put things back like Richard is suggesting.

[stark]

Thanks. I'll work on it before I go.

[TOD]

I'd shove some concrete blocks or pieces of railroad ties under it so a large flat pan will fit underneath. Then direct a fan at the pan to evaporate the water. Half a cup every 6 hours is 2 cups in a day (one pint), so in 4 days you'll have a half gallon of water. A fan will eliminate most of that excess. If you are really hi-tech, you could put a small pump in the pan and have it on a timer to pump the water into a sink or drain. Another option would be to take the fridge outside on the lawn and plug it in out there. The lawn needs water anyhow. Last but not least, buy a new fridge and tell them to deliver it yesterday.

Actually there is yet one more option. Cut a large hole in the floor under the fridge (2 to 3 feet in diameter) and let the water drip into a pail in the basement (assuming you live on the first floor). Then attach a hose to the pail to direct the flow into a sump pump.

[stark]

Thanks, Snow. My saw blades were handling the railroad ties until I hit a couple of spikes. Wow! You should have seen the sparks. It was so spectacular that I forgot my wife was holding up the fridge. She would have kept holding it but the door swung open and all our SPAM fell out. Jeez!

[Norminn]

We just had the same thing going on ...... wish I could remember the parts cleaned by the repair guy. Defrost drain frozen over and plugged? I think that was it...water accumulated during defrost and ran out bottom of the door. Old, seals not in great shape.

[Norminn]

We ahd little puddles now and then .. to rhyme or reason, and I thought maybe we were dropping ice cubes and not noticing. Repair guy said it would appear when the defrost cycled on, about every 8 hours or so.

[mm]

So you're back after 2 days. How's your floor? How's your fridge?

[stark]

It's fine. The defrosting drop pan was solid ice and melting over the frame, escaping through the closed door. I removed the ice, but do not notice a drain. I'm guessing that it's supposed to evaporate, or I should check it at least yearly and remove any ice accumulation myself.

Yes I'm back, by the grace of some higher power. Driving to and from a rural south central Arkansas location I encountered continual evil rain, made worse by wall-to-wall semis trying to maintain 70 mph and creating enough spray and mist to blind a shark. Pulling onto the shoulder of an Arkansas freeway is instant death so I stayed between the semis and prayed. Tween the fridge and rain I've had enough of water for a while. Wish it would go West where they need some.

[stark]

Yeap. But my defrost drip pan doesn't seem to have a drain. I think mine's supposed to evaporate, from the heat created below the fridge. If that's not the case I'll just check periodically and remove any ice accumulation myself.

[Weatherlawyer]

Sop it out with paper towel and then drop a small amount of thick bleach in the collector if you can't run a pipe cleaner or something, through it. The cooling action takes moisture out of the air in the fridge compartment so not opening it should be a good thing.

It collects the condensate into a reservoir that has a small drain hole that runs out over the radiator grid at the back of the fridge. That is where the water isn't coming from I take it?

[Norminn]

Nooooo........the drain is what puts water into the pan outside the freezer.

The drain is in back, near bottom of my freezer (GE side-by-side). There is a vent type opening above, then a flat spot below that with a round hole. Below that is a slanted panel with screws at the top - I think the repairman opened that up when he worked on it.

Only new appliances we have are dishwasher and wall oven. We have a maintenance contract and the repair guy is just too good :o) I want my

35 y/o JennAir cooktop/grill to die, but it just won't :o) Bought the fridge second-hand at estate sale of neighbor, 'cause they don't make them to fit our space any more.

[stark]

I'm totaly cornfused. My defrost drip pan is inside the freezer. It's filling with water, then freezing until the ice rises beyond the edges. Then when my freezer defrosts it melts a 1/2 cup or so of that bottom ice which seeps out past the freezer door insulation and onto the floor. The defrost drip pan is solid plastic with no sort of drain to it.

I think you're telling me that the problem is higher up somewhere, where a drain is not working and letting all that water accumulate in the bottom of the freezer. I'll have to check. But all my action, both good and bad, is happening inside my freezer, until the small amount seeps out through the freezer door insulation.

[mm]

I had a fridge/freezer like that for 10 years. That one wasn't self defrosting and I had no idea how it worked.

I used to do the hot water thing to make defrosting go faster, but later I just gave it an extra 4 to 6 hours (instead of just the two I had been allowing before putting in a pot of hot water) and the ice fell off all by itself. Often in big chunks. I never had water in the plastic pan that froze directly, afaicr.

[Norminn]

I have owned only two side-by-side fridges, and both had a flimsy little plastic tray that slides in and out beneath the freezer side. Sure yours doenn't belong there? Mebbe some genius had a leak from the drain freezing over and put the tray inside to try to prevent leak? What kind of fridge?

[stark]

Frigidaire. No, the bottom of the freezer side is solid plastic, an indentation they call a tray which is supposed to catch the drip, which should be minimal enough to evaporate. Halfway up the back side there's the defrost heater and I'm guessing beneath that is an apparatus for removing defrost water. Either the coils are frozen or the drain clogging forcing ice/water inside the frige and down to the bottom. I don't know how to get into that area or whether I should. Probably will call a repair guy and watch him work.