Hello, Just purchased my first house and it has beautiful wood floors in the kitchen. This concerns me a little when it comes to refrigerator leaks. I know there are drip pans in the refrigerator but have read that leaking is still a common problem due to various issues. Just wondering if there was a solution in laying something down underneath the refrigerator just in case there was external leaking? Maybe some sort of thin plastic mat or similar? A new refrigerator is being delivered at the end of this month and wanted to have something in place just in case.
I don't have a solution, but don't let anyone tell you it isn't a problem. My floor is messed up in front of the fridge and the dishwasher.
I'd be more worried about the feet marring the floor when you slide it around to clean; I'm wondering if maybe one of those office chair mats might not be the ticket.
A mat will likely make matters worse if you do have a slight leak. Any water will just run off the edge onto the floor. Even worse, it will get drawn under the mat by the capillary effect. With no way to evaporate, that water will inflict maximum damage on your floor.
You'd need a full drip-pan that will hold and retain any water that might leak. That's likely to look pretty ugly.
You might make a detailed examination of your new refrigerator when it's delivered and see if you can identify any likely points of failure based on the actual design/layout of that model.
Above all, do actually take the time to read the instructions that ship with your new fridge (yeah, I know that's a novel concept). It may well include recommendations for maintenance that will greatly lessen the risk of leaks (e.g. regular cleaning of various drain holes/lines that collect condensation, water dispenser overflow etc.
With wood or laminate floors, always wipe up any splills that do arise as quickly as possible. A single ice cube that misses the mark and ends up on the floor will melt and quite possibly create a small mark. Do that once or twice a month for a few years and the floor will not be looking in very good shape.
Thanks for all of yor replies. I have been reading around and it seems people are putting rugs/mats everywhere if they have wood floors - in front of the range, sink, dishwasher and fridge. I probably would have gone with tile if I had the choice but bought the place new and they had wood floors on the main floor (kitchen and living room).
That floor will need refinishing at some point. If the quality of the materials and finish is low and/or the wear and tear to which you and your family subject it to is high, that point will arrive sooner rather than later. Then you can decide to refinish it or put that money toward a new (tile) floor (which is not a huge investment, in the grand scheme of things).
I had a GE refrig. Its wheels did not mar the wood floor but my new Amana bottom freezer does. I try to roll it on a drop cloth but it doesn't always do the trick.
I have my refrigerator on a sheet of window plastic (lexan?) cut to the size of the 'fridge. I put the leftover piece of the plastic sheet on the floor in front to roll it onto (it gets stored behind the 'fridge). Works great.
I have never had floor problems under the fridge, but nonetheless, I would say that one never sees the floor under the fridge, and no one ever moves the fridge to another location, so I would just let nature and mechanics take their course.
OTOH, I WOULD CONSIDER putting a dike under the fridge so that leaks from the part you can't see don't spread to places you can see.
I would most likely use silicone sealant, to build a levee in a square such that it couldn't be seen by anyone standing or sitting on a chair, and wouldn't be destroyed by the wheels when the fridge is put in or moved out, but surrounded any part from which water might drip.
I did this in my car once when the convertible top let water run down the metal sheet behind the back of the rear seat. I drilled a whole at each corner, and built a wall with silicone in layers until it was about 3/4 of an inch high. I think you could get buy on a quarter inch. You would benefit from a way to see if there was water in the lake bed you create.
**I think they used to call this silicone cement, when sold in 4 oz. tubes, but I've found if one uses the cap and the tapes the camp shut well, partly used tubes will stay good at least 6 months.
MORE below.
I used to go to receptions weekly at a place that used, I'm sure, commmercial grade tile, 12 inch squares. When looking from the right angle, with the light behind the floor, where the reception lines were one could see 100's of dents from high heels. By this time it must have been hard even to stand there in such shoes.
I certainly see that pov. There are 4 townhouses that are the lowest in my n'hood, and when it rains enough and the sewer backs up, all 4 basements get wet, but no other house has ever gotten wet.
After one incident, the woman two doors away complains that her natural fiber carpeting will have to be replaced. I'm thinking, who would get natural fiber for a basement! One with a sump pump!
I remember it. I had it. My roommate in Brooklyn said roaches would live under it, but they never did. I had found a remnant in the trash iirc, and wanted to use it. I did my little room with one piece and my privaye bath with the other. (He had his own bathroom and couldn't really complain.)
I would be more worried about damaging the floor when the refrig is rolled into place. Make sure it is on something--cardboard or any thin hard material.
If you are a person that pays attention to and notices things that are not quite right, water damage from a refrig is unlikely. Or, you could get a refrig that doesn't have an automatic ice maker, then the chances of any water damage will be nil. If the water supply for the ice maker starts to leak, chances are that nothing you do will make much difference as the water will just run all over the floor.
If you really want to put something under the refrig, get a piece of vinyl (linoleum) to fit the space. And get another piece the same size so you can roll the refrig out for cleaning and protect the floor. If you do this, the first piece should stop about 1 inch in front of the the front wheels so it is not noticeable.
Another thing to remember is "What happens when you lose power for an extended period while on vacation?"
Okay, forget about the spoiled food, but what happens to the ice in your through the door dispenser? It melts, runs down the front of the refrigerator and all over the floor.
When departing for any extended period of time (>2 days) we shut off the ice maker and empty the bin.
Both the equipment installers and flooring installers used 1/8" hardboard, works like a dream and doesn't tear.
My fix-it guy last year when here on a call said that you can't even order a fridge without a water thingy any more. I hate them for the space they take up and the maintenance.
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