Picture the scene, you’ve came down in the morning, gone into your kitchen to make your morning cuppa, only to be greeted by a puddle of water near to your fridge. The puddle may not be the biggest, but there’s certainly enough water to cause concern.

It’s a situation none of us want to face, but it is an all-too-common problem, and if it is one which you’re faced with it is important to make sure you give it immediate attention. Thankfully, with our guidance and support below there is no reason why you cannot diagnose and repair your fridge yourself – and for less than you’d think.

Blocked Defrost Drain:

Inside your fridge, towards the back and at the bottom you’ll notice a small hole – this is the defrost drain and it plays an important role in preventing water from settling at the back of your appliance. Unfortunately, the drain becoming blocked is a common reason for your fridge to leak.

If your defrost drain has become blocked, either by debris or ice, any water which has travelled down the wet wall at the back will not be able to escape from the appliance. The easiest way to resolve this is to use a cotton bud or a defrost hose cleaning tool, which will dislodge most blockages and allow the water to flow free and onto the drain pan.

As a rule of thumb, we recommend you clean this area of your fridge on a regular basis to prevent blockages from occurring.

Faulty Door Seal:

If you have an inkling the fridge door seal is related to the puddle of water near to the appliance, you should first check for any moisture around the inner rubber seal. If any moisture is felt, there’s a risk the door isn’t closing correctly and this is where the puddle of water has come from.

A second way to check whether your door seal is faulty is to do the £5 test. Place the £5 between the door seal and the door, close the door and see if the £5 note holds. If the £5 note doesn’t hold, you will need to inspect the seal itself.

If any splits, holes or bulges are spotted, no matter how superficial they may appear we recommend you replace the door seal by following the advice in the video below.

Damaged Door:

If your fridge door isn’t closing fully then you should not be surprised to have a small puddle of water within your fridge or outside of it. There are a couple of reasons why your fridge door may not be closing correctly.

• The door is not level / is tilting forward – check the legs to ensure these are level
• Something is blocking the door – check there are no bottles or containers blocking the door

Cracked Drain Pan:

Although it’s uncommon, from time to time the drain pan can be the cause of the leak. Located under the fridge, the drain pan is responsible for collecting the water which comes down through the drain hose. Once the water is on the pan it evaporates as a result of the heat from the compressor and air passing.

However, if your drain pan has a crack or hole, water will leak out. You can check the condition of the part by taking the front guard off your fridge, tilting the appliance backwards and carefully pulling the pan out. Once out, give it a once over and replace if damaged.

Loose Hose Fittings:

At the back of your fridge there will be several hose fittings, if after checking all other areas mentioned above you’ve still been unable to locate the cause of the leak, we recommend you check the hoses for any damage.

If they are damaged, no matter how small the damage may appear, you will need to replace them. Along with checking for damage, you should also check to make sure the hoses haven’t moved or became loose – if they have, tighten them back into place.

By carrying out such checks on your fridge at the first sign of a leak, there is no reason why you shouldn’t be able to prevent any more damage being done, as you’ll be able to repair the fault yourself. And to give you a further helping hand, at eSpares we stock an extensive selection of fridge spare parts and accessories for all makes and models.

Tags: Appliance Repairs, Fridge, Fridge Spares