My Frigidaire Refrigerator Leaks Water on the Floor

If your Frigidaire refrigerator is leaking water on the floor, the source isn't always easy to pinpoint. The water could be coming from the inlet pipes for the ice maker or water dispenser, if present, or from one of the internal parts associated with those features. It could also be draining from the cooling coils and ending up on the floor because a drainage tube is blocked or the drainage pan is cracked. You're probably going to have to get behind the unit to find out.

The first thing you should check is whether your fridge is level. It's normal — in fact, essential — for the fridge to tilt slightly to the rear, with the front being 1/4- to 1/2-inch higher. If the fridge lacks that slope, or slopes to the front or side, coolant won't circulate properly. That creates extra condensation around the coils, which can pool onto your floor.

A refrigerator with a water dispenser or ice maker can develop plumbing leaks, just like any other fixture that uses water. If your refrigerator has an ice maker or water dispenser, a length of copper tubing connects it to the house water supply. The compression connections can develop small leaks under sideways stress, so if you recently had to move the refrigerator — perhaps to clean behind it — check those connections. Move the refrigerator far enough from the wall to allow you to see behind it, using a flashlight. If you see water spraying or a pool of water on the floor, tighten the connections.

Frigidaire refrigerators with internal water pipes usually have a filter located in the top of the refrigerator compartment. If this has been installed incorrectly, water can seep along the refrigerator walls and drip onto the floor. Remove and reinstall the filter. It's also possible that the filter housing has cracked. If so, replace it.

Loose or broken ice maker or water dispenser components are less easy to fix. If one of them fails, you'll probably notice poor performance of the affected feature as well as water inside the refrigerator compartment. It's best to leave the repair to a Frigidaire service technician.

The evaporation coils, which do the cooling, are inside or behind the freezer compartment. During normal operation, these coils frost up, and most Frigidaire refrigerators have an automatic defrost function that cycles on regularly to melt this frost. Drainage tubes direct the runoff to a drain pain, which Frigidaire locates just above the compressor motor in the bottom of the unit. Once in the drain pan, the water evaporates.

If your Frigidaire is leaking water from the bottom, the pan might be cracked. Alternatively another issue, such as a blockage of the defrost drain at the back of your freezer, may be causing additional condensation and drainage.

One way to diagnose a malfunction of the drainage system is to observe the water for a day or two to see if the formation of the pool is connected to the defrost cycle. If it is, the drain tube, which is behind the refrigerator, may be blocked by ice. Unplug the refrigerator and leave it off for a day or two to melt the ice. Water may also be ending up on the floor because the drain pan is cracked. This isn't common, but if it happens, you may or may not be able to replace the pan — depending on the model.