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Ocassional Water accumulation in GE refrigerator bottom compartment

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Deal Addict
Apr 9, 2008
2944 posts
247 upvotes
Toronto

Ocassional Water accumulation in GE refrigerator bottom compartment

My GE side by side refrigerator had water accumulated in the bottom compartment twice with 2 weeks gap.
Everything else working ok and there is NO ice accumulation in the bottom section or any other section of the freezer except ofcourse the ice maker.

I looked up online and typically the problem also include ice accumulation in the freezer, which is not happening in my case.

I dont know if its related or not but it first happened when my ice maker was full and I had not removed the ice from it in a long time. Though the water spill happened once even after I cleaned the ice.

Any ideas? I also have not been able to locate the drain pipe that many people say is probably clogged causing the problem.
8 replies
Deal Fanatic
Feb 4, 2010
7156 posts
7137 upvotes
I have a similar problem with my 20 year old Jenn-Air fridge. Still in great working condition except the ice maker has been disconnected by previous owners - I'm assuming they did that because it was leaking as the laminate flooring under the fridge is visibly much darker than the rest of the flooring (likely water damage before it was disconnected). Since I bought the house 10months ago small amounts of water have pooled around the fridge twice. I would be interested in any insights into this .
Member
Jul 4, 2012
211 posts
49 upvotes
CAMBRIDGE
Unless there are water lines in the compartment the only other source of water is condensate from a defrost cycle. Best to try and determine the drain path for the condensate for your model and make sure none of the tubes or drains are clogged. My kitchen aid had the water/ice in the freezer section you described and it was a defective drain port which they issued a repair notice for. I got the part and swapped it out myself and haven't had an issue since.
Sr. Member
Aug 4, 2006
792 posts
377 upvotes
GTA - Gwilly
boatracer wrote: Unless there are water lines in the compartment the only other source of water is condensate from a defrost cycle. Best to try and determine the drain path for the condensate for your model and make sure none of the tubes or drains are clogged. My kitchen aid had the water/ice in the freezer section you described and it was a defective drain port which they issued a repair notice for. I got the part and swapped it out myself and haven't had an issue since.
Concur ... probably a clog tube that is all.
Deal Addict
Feb 29, 2012
2654 posts
1461 upvotes
Richmond
Normally frost accumulates steadily on the cooling coils at the back of your interior compartment, behind the removable plastic cover panel. Several times a day a timer kicks in and turns on a heater that melts the frost from the cooling coils so that it doesn't build up too much. The meltwater is supposed to run down a channel under the cooling coils where a tube takes it to an evaporation pan under your fridge. If the channel or the tube becomes blocked, the water will instead run out into the bottom of your fridge. The blockage can be caused by dirt, but given that it's a sealed clean area, it's more commonly caused by ice buildup. That can be due to a defective design, where the heater isn't melting ice in the drain channel (e.g., like Samsung fridges), or a failing heater. You can fix it by unplugging the fridge for a day to let the ice melt, or opening up the panel and manually clearing the ice blockage with hot water or a hair dryer. Some manufacturers make corrective parts to extend the reach of the heater or prevent plugging of the drain channel. If the problem persists, it's worth an internet search to see if you can find a part like that for your fridge. It would be an easy self-install.

Of course the other potential issue is the ice-maker. Those things are nothing but trouble. I'd never buy a fridge with a plumbed-in ice-maker. You'll need to trace the water line and overflow drain tube for the ice-maker to see where they might be leaking. If there's a ice-blockage, a 24-hour defrost should fix it, but there might be a leak on the pressurized inlet side.
Deal Guru
Feb 9, 2006
13378 posts
8308 upvotes
Brampton
Faith24 wrote: Normally frost accumulates steadily on the cooling coils at the back of your interior compartment, behind the removable plastic cover panel. Several times a day a timer kicks in and turns on a heater that melts the frost from the cooling coils so that it doesn't build up too much. The meltwater is supposed to run down a channel under the cooling coils where a tube takes it to an evaporation pan under your fridge. If the channel or the tube becomes blocked, the water will instead run out into the bottom of your fridge. The blockage can be caused by dirt, but given that it's a sealed clean area, it's more commonly caused by ice buildup. That can be due to a defective design, where the heater isn't melting ice in the drain channel (e.g., like Samsung fridges), or a failing heater. You can fix it by unplugging the fridge for a day to let the ice melt, or opening up the panel and manually clearing the ice blockage with hot water or a hair dryer. Some manufacturers make corrective parts to extend the reach of the heater or prevent plugging of the drain channel. If the problem persists, it's worth an internet search to see if you can find a part like that for your fridge. It would be an easy self-install.

Of course the other potential issue is the ice-maker. Those things are nothing but trouble. I'd never buy a fridge with a plumbed-in ice-maker. You'll need to trace the water line and overflow drain tube for the ice-maker to see where they might be leaking. If there's a ice-blockage, a 24-hour defrost should fix it, but there might be a leak on the pressurized inlet side.
Most of the time the end of the tube is not in a sealed clean area.
The drain tube has to drain to the evap tray. Mold and mildew often clogs the end because it's typically damp and dark as well as warm. All growth factors for mildew and mold. Best practice to clean out the tray and coils once a year. I can actually see noticibly less power consumption from my monitor from vefore and after coil cleanings
Deal Addict
Apr 9, 2008
2944 posts
247 upvotes
Toronto
tebore wrote: Most of the time the end of the tube is not in a sealed clean area.
The drain tube has to drain to the evap tray. Mold and mildew often clogs the end because it's typically damp and dark as well as warm. All growth factors for mildew and mold. Best practice to clean out the tray and coils once a year. I can actually see noticibly less power consumption from my monitor from vefore and after coil cleanings
how exactly you clean coils? with a cloth and dust if off?
Deal Guru
Feb 9, 2006
13378 posts
8308 upvotes
Brampton
bsobaid wrote: how exactly you clean coils? with a cloth and dust if off?
Compressor to blow or a shopvac to vacuum it with a brush.
Deal Addict
Feb 29, 2012
2654 posts
1461 upvotes
Richmond
tebore wrote: Most of the time the end of the tube is not in a sealed clean area.
The drain tube has to drain to the evap tray. Mold and mildew often clogs the end because it's typically damp and dark as well as warm.
Good point, that could easily happen with a poor design.
bsobaid wrote: how exactly you clean coils? with a cloth and dust if off?
You don't need to clean the interior cooling cools. They're in a clean environment, so they don't accumulate dust.

The issue is usually the exterior condenser radiator. If it's exposed on the back of the fridge, the traditional design, then it usually doesn't accumulated much dirt, and a quick dusting will clean it up. If it's one of those idiotic designs where it's a compact condenser stuck underneath the fridge and ventilated by a fan (Samsung again!), then it will tend to accumulate a lot of dust and dirt, and you will find it very difficult to clean due to the tight spacing. The Samsung fridge my sister currently has got all gunked up in the condenser coils, and they corroded and developed a leak. Samsung was useless in repairing it. The eventual repair was to remove the Samsung condenser entirely and replace it with a conventional one bolted to the back of the fridge. Ruins the "clean appearance" of the rear of the fridge, but now at least it works!

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