Why Is Your Fridge Leaking? (Best Appliance Repairs Beginners Diagnostics Guide)

Have you ever had a fridge that was never hooked up to water but still mysteriously managed to leak? What about stepping into a big puddle in the middle of the night while grabbing a glass of water? We at Best Appliance Repairs of Toronto see these issues all the time!

Let's dive into a simple guide of understanding the most common reasons why fridges leak in Toronto homes and what it takes to fix them so your floors, cabinets and dry walls stay safe.

Why Fridges Leak?

These are the problems we see most often in Toronto causing fridges to leak:

• A clogged drain inside the fridge or freezer

• Frost building up from a defrost issue

• A cracked or damaged water line

• A faulty water valve

• Ice maker leaks

• A freezer door that isn’t closing properly (either not sealing or being left open)

Let’s go through each one in a clear, simple way.

1. Clogged Drain 

Every fridge has a drain hole that catches melted frost down into a drain pan on a defrost cycle. These drains tend to get clogged with a mix of dust and thawed ice that creates a gunky blockage. When the drain is clogged, water takes the only route it has available - straight onto your shelves or the bottom of the freezer from which it goes directly onto your floor. 

What can you do right now?:
Unplug the fridge and let it sit for a few hours. Melting the ice can temporarily stop the leak.

What actually fixes it:
The drain tube has to be cleared properly.
Sometimes the drain tube cracks or disconnects, or the drain pan underneath breaks. In those cases, the leak will keep coming back until the part is repaired or replaced.

2. Defrost System Isn’t Working

Your fridge regularly melts frost behind the back panel. If the evaporator defrost system stops working, frost starts to build up on the coils. Then every time you open the door, warm air melts some of that frost and the water ends up dripping out of the fridge. If your defrost is failing - your drain will fail too and we already know what that means. 

The defrost system has a few parts that can fail:

• heating element

• fuse

• thermostat

• defrost timer

• fan

• main control board

If any of these stop working, leaks usually follow and your fridge will stop cooling right after. 

3. Cracked Water Line

If your fridge has a water dispenser or ice maker, it has thin water lines running behind it. These hoses can crack if the fridge gets pushed too close to the wall or just from wear and tear.

Some fridges also have a water line running through the door, and that one can leak inside the door and drip out the bottom.

A cracked hose often looks like a “mystery leak” because it can drip slowly for days before you notice.

4. Faulty Water Valve

The valve at the back of your fridge controls water going to the dispenser and ice maker. Valves can crack or get stuck open, which lets water drip constantly — sometimes just a tiny amount at a time.

If you ever see water near the back of your fridge, this part is a common culprit.

5. Ice Maker Leaks

Ice makers cause more leaks than most people expect. Some common signs include:

• Ice cubes clumping together

• Water dripping into the freezer

• Ice overflowing

• Drips under the fridge

This can happen if the fill tube is misaligned, the ice maker jams, or one of the internal parts starts failing.

6. Freezer Door Not Closing (Or Not Sealing)

The rubber gasket around your freezer door keeps cold air inside. If the seal is weak, cracked, or not closing properly, warm air sneaks in and creates frost all over the place.

Every time you open the freezer, a little bit of that frost melts and the melted water eventually ends up on the kitchen floor.

This looks like a leak, even though the real issue is just warm air getting in.

In some cases the door just won’t shut simply because the freezer needs to be reorganized - A freezer too full can cause the door not to shut all the way and even the smallest gap between the gasket and the freezer frame will cause a big build up of frost.

Summery 

A tiny leak might not seem like a big deal at first, but even a slow drip can damage your kitchen flooring, cabinets, and drywall. It also might be a warning sign that a bigger problem is coming.

Fixing leaks early usually saves you from much bigger repair bills - for both your fridge and your kitchen.

Need Help? We Can Fix It.

If you can’t find the source of the leak or it keeps coming back, we’re here to help. We fix these issues every day, and we can sort out the leak before it turns into something more serious.

Serving Toronto, Vaughan, and nearby areas.