--- title: "Water under the refrigerator" description: "Frigidaire water under the refrigerator — the commonest refrigerator call we take in South Florida, and usually the cheapest to put right." url: "https://frigidairemiami.support/symptoms/refrigerator-leaking-water/" date_modified: "2026-09-08" Appliance type: "refrigerator" --- # Frigidaire water under the refrigerator ### What to do in the next ten minutes Find out where the water is coming from before you dry it: open the bottom drawers and look underneath them, then look at the floor at the front and at the wall behind. If the water is at the back, close the shut-off valve for the refrigerator's supply line — usually under the sink or behind the machine — and leave it closed until somebody has looked at it. ### Why the defrost drain blocks here more than anywhere A frost-free cabinet melts the ice off its coil several times a day and sends the water down a small drain into a pan above the compressor. The drain is narrow, the water carries whatever is in the compartment, and in a humid climate there is more of it — so the tube silts up, the water backs up, and the next defrost cycle sends it forward under the drawers. Clearing it takes minutes. Finding out why it refroze, and putting that right, is what stops the puddle coming back. ### The leak worth treating as urgent Everything above is a nuisance except one: a weeping supply line. It is under pressure all day, it is behind a machine nobody moves, and the first sign is often a soft floor or a swollen cabinet base rather than a puddle. If the water is at the back of the refrigerator rather than under the drawers, close the shut-off and call somebody — that one is not worth waiting on. The defrost drain is blocked Meltwater that cannot reach the pan runs forward under the drawers instead. It refreezes, blocks again, and produces exactly this puddle on a schedule. The water supply is weeping The inlet valve, the connection at the wall or an old plastic line. Slow, quiet, and behind a cabinet nobody moves — this is the leak that reaches the floor under the cabinets. The door is not sealing Warm humid air condenses inside the cabinet and runs down. In this climate a tired gasket produces standing water rather than just a sweating frame. Look under the crisper drawers Water sitting in the well under the drawers is the defrost drain, and that is most of these calls. Check the floor at the back A damp wall or skirting behind the machine changes the job from a drain to a supply. Test the door seal with a note Close a piece of paper in the door and pull. If it slides out freely, the seal is not holding at that point. A puddle on the floor, or water under the crisper drawers What it usually means Under the crisper is the defrost drain, and that is the usual answer here At the back is a water supply problem, which is the one that damages floors A cabinet that has been leaking for weeks is a cabinet-and-floor question too What to do in the next ten minutes Find out where the water is coming from before you dry it: open the bottom drawers and look underneath them, then look at the floor at the front and at the wall behind. If the water is at the back, close the shut-off valve for the refrigerator's supply line — usually under the sink or behind the machine — and leave it closed until somebody has looked at it. Why the defrost drain blocks here more than anywhere A frost-free cabinet melts the ice off its coil several times a day and sends the water down a small drain into a pan above the compressor. The drain is narrow, the water carries whatever is in the compartment, and in a humid climate there is more of it — so the tube silts up, the water backs up, and the next defrost cycle sends it forward under the drawers. Clearing it takes minutes. Finding out why it refroze, and putting that right, is what stops the puddle coming back. The leak worth treating as urgent Everything above is a nuisance except one: a weeping supply line. It is under pressure all day, it is behind a machine nobody moves, and the first sign is often a soft floor or a swollen cabinet base rather than a puddle. If the water is at the back of the refrigerator rather than under the drawers, close the shut-off and call somebody — that one is not worth waiting on. ### Can I just clear the drain myself? Often, yes, and we will tell you how on the phone if that is what it sounds like. What we would rather you did not do is force anything down the tube from inside the cabinet — the trough and the heater clip at the bottom of it are easy to dislodge and dear to put back. ### There is ice in the bottom of the freezer instead of water. Same problem, one step earlier. The drain is blocked and the water is freezing where it stands instead of running forward. It becomes the puddle once there is more of it than the compartment can hold. --- **[Read full article: Water under the refrigerator](https://frigidairemiami.support/symptoms/refrigerator-leaking-water/)**