The short answer
A flood from a retro Agostino is usually months of frost melting at once, which is why it arrives suddenly and in quantity. Plan the defrost rather than letting it happen. A blocked drain hole is the next cause and puts water inside the cabinet. Condensation on the outside is third, and a cracked liner or tray is last.
What you observe
- A flood within an hour of switching off — Accumulated frost melting all at once.
- Water standing in the base of the compartment — The drain hole has silted up.
- The outside of the cabinet is beaded — Condensation in a humid kitchen. Not a leak.
- Water on the floor behind the cabinet — The rear tray overflowing or out of place.
- NEAR MISS — a drip from a bottle put away wet — Worth ruling out before anything else.
Causes, most likely first on this class
- Accumulated frost melting all at once — First because a manual-defrost cabinet stores months of it and releases everything the moment it is switched off or the door is left open. The volume is what surprises people, not the fact of it.
- Drain hole blocked inside the compartment — Second: the hole is small and silts with crumbs and spills, so meltwater that should reach the rear tray collects in the base of the cabinet instead.
- Condensation on the outside of the shell — Third, and not a fault: a cold cabinet in a humid kitchen beads on the outside, and that water ends up on the floor without anything having leaked.
- Rear tray displaced or cracked, or a cracked liner — Last. A tray knocked askew when the cabinet was moved puts water on the floor with nothing else wrong, and a cracked liner ends the cabinet.
Check in this order, and why
- Ask whether the cabinet was switched off or left open — Free, and it explains most sudden floods.
- Decide whether water is inside or outside — It splits the remaining causes cleanly in two.
- Flush the drain hole with warm water — The second cause, and an owner fix with no parts.
- Pull the cabinet out and check the rear tray — Left until here because it only matters for floor water.
What an owner can safely check
- Plan the defrost: empty it, towels down, door open — Expect far more water than the tray can ever hold.
Tools: towelAbout 60 min
- Flush the drain hole until water runs away freely — Use warm water and nothing sharp.
Tools: jugAbout 20 min
- Dry the cabinet fully, then run it and watch for a day — Note whether water returns inside, outside or both.
Tools: clothAbout 30 min
- Unplug, pull the cabinet out and check the rear tray — It should sit level, intact and not overflowing.
Tools: torchAbout 30 min
- STOP HERE if water comes from the cabinet itself — A cracked liner or tray is a service call.
Before you open anything
Safety
Unplug the cabinet before removing a panel or pulling it out; a capacitor can hold a charge after the power is off, and water on a kitchen floor near a mains lead is a hazard before it is a nuisance. Never chip frost off the plate with a blade, and never use a heat gun or boiling water to speed a defrost. Keep a refrigerator at or below forty degrees Fahrenheit, which is four degrees Celsius.
When to call a technician
Call when the cabinet has been properly defrosted, the drain runs freely, the tray is sound and water still appears inside — a blocked drain further along or a cracked liner is then the answer. Ask about parts availability first, because on a cabinet of this kind that usually decides whether a repair is worth starting. Unplug it if water reaches the lead or a socket.
Nearest pages of this class
What this page does not cover
This page is written for the brand and the appliance class, not for one family or model line. Where a family- or model-specific page exists for your unit, that page is the more specific answer and you should start there. Deliberately absent: drain and tray dimensions, liner and seal part identifiers, defrost intervals and fault-code meanings, all of which differ between the retro upright, under-counter and worktop families.
Lead Appliance Repair Technician · 12 years experience
Experienced technician with 12 years specializing in washing machine and dryer repairs across all major brands.
