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A leaking TS unit is telling you where its meltwater is going, not that it is broken. Water on the floor with a dry compartment is not a leak from inside the unit at all, so the ranking below departs from the brand-generic order. Start with condensation on the outside of the cabinet and leave a split drain hose or a failed seam until everything cheaper has been excluded.
The observables
- A damp patch under the machinery end — Spread rather than pooled, and it dries and returns on its own rhythm.
- Beads of water on the outside panels — The outer skin is cold enough to sweat in the room it stands in.
- Contents at the base sitting in water — Labels soften and packaging swells while everything higher up is dry.
- NEAR MISS - ice inside but no water anywhere — That is a frosting fault, not a leak, and it belongs on the freezing and ice pages rather than this one.
Causes, most likely first on this line
- Condensation on the outside of the cabinet — The leading cause on these models: the distinguishing feature is that the water is on the outside surfaces, all round, rather than at one point.
- Warm air getting past the door or lid seal — Second: the seal is the boundary between room humidity and a cold plate. Where it is deformed, dirty or pinched, you get a steady trickle of condensate exactly along that line, which reads as a leak from the door.
- An overfull or displaced evaporation tray — Third, and worth excluding before going further: melt that leaves the compartment ends up in a tray near the warm parts, where it is meant to evaporate. A tray knocked out of position during a move, or one that cannot keep up in a humid room, simply overflows onto the floor.
- A split drain hose or a failed seam — It ranks last for the usual reason: it is rare, and every cheaper cause above it explains the same puddle.
The order to work in
- Wipe the outside dry and watch where water returns — Dry the whole outer surface, wait an hour and look again. Water reappearing evenly across the panels is room humidity, not a leak.
- Test the seal along its whole length — Run a hand round the closed door for a cool draught, then look at the gasket for a flattened section or a fold that has taken a set.
- Look underneath at the machinery end — With the unit isolated, look under the machinery end for a tray sitting square and for water in it. Water beside it rather than in it is the answer.
Before any panel comes off
Safety
Unplug the appliance or switch off its breaker before removing any panel; a capacitor can hold a charge after the power is off. Water and the electrical end of a refrigerator do not mix, so dry the floor and isolate the unit before you kneel down beside it.
Models in the TS family
Reference| Model number | Family key |
|---|---|
| TS40 | alpicool:refrigerator:ts |
| TS50 | alpicool:refrigerator:ts |
| TS60 | alpicool:refrigerator:ts |
When this stops being owner work
Call when the leak survives a cleared drain and a level cabinet, and call immediately if you find water where the supply lead enters or under the machinery end. Water reaching insulation gets worse every week it is left, so this is not one to watch for a month.
Same line, other symptoms
Lead Appliance Repair Technician · 12 years experience
Experienced technician with 12 years specializing in washing machine and dryer repairs across all major brands.
