The short answer
On the Amana 4w5j90 refrigerator family, water where it should not be points at the drain first but for a different reason, since the trough on a long-lived cabinet silts rather than freezes and the fix is a flush rather than a thaw. The brand-generic article leads the same way, but the places behind it are not the same here, and that is where a visit is won or lost.
What you observe on these models
- Water pooling under the crisper drawers — The clearest single tell there is, and it appears inside long before it appears on the floor.
- A puddle at the front of the cabinet after each defrost — Water arriving in slugs rather than continuously points at the drain path.
- Ice forming as a sheet in the bottom of the ice bucket — Water going past the mould instead of into it, which freezes flat rather than as cubes.
- NEAR MISS — water only in the drip tray at the dispenser — Normal for a dispenser, and not a leak at all.
Causes, most likely first on this family
- Defrost drain blocked with ice or sludge — The first thing to rule in. Meltwater from each defrost has exactly one way out. When the drain trough freezes or silts up, the water backs up under the crisper drawers and finds the floor by the shortest route.
- Cabinet out of level, so water runs the wrong way — Second, and close behind the first. The drain trough only drains downhill. A cabinet tipped forward by a move or a soft floor sends meltwater toward the door rather than toward the outlet.
- Ice maker fill tube frozen and overshooting — Third. A partly frozen tube makes each fill spill past the mould instead of into it. The ice that results is a sheet at the bottom of the bucket and a trail of water down the liner.
- Supply line, compression nut or shutoff valve leaking — Last on this list. The leak is outside the appliance entirely. Water tracks along the line and appears at the cabinet, which is why the machine gets blamed for plumbing.
Check in this order, and why
- Pull the crisper drawers and look for water under them — Start here. Water standing in the bottom of the fresh-food liner is the drain answer, and it appears there before it appears on the floor.
- Check the cabinet is sitting level and firm on all four feet — Then this. A cabinet tipped forward sends meltwater to the door, and this is corrected with a spanner rather than a part.
- Look into the ice bucket for a sheet of ice at the bottom — Third. Ice on the bottom of the bucket rather than cubes in it is a fill that is missing the mould.
Before you open anything
Safety
Unplug the appliance or switch off its breaker before removing any panel; a capacitor can hold a charge after the power is off.
Models covered by the 4w5j90 family
Reference| Model number | Family key |
|---|---|
| 4w5j90-07 | amana:refrigerator:4w5j90 |
| 4w5j90-08 | amana:refrigerator:4w5j90 |
| 4w5j90-09 | amana:refrigerator:4w5j90 |
| 4w5j90-10 | amana:refrigerator:4w5j90 |
| 4w5j90-11 | amana:refrigerator:4w5j90 |
| 4w5j90-12 | amana:refrigerator:4w5j90 |
| 4w5j90-13 | amana:refrigerator:4w5j90 |
| 4w5j90-14 | amana:refrigerator:4w5j90 |
| 4w5j90-15 | amana:refrigerator:4w5j90 |
| 4w5j90-16 | amana:refrigerator:4w5j90 |
When to call a technician
Call once the drain, the filter head and the level are all clean, because what is left is behind the liner or inside a pressurised joint. Call immediately if water is reaching an outlet, an extension lead or the floor under another appliance. That is an electrical question before it is a plumbing one.
The other faults covered for this family
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