The short answer
Water around the AQU refrigerators comes from one of three places: the defrost drain, the supply side, or condensation that never was a leak. On these models a filter head that is not sealing is the first thing this page would have you rule out. All but one of the causes below can be settled without a technician.
What you observe on these models
- A sheet of ice under the bottom drawer — The same fault caught before it reaches the floor.
- Water at the back of the cabinet rather than at the door — The back is the pan and the supply; the door is the drain.
- Beads of water inside the liner along the door edge — That is condensation getting in, not water getting out.
- NEAR MISS — the water keeps arriving with the appliance unplugged — That is plumbing rather than the appliance.
Causes, most likely first on this family
- Filter head or filter seal not sealing — The filter head carries full supply pressure, so an o-ring rolled during a change drips every minute of the day. It leads because it is the likeliest of the set on these cabinets. One design carries every cabinet size in this family, so it holds across the line.
- Drain trough behind the evaporator blocked — The complaint returns a few weeks after the drain itself is cleared, and that recurrence is the diagnosis. Second: common enough on these models to come before anything below it.
- Supply tap or saddle valve seeping — Any leak that carries on with the appliance unplugged is on the supply side by definition. Third on the list, where the likelihoods start to fall away.
- Condensation in a drawer mistaken for a leak — A drawer with its humidity slide closed and wet produce in it collects water, and there is no fault to find. Last of the set listed here, and the least likely of them on this family.
- Body: Because this family is one design at several capacities, the air path is the part that is worked hardest at the top of the ladder — which is what moves airflow causes above installation ones here.
Check in this order, and why
- Dry around the filter head and watch it for a few minutes with the filter seated. — It comes first because it matches the cause ranked first above.
- Note how long the leak stays away after the drain is cleared: a few weeks means the trough, not the tube. — Next in order, following the ranking rather than convenience.
- Unplug the appliance for a day and see whether the water keeps arriving. — Last of the set, and only worth doing once the others are clean.
Before you take a panel 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. Leave the door switch wired as it is: it cuts power to the evaporator fan for a reason. Dry the floor before pulling the appliance out, and keep water away from the electrical parts at the base of the cabinet.
Models in the AQU family
Reference| Model number | Family key |
|---|---|
| AQU1203TRW | amana:refrigerator:aqu |
| AQU1223BRW | amana:refrigerator:aqu |
| AQU1501TRW* | amana:refrigerator:aqu |
| AQU1525AEW | amana:refrigerator:aqu |
| AQU1613TEW | amana:refrigerator:aqu |
| AQU1613TEW* | amana:refrigerator:aqu |
| AQU1626BEW | amana:refrigerator:aqu |
| AQU1627BRW | amana:refrigerator:aqu |
| AQU1824BRW | amana:refrigerator:aqu |
| AQU1827BRW | amana:refrigerator:aqu |
| AQU2003TRW* | amana:refrigerator:aqu |
| AQU2024BRW | amana:refrigerator:aqu |
| AQU2027BRW | amana:refrigerator:aqu |
When to call a technician
Owner work ends at the rear panel. If the drain clears, the pan is sound, the cabinet is level and water still arrives, what is left is behind sheet metal. Call at once if there is water under a socket.
The other faults covered for this family
Lead Appliance Repair Technician · 12 years experience
Experienced technician with 12 years specializing in washing machine and dryer repairs across all major brands.
