The short answer
Every cabinet in this unclassified Avanti refrigerator group produces water continuously while it runs and has one route for getting rid of it, so this page is about what happens when that route stops working. Every cabinet of this kind produces water continuously while it runs, and it has exactly one route for getting rid of it: the whole of this page is about what happens when that route stops working.
What you observe on these models
- Ice under the drawers or across the base — A drain that has frozen rather than blocked gives ice where water would otherwise be, and it will thaw into a puddle as soon as the cabinet is switched off.
- Water pooling under the bottom shelf inside — Water that collects inside the cabinet rather than outside it has been produced at the cold surface and has not reached the drain, which puts the drain first on the list.
- A puddle on the floor at the front — Water at the front has usually run forward along the base, which means either the cabinet is tilted the wrong way or it has overflowed something at the back.
- NEAR MISS - water arrived with the ice stopping — A failed supply line does both at once on a plumbed model, and the ice production page takes that combination from the useful end.
Causes, most likely first on this platform
- The cabinet is tilted the wrong way — These cabinets are designed to sit level or very slightly back, so that water inside runs toward the drain and the door pulls itself shut. A unit tipped forward sends the same water out under the door instead, and nothing inside has failed at all. Several distinct bases means several cabinet depths, and depth decides how far forward a machine has to be tipped before meltwater leaves by the door instead of reaching the drain.
- The drain that condensate is supposed to use — Second on this platform. The drain stays on the list until it has actually been tested, because a partial blockage gives an intermittent puddle that mimics nearly every other cause here.
- A door that is not closing properly — Third here. Air leaking past the door keeps producing water no matter what else is fixed, so it is worth a paper test even when the drain turns out to be the culprit.
- Supply water rather than meltwater — Fourth. On a plumbed model the supply is always worth eliminating, since a slow weep at a fitting behind the cabinet can run for months unseen.
- Meltwater from a heavy frost build-up — Last. Heavy frost releasing is worth ruling in early on any cabinet that has not been defrosted in a long time, because it explains a single large puddle that never comes back.
Check in this order, and why
- Put a level on the top of the cabinet — Level or very slightly back is right. Tipped forward sends meltwater out under the door and stops the door pulling itself shut, and it is adjusted at the feet in a couple of minutes. The 4 entries below sit on 4 different bases, so confirm your own code before carrying a neighbour's result across.
- Dry everything, then watch where it comes back — Inside, under, or out of the front door are three different faults, and an old puddle cannot tell you which one you have. Give it a day after drying before deciding anything.
- Find the drain and check that it runs — There is usually a small opening at the base of the cold surface. A little warm water poured in should disappear; if it backs up, you have found the fault.
Before you open anything
Safety
Switch off at the plug or the breaker before any panel comes off or any water is mopped from behind the cabinet, and give the capacitor a moment. Get help before walking a heavy cabinet out onto a wet floor. If water has reached a socket or a connector, leave the circuit off and call rather than drying it and trying again.
Models in the avanti:refrigerator:? family
Reference| Model number | Family key |
|---|---|
| 18DYW | avanti:refrigerator:? |
| 271YW | avanti:refrigerator:? |
| 442YW | avanti:refrigerator:? |
| 443YB | avanti:refrigerator:? |
When to call a technician
Call once the drain runs clear, the cabinet is level, the seal passes the paper test and the water still comes back, because what is left needs a panel off. Call immediately, without further testing, if water has reached a socket or a connector, or if a plumbed fitting is weeping where you cannot isolate it, since both of those get worse in a way a puddle does not.
Other faults covered for these models
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