The short answer
Where the puddle appears tells you where water leaves the machine, which is not where it started. Work from the sources rather than from the floor, and the diagnosis takes minutes rather than an afternoon. Across the HQ line the base tray channels any escaping water toward the front, which is exactly why the position of the puddle is weak evidence about the source on these models.
Where the water shows up
- Ice building on the freezer floor or under the drawer — A sheet of ice under the bottom drawer or basket means water is stopping short of the drain. Clearing it without clearing the drain buys a fortnight.
- Water running down the inside back wall — Water running down the inside back wall is either condensation or defrost water that has lost its path. Separate it from a supply leak before moving anything.
- A wet patch only after the ice maker fills — That timing points squarely at the supply side rather than at the defrost side.
- NEAR MISS — Water inside but the cabinet has also gone warm — Water inside a cabinet that has also gone warm is melting food, not a leak. Fix the cooling fault and the water stops.
The ranking that matters here
- Door seal letting warm humid air in — Warm room air meeting cold surfaces condenses. A gasket that has hardened or a door left ajar puts a surprising amount of liquid water inside a cabinet over a day. It leads because it explains more leaks than everything below it together, and confirming it needs no tools. That is the departure from the brand-wide order: door seal letting warm humid air in goes ahead of the ice maker fill system overfilling or misaligned on the HQ models because it is visible without moving the machine.
- A blocked defrost drain — It recurs if only the visible ice is cleared: the plug is usually further down the tube than it looks.
- The water supply line or its fittings — Supply leaks give clean water, often at the back and often growing rather than coming and going. That pattern separates them from defrost water immediately.
Check in this order, and why
- First — test the door seal and look for sweating inside — Check the seal and the inner walls together: condensation plus a failing gasket explains a surprising volume of water over a week. Each check either finds the water or eliminates a whole source, which is why the sequence beats following the puddle.
- Second — look for water under the crispers and ice on the freezer floor — Both sit directly below where the defrost drain should have carried the water away, so either one confirms the drain without a tool being lifted.
- Third — check the supply line and its fittings at the back — Shut the house valve, pull the machine out and run a dry tissue over every fitting and along the line. Damp at a fitting means pressure is escaping continuously.
Power off before panels come off
Safety
Disconnect the power before reaching behind the grille, and close the supply valve before disturbing the line. Wet hands, a metal chassis and a live compressor circuit are a bad combination, and a supply line under pressure can empty a great deal of water into a kitchen very quickly.
Where the owner job ends
Book a visit once you know which family of leak you have and cannot reach the source. Say whether the water is clean or has been sitting, whether it appears on a schedule or continuously, and what you have already cleared — that decides which parts come on the van.
Pages like this one
Lead Appliance Repair Technician · 12 years experience
Experienced technician with 12 years specializing in washing machine and dryer repairs across all major brands.
