The short answer
Leaks on the Caf CVE family follow the defrost cycle, so timing is evidence: water that appears every several hours in a small amount is drain-side, while a puddle that grows steadily whether the unit runs or not is supply-side. With thirteen model tags in the matrix below, this family covers several passes of the same platform, and a cause that is a running change on one group can be absent on another. That split decides everything below.
What you can observe on these models
- A thin sheet of ice under the drawers or at the freezer floor — The same blockage caught earlier. The trough refreezes between cycles and the sheet grows with each defrost.
- A puddle across the floor at the front of the unit — Cabinet water that has overflowed forward, or a door that is not sealing and is condensing on the frame.
- Water at the back, under the compressor area — A cracked or displaced drain pan, or a supply fitting weeping at the inlet valve.
- A steady drip from the dispenser after each use — Normal for a second or two; a drip that keeps going is the dispenser valve or a line that is holding pressure.
- NEAR MISS — water only in the ice bin — A wet bin with normal temperatures is an ice-maker fill or harvest problem and belongs on that page.
Causes, most likely first on this family
- Ice maker or dispenser water path overfilling — First on a cabinet where the water is in the freezer and the bin: fill overshoot is the only cause that puts water exactly there.
- Defrost drain plugged at the trough or the check valve — Second, and it comes back within weeks if the plug is melted without flushing the line.
- Filter cartridge seating or an aftermarket cartridge — Third: a cartridge that does not match the head weeps at the collar under pressure, often only after the next fill.
- Drain pan and levelling — Fourth, and settled with a level rather than a part.
- Door seal condensation — Last: the least water of any cause here, and usually a consequence of a door left ajar rather than a failure.
Check in this order, and why
- Empty the ice bin and look under it — A frozen sheet under the bin means fill overshoot, which is a different repair from a blocked drain even though both end as water.
- Clear and flush the defrost drain — Do this even if another cause is found — a partly blocked drain is what turns any small amount of water into a visible leak.
- Run a tissue along the door gasket — Damp along the seal line with a dry cabinet floor moves the whole diagnosis to condensation and door alignment.
- Inspect the drain pan with the unit pulled out — Cracks show as a dry pan with a wet floor beneath it, which is the one pattern that cannot come from anywhere else.
Before you open anything
Safety
Unplug before any panel comes off — a capacitor can hold a charge after the power is off. Water that has reached the floor may also have reached the wiring at the base of the cabinet, so dry everything before restoring power, and keep the unit off if the breaker has tripped even once during the leak.
Models in the CVE family
Reference| Model number | Family key |
|---|---|
| CVE28DM*NB** | caf:refrigerator:cve |
| CVE28DM*ND** | caf:refrigerator:cve |
| CVE28DM*NG** | caf:refrigerator:cve |
| CVE28DM*NH** | caf:refrigerator:cve |
| CVE28DP*NB** | caf:refrigerator:cve |
| CVE28DP*NF** | caf:refrigerator:cve |
| CVE28DP2NH** | caf:refrigerator:cve |
| CVE28DP2NI** | caf:refrigerator:cve |
| CVE28DP2NJ** | caf:refrigerator:cve |
| CVE28DP2NK** | caf:refrigerator:cve |
| CVE28DP3NH** | caf:refrigerator:cve |
| CVE28DP3NI** | caf:refrigerator:cve |
| CVE28DP4NH** | caf:refrigerator:cve |
When to call a technician
Flushing the defrost drain, reseating a filter, emptying a bin and levelling the cabinet are owner jobs on the Caf CVE family. Call when the drain blocks again within weeks of a flush — that usually means a failed drain heater or a check valve rather than debris — and call immediately for any supply-side weep you cannot stop at the shutoff. Water behind a cabinet damages a floor long before it announces itself.
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.
