The answer first
Water at a refrigerator comes from one of three places: the defrost drain that has blocked, the ice and water plumbing, or condensation caused by a door that is not sealing. On a Criterion a drain pan that is cracked, displaced or overflowing comes first, because a machine that has just been installed or moved is far more likely to be reporting its setup than its age, and setup faults appear immediately rather than gradually. Clearing a defrost drain, checking the water line and adjusting doors are owner work; a drain pan or an internal water valve is not. The order below is written for a unit that is new, newly installed or recently moved; a machine that has run in the same spot for years ranks differently.
The observables
- Drips from the dispenser or a wet patch under the ice maker — The supply plumbing rather than the defrost system.
- Water pooling under the crisper drawers — The classic blocked defrost drain — melt water backing up inside the cabinet.
- Ice building on the freezer floor in a flat sheet — The same blocked drain, freezing before it can escape.
- NEAR MISS — Water inside the fresh-food compartment only after heavy loading — Warm humid air entering as the door opens; check the gasket before anything else.
Causes, most likely first
- A drain pan that is cracked, displaced or overflowing — Ranked first here: a machine that has just been installed or moved is far more likely to be reporting its setup than its age, and setup faults appear immediately rather than gradually. Melt water collects in a pan over the compressor and evaporates; a pan knocked out of place during cleaning or a move spills instead.
- A humid room and a cabinet with poor clearance — Ranked second: In a hot humid kitchen with a cabinet jammed into a recess, condensation forms on the outside and on the door frames, which reads as a leak.
- The water supply line, its valve or a push-fit joint — Ranked third, and last: Cabinets with an ice maker or a dispenser carry a plumbed supply, and its joints and shut-off valve are behind the cabinet where a leak runs unseen. What feeds a machine changes when the machine changes rooms, so on a recent installation the taps, drains, vents and outlets are the first suspects.
What to check first, second, third
- Look at the pan under the cabinet at the back — A pan sitting crooked or full to the brim explains water on the floor with a clear drain. On a machine that is new to its spot this is checked before anything mechanical, because setup faults arrive immediately and wear faults do not.
- Check the clearance around and behind the cabinet — Air has to move round a refrigerator; a tight recess makes condensation much worse.
- Pull the cabinet out and dry every joint, then watch with a tissue — Tissue finds a weep long before a hand does, and it identifies the joint.
The checks you can do yourself
- Close the supply valve and check whether the leak stops — If the water stops with the valve closed, the fault is on the supply side; if not, it is the defrost drain.
Tools: tissue, towelsAbout 20 min
- Clear the drain with warm water poured slowly through it, then check it runs to the pan — Do not force wire into the tube — it is easy to pierce.
Tools: warm water, turkey baster, towelsAbout 35 min
- Stop here if the next move needs a meter on live terminals — That is where an owner check ends and a service call begins.
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. Refrigerant is licensed work: oil or a hiss at the compressor means stop and call, and two people move a cabinet this size.
Where an owner fix ends
Call when the defrost drain runs freely, the gaskets seal, the supply valve is proven and water still appears — a cracked pan or an internal valve needs the cabinet moved and opened. One line to keep in mind while you wait: A refrigerator holds food safely at 40 °F (4 °C) or below.
Nearest pages of this class
What this page does not cover
This is the family-agnostic page for Criterion refrigerators. Nothing more specific exists to send you to at the moment; a model-level page, once written, is linked here and is the better answer. Deliberately not here: wiring colours, resistance values, torque figures and part numbers, which differ between families.
Lead Appliance Repair Technician · 12 years experience
Experienced technician with 12 years specializing in washing machine and dryer repairs across all major brands.
