The short answer
First establish whether the cabinet is still cold, because a warm machine is melting rather than leaking. Then decide between outside condensation, which wipes off the cabinet, and inside water, which collects under the drawers and means the defrost drain.
Where the water shows
- Water running down the outside of the cabinet — Condensation in a humid room.
- A puddle with food softening inside — The machine has stopped cooling.
- Water under the drawers inside — A blocked defrost drain.
- Damp only in humid weather — The room, not the appliance.
- A wet patch that reappears away from the machine — A sloping floor carrying it.
- Not this fault: damp concrete across the whole room — That is a building problem.
Ranked for secondary installations
- Condensation on a cold cabinet in a humid room — First in a garage or basement.
- Defrost drain blocked with debris or ice — Second, and the same fault as in a kitchen.
- Melt because the machine has stopped cooling — Third, and the serious one.
- Seal leaking, so humid air condenses inside — Fourth.
- Drain tray displaced or cracked — Fifth.
- Supply line leaking on the few plumbed machines — Last, and rare on a second refrigerator.
Sort it out in this order
- Check the cabinet is still cold with a thermometer — Melt and leak are different problems.
- Wipe the outside of the cabinet dry and watch it — Condensation returns on the surface.
- Pull the drawers and look at the cabinet floor — Water there names the drain.
- Dry the floor and lay paper — On concrete it is the only reliable tracer.
Owner checks
- Read a thermometer in each compartment — It separates melt from every other cause.
Tools: thermometerAbout 25 min
- Dry the cabinet exterior and see whether it re-wets — That identifies condensation immediately.
Tools: clothAbout 15 min
- Flush the defrost drain with warm water — The same fix as in any kitchen machine.
Tools: warm water, turkey basterAbout 25 min
- Dry the floor and lay paper under and around the cabinet — Concrete makes the source impossible to see otherwise.
Tools: paper towelAbout 15 min
- Improve ventilation in the space if the room itself is damp — Condensation is a room problem with an appliance symptom.
About 30 min
- Stop before removing interior panels to reach the drain heater — That is behind the evaporator.
Water on a concrete floor
Safety
Unplug the appliance or switch off its breaker before removing any panel. A capacitor can hold a charge after the power is off. Keep the refrigerator at or below forty degrees Fahrenheit and the freezer at or below zero degrees Fahrenheit. Never stand in water to operate or unplug an appliance - switch off at the breaker instead - and do not run a refrigerator from an extension lead in a damp space.
When to call
Call urgently if the cabinet is warm and the water is melt, because food is at stake. Call for a drain that will not clear with warm water, since a repeatedly freezing drain points at a defrost fault behind the panel. Condensation on the outside of a cabinet in a damp room is not an appliance fault and does not need a technician.
Other pages for this refrigerator
Scope of this page
Generalized across refrigerator families under this badge, written for secondary machines in garages, basements and outbuildings; where a family-specific or model-specific page exists it is the narrower answer. Not here: drain dimensions, humidity ratings and defrost heater specifications.
Lead Appliance Repair Technician · 12 years experience
Experienced technician with 12 years specializing in washing machine and dryer repairs across all major brands.
