In short
On a Kova refrigerator, the source is usually blocked or frozen defrost drain. Dry the floor, lay kitchen paper front and back, and run the cabinet for a day: where the paper wets first is the most useful piece of evidence you will get.
Symptoms, including the misleading ones
- A steady trickle at the back of the cabinet — Supply-side water arrives continuously and does not stop when the unit stops, which is the fastest way to tell it apart.
- Water appears only every few hours — Periodic water follows the defrost cycle, which places the fault in the drain rather than in the plumbing.
- Damp at the door edges or sweating on the outside of the cabinet — Condensation rather than a leak — the cabinet is meeting humid room air somewhere it should not.
- NEAR MISS — the floor is wet only when the dispenser is used — Spillage and drips at a dispenser are a use problem rather than a fault, and no part will fix them.
What goes wrong here, in order
- Blocked or frozen defrost drain — The defrost drain is the only route melted frost has out of the cabinet, and it is a narrow tube sitting in the coldest part of the appliance. Everything about its position makes it the first thing to block and the last thing an owner thinks of. It is at the top because the evidence for it is visible from outside, and because the alternative explanations all cost money. With a badge like this the practical question behind every check is whether the fix needs a part at all, so the no-part causes are ranked first.
- Cabinet tilted forward so the pan spills — A pan that is simply full is also possible in a very humid room or when the doors are opened constantly, because evaporation cannot keep pace with what the defrost cycle delivers. It ranks below the first only because the first is more common, not because it is harder to find.
- A gasket that no longer seals, so the cabinet sweats — A gasket that has stopped sealing turns the cabinet into a condenser: warm room air meets cold surfaces inside, gives up its moisture, and that water runs down the liner and out at the door. Third in the order: less common than what precedes it, and more work to confirm.
- Supply line, filter housing or fill valve leaking — Anything plumbed for ice or chilled water brings mains pressure to the back of the cabinet, and a fitting there is under that pressure permanently rather than only when the appliance runs. Last: it accounts for the smallest share of these calls, and every check above it is quicker to make.
Work through it in this order
- Look for ice on the freezer floor and find the drain opening below it — Ice sitting over the drain hole is a direct answer and needs no further diagnosis. Start at this check: it is the one most likely to end the job on its own.
- Check the cabinet is level and tilts very slightly backwards — A forward tilt puts the pan out of level too, and water finds the front edge. Second in order, and only worth doing once the first has come back clean.
- Look for frost or sweating on the inside of the liner near the door — Condensation inside and damp at the door edge together point at the gasket rather than the drain. Leave this one until the cheap checks are done; it is the slowest of the three.
Owner-side checks, in order
- Clear food debris from around the drain opening and dry the tray — A crumb lodged in the mouth of the tube is enough to hold water every cycle.
Tools: clothAbout 20 min
- Seat the drain pan back in its clips with the power off — Empty it first so you can see whether it is cracked rather than just full.
Tools: torch, towelsAbout 25 min
- Clean the gasket and the frame, then test the seal right round with paper — Warm soapy water restores a surprising number of gaskets that look finished.
Tools: cloth, mild detergentAbout 25 min
- STOP HERE if the next step needs a meter on live terminals — That is the line between an owner check and a service call, and it is not a line worth crossing for a fault that is already narrowed to two causes.
The part that is not optional
Safety
Unplug the refrigerator or switch off its breaker before removing any panel — a capacitor can hold a charge after the power is off. Never chip ice off a coil or a liner with a knife or a screwdriver: the tubing behind it is thin, and puncturing it releases the charge and ends the life of the cabinet. Let ice melt on its own.
When to call a technician
Call once the drain has been flushed, the pan is seated, the gasket seals and water still arrives. Call immediately, and close the shutoff first, if the water is clean, cold and continuous: a supply leak behind a cabinet can do more damage to a kitchen in a night than the repair costs.
Related Kova pages
The limits of this page
Generalized information. It applies across Kova refrigerators rather than to one line, and where a more specific page exists it is the better answer for your unit. Not covered here: service-manual procedures, fastener sizes and any figure that changes 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.
