The short answer
A static-cooled cabinet is designed to make water on its rear plate every cycle, so the drain channel is not an afterthought on this platform — it is the main event. Ranked first on this platform: Condensation on a cold plate or rear wall. The checks below follow that ranking, and the first of them need no tools and no panel removed.
What you observe
- Water pooling at the bottom of the rear wall inside the cabinet — The pool sits directly below the surface that made it.
- The wet patch inside arrives in bursts rather than steadily — Bursts mean an accumulation is being released, not a leak running.
- Water under the crisper drawers, and a wet patch at the front of the floor — Water inside before it is outside means it started in the cabinet, not at a fitting.
- NEAR MISS — water only appears after a power cut or a long door-open — That is melt from the evaporator finding its way out, and it usually needs no repair at all.
Causes, most likely first on this platform
- Condensation on a cold plate or rear wall — A static-cooled cabinet frosts its rear plate during the run and melts it during the off cycle by design. It ranks first on this platform because the plate frosts during the run and melts during the rest, and every drop has to reach one hole in the middle of the channel at the bottom of the rear wall; that hole is the narrowest point in the whole appliance.
- Food packed against the cold surface — Anything pressed against a cold plate or a rear vent keeps that surface below freezing through the off cycle. It ranks second here because a static cabinet packed against the rear wall traps the plate and the plate ices instead of melting.
- A blocked defrost drain — Every cabinet that defrosts itself has to send the meltwater somewhere, and it all goes through one small drain hole into a pan underneath. It comes third in the order — a genuine cause here, behind the ones above it on frequency alone.
Check in this order, and why
- Look at the channel at the foot of the rear plate and the hole in the middle of it — The hole is the narrowest part of the whole system and the first thing to check. It leads because it tests the top-ranked cause.
- Look at what is touching the rear wall of the cabinet — A single package against the plate is enough to do this. Tests the second-ranked cause.
- Take the drawers out and look for standing water in the floor of the compartment — It places the leak inside the cabinet in one look and costs nothing. Tests the third-ranked cause.
What an owner can safely check
- Clear the channel and the hole with warm water and a soft flexible line — Keep food a hand-width off the rear plate afterwards so the melt can run.
Tools: warm waterAbout 25 min
- Pull everything a hand-width clear of the rear wall and keep it that way — Do this before defrosting, or the same cause simply repeats.
About 15 min
- STOP here — the remaining causes are diagnosed with a meter, not by eye — Record which of the checks above changed anything. That record is worth more to the visit than another attempt.
Before you start tracing it
Safety
Unplug the appliance or switch off its breaker before removing any panel or reaching into the base — a capacitor can hold a charge after the power is off, and water plus a live compartment is the one combination to take seriously.
When to call a technician
Call once the water is coming from behind a sealed panel, from the sealed system, or from a drain that will not clear from the cabinet side.
Nearest pages of this class
What this page does not cover
This page is written for the Mora refrigerator as a class, not for one family or one model line. Where a family- or model-specific page exists for your unit, that page is the more specific answer and the one to read first. Deliberately not here: part numbers, wiring colours and disassembly order, which differ by family.
Lead Appliance Repair Technician · 12 years experience
Experienced technician with 12 years specializing in washing machine and dryer repairs across all major brands.
