The short answer
On a True Refrigeration refrigerator, a refrigerator makes water on purpose — every defrost cycle produces it — so a leak is almost always a drainage problem rather than a plumbing one. Where the water appears tells you which: inside under the crispers means the drain, on the floor at the front means the drain has overflowed, and behind the cabinet means the supply. A cabinet in a working kitchen is opened many times an hour by people who are not thinking about the door, so load and sealing outrank component failure.
What you are actually seeing
- A puddle appearing at the front of the cabinet on the floor — The inside trough has overflowed and is running out under the door.
- Water behind the cabinet only — That is plumbing, not drainage, and it points at the supply connection.
- Droplets on the inside of the cabinet after each opening — Condensation from room air, not a leak.
- NEAR MISS — water plus a cabinet that is warming — Deal with cooling first: a failed defrost produces both at once.
Causes, most likely first on this refrigerator
- Defrost drain blocked or frozen, so melt water backs up inside the cabinet — Ranked first on True Refrigeration: a cabinet opened constantly makes much more defrost water than a domestic one, so any restriction in the drain shows up quickly. On this one, remember that the door is opened constantly by people carrying things, so load discipline outranks parts.
- A slow leak at the supply connection — Second: it is the one cause here that produces water on the floor with the cabinet perfectly dry inside.
- Dispenser dripping after each draw — Third: it is small, it is slow, and it is the only cause here where the water arrives in the door rather than in the cabinet.
- Water arriving at the ice maker faster than the mould can take it — Bottom of the list, which is the useful part: it produces a sheet of ice under the bin and then water on the floor when that sheet melts, which is a very specific signature.
Check in this order, and why
- First — look for water or ice under the crisper drawers and at the back of the compartment — Water pooling inside the cabinet is a drain fault until proven otherwise, and nothing else looks like it.
- Then — pull the cabinet out and look at the connection and the line with a torch — A dry interior with a wet floor points behind the unit, and looking takes two minutes.
- Third — watch the dispenser for a minute after a draw — A drip that continues after the valve shuts names itself.
- Only then — look for a slab of ice under or behind the ice bin — Ice where ice should not be tells you the fill is overshooting rather than that the cabinet is leaking, which is why it comes after everything above it.
What an owner can safely check
- Find the drain outlet at the back of the compartment and flush it — Take the drawers out, find the trough and its outlet, and ease warm water down it until it runs away freely.
Tools: warm water, turkey baster or syringeAbout 25 min
- Switch the ice maker off for a day and watch whether the leak stops — It is the cleanest single test on this page and it needs no tools.
About 5 min
- STOP before testing anything electrical with the power on — The checks above are all cold checks. Anything that needs power applied is where an owner check ends.
Before you open anything
Safety
Water and electricity share this space. Unplug the cabinet or switch its breaker off before you mop up anything under or behind it, and before any panel comes off. Do not run an extension lead across a wet floor to keep the unit going.
When it stops being an owner job
Call when the drain will not clear with warm water, when the leak is behind the cabinet at a plumbing joint you cannot reach or re-make, or when water keeps arriving after the ice maker has been off for a day. Call immediately if water is reaching an electrical connection, if the floor covering is lifting, or if there is water plus a rise in cabinet temperature — that pair means the defrost system, and it will not fix itself.
Nearest pages of this class
What this page does not cover
This page is written for the True Refrigeration refrigerator as a class, not for one family or one model line. Where a family-specific page exists for your unit it is linked above and it is the more specific answer. Deliberately not here: part numbers, wiring colours, torque figures and any measured value, all of 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.
