- Area
- South Tampa
- Unit
- Refrigerator
- Symptom
- Water leaking from the freezer side
- Found
- The defrost heating element was not working and the drain system was clogged
- Outcome
- Cleaned the drain system and replaced the defrost heating element
Report by Sam Ralin, owner and senior technician
A refrigerator in South Tampa was leaking water from the freezer side. Two problems were working together. The defrost heating element had stopped working, so frost built up on the evaporator coil. And the drain that should carry defrost water away was clogged.
The technician cleaned out the drain system and replaced the defrost heating element, along with a wire harness for it.
Why freezers leak
Every defrost cycle produces water. It is supposed to run down a small drain to a pan under the refrigerator, where it evaporates. When the drain clogs or freezes, the water overflows inside the freezer and ends up on the floor. A leak from the freezer side is almost always the defrost system or its drain.
