
Last updated on April 17th, 2024
Dealing with a fridge dripping water or a leaking fridge can be frustrating, especially when you’re unsure of the cause. As an appliance repair specialist, I’m here to demystify this common issue and provide actionable advice for both identifying and solving the problem. It’s essential to differentiate between the normal operation of your fridge, which might include some dripping sounds, and the signs of an actual leak.
Why is Water Coming out of my Fridge?
First – it’s crucial to differentiate between the normal operation of a refrigerator, such as dripping sounds, and an actual leak. It is normal for all fridges to produce a dripping sound, and so too it is normal for water to be coming out of a fridge. We run into problems when that water is not going where it is meant to.
Some refrigerators naturally produce a dripping noise due to the circulation of their refrigerant, which is a normal aspect of their operation and not a cause for concern. Additionally, refrigerators generate water as part of their functioning. At the heart of this process is the evaporator, the component where the cooling occurs, some fridges only have one in the freezer including most frost free models, while others have one in the fridge and one in the freezer, including most cyclic models. Working below freezing temperatures when the compressor is running, the evaporator causes moisture in the air to freeze upon contact whenever the fridge door is opened. In non-frost-free or cyclic models, the ice that forms on the evaporator within the fridge section periodically melts away—approximately every 30-40 minutes when the compressor cycles off. In the freezer section of these models, ice continues to accumulate until manually defrosted by the user. Frost free fridges, on the other hand, are designed with a defrost heater in the freezer that activates periodically to melt away any accumulated ice on the evaporator. In a frost free fridge, these drips may hit the heating element directly, creating a sizzling noise. So, if you’re hearing these sounds or seeing drips but there isn’t actually a problem, rest assured that your fridge is likely just doing its job.
Normal Fridge Dripping
You probably do not have a problem if you can see or it sounds like:
- fridge dripping water with or without a sizzling noise
- water dripping from the back of fridge into a pan
- fridge dripping water from top
- fridge leaking water inside from top
- fridge leaking inside from top
- fridge leaking water from freezer
- fridge leaks water every few days
- fridge keeps leaking water, but the water is not ending up somewhere unwanted

A Leaking Fridge
You have a problem if you’re dealing with unwanted puddles, or water where there should not be water:
- fridge leaking water inside bottom shelf
- fridge leaking water inside under crisper vegetable drawers
- fridge leaking water from front
- fridge leaking water from door
- fridge dripping water inside and it’s making a mess
- water is coming out of your fridge and resulting in puddles or damage
The 5 Causes of a Dripping Fridge
1: A Cracked Evaporation Pan
If you have a cracked evaporation pan the most likely symptoms you will encounter are:
- fridge freezer leaking water underneath
- fridge dripping water underneath
- fridge leaking water from back
- water dripping back of fridge
- the leak started after the fridge has been moved
Water produced by a fridge has to go somewhere. In most refrigerators the water is meant to drip into a drip tray located beneath the evaporators. This tray collects melted ice and funnels it into a drain, which empties into an evaporation pan either atop the compressor outside the fridge or beneath it. Here, the water is evaporated by the heat the fridge expels. Should this tray crack, it can lead to water leaking onto the floor. If your refrigerator starts leaking post move, the cause is likely a drain pan that has been damaged by the trolley during the move. The tray can usually be replaced without much trouble, or it can be removed and repaired with silicone, providing a practical fix when replacements are too costly or not readily available.
This is a common issue with newer Fisher and Paykel refrigerators, whose drain pans are particularly prone to snapping from their mounts when trolleyed from the back. The damage might remain unnoticed for a few hours or even days after the fridge is turned on, with water leaking onto the floor from underneath the fridge, or from the back of the fridge.

2: An Improperly Levelled Fridge
Many people are unaware that properly leveling your fridge is essential to prevent leaks. Recall the water produced during the fridge’s operation; it naturally follows gravity from higher to lower points. If your fridge leans forward, even slightly, water may not drain correctly but instead flow forward, resulting in the:
- fridge leaking water inside bottom shelf
- fridge leaking water inside under crisper vegetable drawers
- fridge keeps leaking water inside
- fridge leaking water from front
- fridge leaking inside from top of the fridge section
- fridge leaking water from freezer into fridge
Most are unaware that properly leveling your fridge is essential to preventing leaks. That water from earlier, remember how it needs to go somewhere? Well it also needs to obey the laws of physics so it will flow from high to low. And if your fridge is leaning forward even the tiniest bit, the water may not flow into its drain as it should but rather it can come forward, resulting in leaks that are inside the fridge, not coming from outside the fridge. Fridges are always designed to lean back, never forward. For fridges with the freezer at the top this usually manifests as water under the crisper vegetable drawers, dripping from the top of the fridge, or leaks that appear to come from the freezer. Usually there is also a puddle at the front of the fridge that may come and go. For refrigerators with the freezer on the bottom, it usually manifests In the generation of sheets of ice on the bottom of the freezer, which can often go unnoticed because it doesn’t cause many problems. To check if your fridge is tilted forward open the freezer door about a third of the way. Does it fallback toward the fridge, stay in place or open further? If it opens further your fridge is tilted forward, if it stays in place the fridge is probably not tilted back enough, and if it falls towards the fridge the tilt is sufficient.
Theoretically, the solution to this dripping fridge is straightforward: ensure your fridge has a slight backward tilt. A minimal incline is sufficient; overly tilting it backward is unnecessary, but you won’t hurt a fridge tilting it back too far. Fridges are equipped with two adjustable front feet: turning them counterclockwise extends them, and clockwise retracts them. It’s easier to adjust these feet with the fridge empty to avoid having to lift the stored food as well. Ideally, two people should perform this adjustment: one slightly tilts the fridge back and the other adjusts the feet until a slight backward lean is achieved. To check the adjustment, slightly push the fridge door open; it should swing back on its own to some extent, but needn’t necessarily close by itself.
However, if your fridge has been leaking for a while, simply re-leveling it might not resolve the issue. Extended periods of leakage can lead to water refreezing in places it shouldn’t, obstructing proper drainage. In such cases, the best course of action is to empty the fridge, turn it off, and allow it to defrost completely for 24-48 hours with the doors open, ensuring all ice buildup melts. Placing towels on the floor will help absorb any water that leaks out during this process.
3: A Blocked Drain
A blocked defrost drain, situated beneath the fridge’s evaporator, will have symptoms similar to those of a fridge that’s not level – primarily water leaking from the inside. A drain can become blocked when common culprits like a pea, soggy piece of cardboard, or fragments of glass or plastic fall into the drip tray. While theoretically straightforward to resolve – in practice – the blockage becomes more complicated. Ice accumulates behind the debris, creating a sort of mini-glacier, because the defrost heater continues to operate without anywhere for the melted ice to go. This ice encases the obstruction, making it impossible to remove without first dealing with the ice buildup.
To clear a blocked drain, turn the fridge off to allow it to defrost over 24-48 hours with the doors open. If you’re pressed for time, applying heat with a hairdryer or heat gun can melt the ice faster, but be careful to avoid damaging plastic components in the process. Boiling or hot water may also work and is less prone to damage, but can be messy and more dangerous.
For frost-free models, removing the panel inside, and at the back of the freezer is usually required to access the evaporator, drip tray, and drain, and specific to each fridge’s design. To find the correct procedure for your model, it’s advisable to search online using your refrigerator’s brand and model along with phrases like access evaporator or remove back freezer panel for guidance. Typically, this panel is secured with screws, which may be concealed beneath caps, as well as hidden plastic clips. You need to carefully pry the panel off after unscrewing, being mindful not to break the plastic components, but usually with more than enough force to break them. This is a task that requires experience unfortunately, and if you’re having your first go at this, expect some breakage of the back panel. Additionally, attempting to remove this panel without first allowing any accumulated ice to melt can complicate the process, as the ice may effectively ‘glue’ the panel to the rest of the refrigerator, making removal more challenging. For beginners its better to wait for the ice to melt out naturally with a doors open defrost. Once the back panel is removed if required, and the ice is melted out, you’ll see the obstruction sitting in the drip pan over the drain hole. Stab it out using a flathead screwdriver and some satisfaction or use a vacuum cleaner to suck it out. Once unblocked, pour a glass of water into the drain tray. The drain isn’t meant to handle large volumes of water quickly, but a couple hundred millilitres should drain in less than thirty seconds if it’s clear.
An alternative but ill-advised approach is to come from the drain hole’s exit underneath the fridge. This can usually be found above the compressor. Using a cut coat hanger to poke up the hole or using compressed air can be effective at temporarily removing the blockage after a defrost, but often the debris will fall back into the hole in days or weeks leading to the same issue.


4: A Leaking Water Connection
If your fridge has a water connection, for an automatic ice maker or chilled water dispenser, this is an obvious source of leaks you should consider, and one that is very easy to diagnose. Simply find the tap that the fridge is connected to and turn it off. If the leak stops, you have found the issue. If the leak continues, turn the tap off, and disconnect the line running to the fridge, we want to rule out a tap that isn’t closing properly too. If the fridge doesn’t leak when the water is off, theres your problem
A faulty icemaker or joint in the pipe work can easily create a leak. Because there is so much variation in water connections and how they are made to and within a fridge, this article will not attempt to cover all of the various ways you might narrow down the issue – we’ve got you some of the way there, now you need to head to Doc Google for more specific information related to your appliance.
5: A Badly Designed Fridge
Sometimes, the root cause of a refrigerator’s leak isn’t a simple fix or maintenance issue but rather an inherent design flaw. When a refrigerator leaks internally despite all efforts to correct it, the design may be at fault, and options for a fix can be limited.
Samsung French door refrigerators exemplify how unique designs can contribute to persistent issues. Unlike more traditional frost free models that feature a single evaporator located in the freezer from which cold air is distributed, these units have separate evaporators for both the fridge and freezer sections. Somehow they have made a mess of the drain in the fridge which often develops leaks which just cannot be resolved. You can lean it, clean it, doesn’t matter – it leaks.
Another case that comes to mind involves a friends LG bottom mount refrigerator, where no amount of leveling or drain clearing seems to prevent ice sheet formation in the freezer. It didn’t matter what I did, the drain always froze over and blocked itself. This scenario suggests a design or component flaw that defies typical maintenance or adjustment efforts. Owners of such models might find themselves manually removing ice buildup on a regular basis, but there simply is no other choice. Sometimes a model is a lemon, and the best way to avoid these lemons is to check online reviews before you buy, and steering clear of new untested models. Samsung have been making their same badly designed model for more than a decade now, don’t be a sucker and buy one of their bad french doors new.