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My Whirlpool refrigerator is leaking water. I was using the the highest setting #5. My landlord said I probably froze something behind the unit (it is not a freezer that ice builds up in and you have to defrost); he claimed that the temp should be 50F-55F. As I see it, this is not true; 35F-40F is a safe temperature. We are going to defrost the unit for 24 hrs, then adjust the setting so it is 40F degrees and see if water keeps leaking in the fridge. Does anyone have any advice for me? Does anyone know why water would be leaking in the fridge part?

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  • You say it's not a freezer, but does the fridge have a freezer unit on top? Also, 50-55 is way too warm. You're correct that it should be 40 at the highest. Aug 25, 2016 at 3:29
  • it is a Refrigerator with a top freezer , freezer has no temp control , only the refrig,, water is leaking in refrige is it b/c it got frozen ? my landlord wants to defrost everything for 24 hrs then turn back on , but I will need to put it at at least # 4 which makes the temp 40 Degrees do you know about refrigerators ??
    – nancy
    Aug 25, 2016 at 12:35
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    Many fringes are frost free, so they have a short defrost cycle once a day. The drain from that usually goes to a small pan beneath the fridge, where it evaporates. If the hose leaks, or the pan is out of place, the water will exit to the floor. One other possibility is a leak in an automatic ice cube maker. Aug 25, 2016 at 13:30
  • See what @Optionparty said. Except for ice makers, the refrigerator does not use water. It will condense water onto cold parts. Frost free models melt and remove this but if their drip pan is out of place, the hose leaks, or the pan overfills, it will spill. Very old models can have exposed condenser coils that can condense ice and then melt, but I have not seen a running fridge do that in years. Only other source I can think of would be spillage inside that is leaking out. Verify you do not have a pool of liquid in the bottom, say under draws that is leaking out.
    – dlb
    Aug 25, 2016 at 15:04
  • And yes, 50-55 is way too warm. Normally you should be in a reasonable temp range with a middle setting. If you must take it to the highest to get to the 35-40 range the fridge probably needs to be recharged or replaced. Older units low in coolant will not hold temp well so will end up freezing and thawing your food as the condenser tries to keep temperature down.
    – dlb
    Aug 25, 2016 at 15:08

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Internally there are evaporator coils that produce the cold. Condensation will build up on them. There is a drain to the bottom. Often so little water is built up that it evaporates and you never need to empty the drain pan. That drain pipe/tube may be blocked. If the drain is blocked the water will drip into the refrigerator (by design). A fan may have gone out and the coils are iced up. Defrost the whole unit is worth a try - the drain could iced over or the tube could be iced.

A freezer with defrost cycle would not eliminate chance of a drain tube icing.

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