LESLIE: Connie in Georgia needs some help with a refrigerator. What can we do for you?
CONNIE: Hey. We have a seven-year-old refrigerator, top freezer. When it was about six years old, it started leaking water in the floor.
TOM: OK.
CONNIE: And we just kind of put a towel there because it was still doing just fine. And then it went on long, about six months or so, and then it started dripping out the vent in the top of the refrigerator part.
TOM: OK.
CONNIE: And so we said, well, we’re just going to put a pan under it. We put a pan under it and we caught it and it was still working just fine but now it’s dead. But the freezer’s working great but the bottom part is really hot. And I’m just wondering – you know, I mean is it not that we could fix it ourselves? I mean is it that complicated that we couldn’t go find the parts and – what do you think it is?
TOM: Well, I’m not so sure about the warm issue. It sounds like there’s a problem with the compressor. The leakage issue that you’re describing is probably because there’s a drainage tube that comes off the self-defrosting side of the refrigerator. That’s how it gets rid of the water during the defrost cycle.
CONNIE: Oh.
TOM: There’s a little tube or like a channel that sheds the water to a pan at the bottom of the refrigerator. But sometimes that tube gets clogged and when it does, the water backs up and it can back up into the refrigerator or it can back up into the bottom of the motor area under the refrigerator and just sort of puddle on the floor. And if you can identify where that tube is and clean it, then that usually fixes the leak.
Now that, however, may not be what’s going on here because you’re telling me that the refrigerator is actually dead. And if that’s the case, you know, this probably is not going to be worth fixing. But I want to send you to a website that might be able to help you dig into this a little bit further. It’s called RepairClinic.com.
CONNIE: OK.
TOM: And it’s a really good site. It’s been around for a lot of years. We’ve interviewed the guy that runs it from time to time and he’ll actually step you through the conditions and how these particular types of appliances – you can actually put in your model number or your part number and they’ll tell you how it actually breaks down.
CONNIE: OK.
TOM: And if it’s something that is fixable, they can give you the – show you the parts and tell you exactly how to do it.
CONNIE: OK. Well, I sure thank you so very much.
TOM: Well, you’re welcome and good luck with that project. Let us know how you make out.
