New fridge and hardwood floor - need help! (vinyl, vacuum, drain)
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We bought a new GE Profile side by side, counter depth fridge a year ago. Under the left front corner of the fridge, the hardwood floor has become warped. It clearly looks like water damage and it has started warping the cabinet from the floor next to the fridge. I have had repair men come twice and neither of them found anything wrong with the fridge. There is never any moisture on the floor. We have pulled out the fridge and felt underneath. We had the builder of our house go under the house in the crawl space and check for leaks twice. Plus, when the termite guys were here, I asked them to look for water, and they saw nothing. I have no idea where the water is coming from but clearly there is moisture from somewhere. I am checking here thinking maybe someone could give me some ideas. Could there be moist air or condensation blowing from the bottom of the fridge? Could there be a periodic leak that we don't notice because it only happens sometimes and dries us before we catch it? It is the section of the fridge below the freezer which contains the water dispenser, ice maker, and the filter. Could the filter be clogging and causing a leak? We did replace the filter one time. Occasionally we get a few drips on the floor from the water dispenser but a few drips could not cause this much damage. Does anyone have any suggestions? I am not sure what to do - call another repairman? Get rid of the fridge and start fresh?
Pull the fridge out and put paper towels under as much of the fridge as possible. See if the towels get wet at any time during the day or night. It may leak, or drip when defrosting and you do not see it and it dries up before you can spot it. Watch the paper towels to see if they get wet at any spot under the fridge.
It may be inconvienent to have the fridge pulled out but it will be easier to spot the problem if the problem is the fridge. Put paper towels under all the edges of the fridge and under the front area as much as possible. One layer of towel is all you need all aroiund the fridge.
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There is a drain hole in the bottom of the freezer. It is supposed to go into a pan, and evaporate. Seems like your drain tube might be missing the pan, and hitting the floor.
According to the GE owners manual (you did read it, right?), the situation you describe is ice cubes getting lodged in the dispensing chute. Apparently, after be lodged they melt and the water finds it's way to the floor.
My first thought was the same as SRF- either the drain water (from the defrost cycle) wasn't making it to the pan or, there was more water than the pan could handle. The drain tube is a solid piece so I doubt it's not over the pan. If it is determined that there is an abundance of water the pan can't handle (which shouldn't be the case based on your location of water- if the floor is in fact level), then the problem is the defrost cycle and/or the doors are being opening too often or are left open too long.
Another potential problem could be the sealing gasket around the doors. If they're not laying correctly they're not sealing. Check alignment of the doors. Also, sometimes the levelness of the unit can be off just enough to allow the doors not to seal properly. A fridge should be slightly higher in the front- this allows the doors to self-close and provide enough force on the seals to be tight.
Your hardwood floor became wet and got ruined? No way that can't happen. For dozens of years customers walked into my store saying particle board cabinets are a curse word and they don't want that crap in their home because if it gets wet it's trashed. Hmmmmm now I hear wood can also be trashed if it gets wet? My ears are playing tricks on me.
Wow after 33 years in this business I heard someone speak the unspoken facts. Folks, if wood gets wet.......and particle board as well as plywood are both man made wood products, they will get trashed. Neither are superior.
Now....enough of the sarcasm. I agree with everyone above. Sometimes even if the rubber door seal is not sealing perfectly it will sweat like cold water in a glass. This sweat can drip down to the floor. This problem should be easy to find with the advice given thus far.
We have a Sears refrigerator/ freezer set. They are individual units that sit side by side. When we pulled out the fridge, we noticed pretty extensive water damage to the baseboard and hardwood floor in that area. Behind the baseboard was still damp. After looking at photos of our home before the sheet rock went in, and finding no reason why it should be damp, I pulled the back shield off to vacuum the coils and discovered the drain hose from the condenser had come off. It is supposed to drain into a pan under the unit and evaporate. I'm not 100% sure it was hooked up when we bought it. Anyway I put a hose clamp on it for my peace of mind and put it back on. There is not a lot of water coming out of this hose but it's enough to add up over time.
Your hardwood floor became wet and got ruined? No way that can't happen. For dozens of years customers walked into my store saying particle board cabinets are a curse word and they don't want that crap in their home because if it gets wet it's trashed. Hmmmmm now I hear wood can also be trashed if it gets wet? My ears are playing tricks on me.
Me thinks you never used cypress, teak or mesquite, or live oak, and did a comparison.
I think I will build my next boat dock out of particle board.
Wow after 33 years in this business I heard someone speak the unspoken facts. Folks, if wood gets wet.......and particle board as well as plywood are both man made wood products, they will get trashed. Neither are superior.
Now....enough of the sarcasm. I agree with everyone above. Sometimes even if the rubber door seal is not sealing perfectly it will sweat like cold water in a glass. This sweat can drip down to the floor. This problem should be easy to find with the advice given thus far.
At least we agree on one thing.
Mine in green.
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Water damage behind fridge
