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We are moving into our new home by the end of this month. while doing appliances research some people mentioned that refrigerator leakages has ruined their wood Floor.
Can some one tell me what precautions would be good ?
I am thinking of putting a carpet below the fridge
putting a pan below the water pan (for some reason if refrigerators water pan leaks it will get collected to the pan I add)
Just a square of sheet flooring remnant would be more than adequate. Carpet wouldn't be as good because the moisture can migrate through it. The pans don't leak, IME.
The "leakage is condensation on an exposed "cold" part of the refrigerator. I suggest inspecting the works and recover any displaced insulation. That should stop the dripping. Put the refrigerator on some kind of rollers of sliding device and check and clean it coil in the back every year.
The majority of most "leaks" can be attributed to water supply lines for icemakers/water dispensers.
Especially solid copper lines when the fridge get pushed and pulled a lot. The newer poly (nylon reinforced) lines are much better. But only for one-time use. Once the line is disconnected it should be discarded. The rubber washer that is inside the connector is compressed and therefore unreliable.
Just a square of sheet flooring remnant would be more than adequate. Carpet wouldn't be as good because the moisture can migrate through it. The pans don't leak, IME.
Listen to a former landlord -- 99% of "water coming out of the fridge" is the direct result of someone not SHUTTING THE DOOR! What happens is the refridge tries to cool and DEHUMIDIFY warm moist room air. That causes the condensate pan to overflow. If you have the fridge properly leveled, don't overload the shelves with giant pans / cakes or stuff things into the door bins that block it from closing that only leaves training the family to shut the thing. Seriously. Had hardwood in all my own kitchens. Problem free. Tenants that know better no problem. Tenants that can't figure out how to shut get sheet vinyl...
What happens when moisture gets trapped UNDER the sheet vinyl?
Carpet just does the same thing- it holds moisture.
The experience I have had is that there can (rarely) be times when the pan overflows a little. The total amount of water or liquid appears to be less than a half cup at most. The sheet vinyl will keep that moisture on top. If there was enough to puddle outside of the vinyl on the floor, I would know enough to go "Hmmm, better move the refer out and see what is wrong, lift up the vinyl and check." Please don't tell me I'm the only one smart enough to do that.
Although... I just had to buy a new refer for a tenent. The doofus from the management company had bought a used refer and never bothered to check for a pan at all and it was leaking constantly on the floor until I wrote out the realities. The unit worked for about eight months and a couple weeks ago pfft. I ordered a new one from Lowes w/ an additional 2 year warranty, and if the maintenance guy puts his mitts on it, I'll go down with a hammer to break his fingers.
I would not worry about it as long as everything is working as it should. I had a malfunction in which the water going to my ice maker stuck on and ruined the floor in front of the fridge. After that, we safeguarded against this by manually turning off the icemaker when the bin was full. Its a simple habit to get into, and its worth it for the piece of mind.
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