I just finished mopping up the floor from my wine refrigerator. There was a huge pool of water that apparently started leaking while I was in the shower. Fortunately I was at home when it happened but now I’m not sure of the next step. Does this mean the fridge is shot and needs to be replaced? Can I just turn it back on and it will start working again? I’m mechanically incompetent so any guidance is appreciated.
More details - When I was moving all the wine out of the fridge I noticed a buildup of ice in the back of the fridge. I cleared all that out. I have it turned off now with all wine emptied out.
I saw water dripping from part of the unit in the back. I’ll attach a photo. The dripping was coming from the black tube towards the middle of the photo (not to be confused with the power cord at the bottom).
And just for the record this wasn’t my 25 year old Avanti refrigerator, it was my 3 year old Avanti. They really don’t make them like they used to.
-Maybe more ice built up someplace you can’t see and that’s melting now that you’ve unplugged the unit. (You’re old enough to remember refrigerators that weren’t “frost free” and which needed to be turned off and defrosted. Same thing could happen with a wine cooler.)
Refrigerators typically have condensation pans at the bottom to catch the moisture that naturally condenses on cold units. That normally evaporates off. Moving the machine could easily have caused that to spill. Though I can’t tell from your description, this seems less likely because it sounds like this water is coming from someplace higher up.
Was it cooling after you moved it? If the coolant was leaking, the unit wouldn’t cool much or at all. So, if it was still cooling, the liquid is probably water. And I’d guess that’s from condensation.
The leak happened while it was standing still I only moved it after turning it off and emptying it out so as to clean the water under the unit.
I’m pretty sure it all happened quickly as I was in the room before taking my shower and didn’t notice it (it was a huge pool of water). Also, the floor hadn’t soaked up much water yet.
The icy build-up is usually a sign that your refrigerant level is low, and the unit is working overtime to try to cool it. And like John said, when that melted it probably overwhelmed the condensation pan and it overflowed. You may have a slow leak in your system. I had a similar issue and was able to grab a can of A/C re-charger and an adapter that fit my wine cooler, and filled it up so it could function properly again.
I’m no refrigerator expert but have encountered a number of the following issues over the years that can cause ice build-up and/or leaks:
–check the gaskets on the fridge door to ensure you are getting a perfect seal when it closes. The gaskets may need to be cleaned or replaced.
–If there is a vent on the front of the fridge, remove the vent cover (it may be affixed with screws) and see if there is a lot of lint build-up, if there is, use a dustbuster or vaccum cleaner to clean it.
–I don’t know if your Avanti has a charcoal filter (like my old Eurocave did), but if it does, it may need to be replaced periodically (the Eurocave one had to be changed annually).
–If the bottoms of any of your bottles are touching the back wall of the fridge, that can also cause a leak (no idea why).
–You might have a clogged drain tube. More info on that and a suggestion as to how to fix it here (see item 3): https://removeandreplace.com/2019/02/21/refrigerator-leaking-water-on-floor-how-to-stop-leaks-on-fridge/
Good luck.
