If you find water in the bottom of your GE refrigerator, it means something is leaking. This article details possible causes and how to fix them quickly.
Table of Contents
Water in Bottom of GE Fridge – Solutions
In the event of finding water in the bottom of a GE refrigerator or fridge, check the defrost drain. It is most likely blocked by ice, debris or both.
The method of unblocking the drain differs slightly from model to model. Therefore, let us take them one by one.
Top Freezer Model
Take the following steps to unblock the defrost drain in a GE refrigerator top freezer model:
Step 1
Switch off or unplug the refrigerator from the wall outlet.
Step 2
Evacuate everything in the freezer, including the ice. Removing the ice may mean manually defrosting the freezer. So switch it off and leave the door open for about 24 hours.
Remember to store food items removed from the freezer in a cooler with ice packs or another freezer. Doing this preserves them for a longer time.
Step 3
Unscrew the four bolts holding the rear bottom panel of the refrigerator. Then, remove the inside back panel of the freezer compartment.
Gently detach the bottom of the panel by holding it at both sides. Also, detach the styrofoam which is under the panel in order to access the drain hole.
The manual defrost you performed earlier would have taken care of the ice over the defrost drain if there was any.
Step 4
However, if there is more ice inside the drain, use a steamer or hair dryer to melt the ice.
As an alternative, pour hot water over the drain to melt the ice. When it melts enough for you to look into the drain, check to see if there is dirt stuck in it. If there is, clean it by using a stiff wire to push it out.
Afterwards, pour some more hot water into the drain. You can also sprinkle a teaspoon of baking soda into it and flush it with a cup of hot water. But make sure the water runs free and clear before you stop.
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Bottom Freezer Model
If you have this model, it is easy to check the drain for any obstruction without removing the inside back panel in the freezer compartment.
If the drain is frozen or blocked, take the following steps to unblock it:
Step 1
Switch off or unplug the refrigerator from the wall outlet. If you cannot reach it, trip the circuit breaker.
Step 2
Melt the ice over the drain using a steamer or a hair dryer. A steamer is better because it is safer.
As the ice melts, it’s important to monitor how quickly the water flows through the drain.
If it flows out fast, then the obstruction may have been caused by a one-time situation. It may also mean that the hole was just heavily covered with frost.
But if it doesn’t flow out fast, it then means that there is debris inside it.
Step 3
Move the refrigerator away from the wall to access the external drain outlet, which is beside the compressor and behind the refrigerator.
Connect a bicycle or bed pump. You can also use a compressor and apply a little pressure. The debris will be pushed back through the drain outlet into the freezer.
It’s best to evacuate the drain tube from the external drain outlet This is because doing so from the inside may push the debris farther down the drain tube. This will cause a major fault as most drain tubes are built into the refrigerator walls and are not easily accessible.
Because of the blocked defrost drain, water, which usually travels through it to the defrost pan and evaporates, will no longer be able to do so.
As a result, the water overflows back into the refrigerator and leaks to the floor. In the process, some of the water turns into ice and worsens the obstruction.
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Water Not Coming Out of GE Refrigerator [How to Fix]
GE Refrigerator Ice Maker Water Overflow [How to Fix]
GE Ice Maker Does Not Fill with Water [How to Fix]
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Fixing a Leaking Tube Connector
This fault is usually seen in the side-by-side refrigerator models. To correct this fault, open the refrigerator doors wide and go underneath the refrigerator.
Locate and pull out the grill. Some grills are screwed to the body of the refrigerator while some are not. Next, locate the tube and blue connector right behind the grill and firmly push the tube into it.
If the leaking continues, shut off the water supply and detach the leaking side of the tube connected to the connector by pressing the white collar while pulling on the tube.
Cut off a straight half-inch piece of the tube from its connecting end and insert it back into the connector, ensuring it is firmly pressed into place. Then, re-attach the grill.
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Important Note
If there is water in the bottom of a GE refrigerator, make sure you disconnect the refrigerator from its power source before carrying out any of these activities.
Also, ensure that all edibles stored in the freezer are well packaged and tied up to prevent crumbs from falling into the drain tube. The drain tube does not come with a cover.
And if you have the bottom freezer model, it’s necessary to check on its defrost system which consists of the defrost timer, defrost thermostat and defrost heater.
If any of them malfunctions, it could lead to ice build-up in the drain, around the evaporator fan and on the evaporator coils.
In addition, set the temperature in the freezer to the right point – 0 degrees Fahrenheit or 18 degrees Celsius. This is because if the freezer is colder, everything freezes quickly, even those that should not freeze.