Repair Guide: Whirlpool Refrigerator - Water in bottom of fridge under drawers.

[AJ]

Whirlpool Refrigerator Model: ET17HKXMWR1

Customer complaint: I have to keep cleaning water up from underneath the refrigerator crisper drawers

Solution to the problem: Clean the refrigerator defrost drain tube.

Everytime the refrigerator goes into a defrost cycle (every 8-10 hrs) the water that is created should run down a tube to the bottom into a pan at the bottom of the refrigerator.

If the defrost drain tube gets plugged up then the water will back up and not be able to drain into the pan.

Sometimes the water will back up into the freezer making a sheet of ice on the freezer floor. Other times water will back up into the refrigerator section  and run under the crisper drawers or drip from the ceiling of the refrigerator. It all depends on were the defrost drain tube is plugged up and how they run the tube on your model refrigerator.

On this example the water from the defrost cycle runs into a little cup behind the controls in the refrigerator.



First disconnect the power to the refrigerator.
Then remove the light cover and the two srews that hold the control cover in place.



Now you will be able to see were the black defrost drain tube comes down from the ceiling and drops into a cup. The water from the defrost cycle (on this model) runs into the cup and through the back wall of the refrigerator. From there is runs down the back wall of the refrigerator into the drain pan at the bottom.

Remove this cup by simply pulling it toward you. Many times I find that this cup is plugged up with junk. If so just clean it out.



In this case the cup was clean so we need to keep looking. When I looked into the tube on the back wall were I just removed the cup I could see water sitting in there. I should not be able to see what in there as it should be draining down the tube.

Now we need to get to the back of the refrigerator. On the back you will see a plasic elbow that goes though the back of the refrigerator wall.




Remove the defrost tube and the two srews and pull the elbow out of the wall.



Once I got the elbow out I could see that this is were the defrost drain tube was plugged.

Instead of the water draining like it should down the tube in the back of the refrigerator it would back up the cup we removed from inside the refrigerator. Then it would drain down the inside back wall and under the crisper drawers.

Take it to the kitchen sink and clean it out.



Now put everything back together and plug the refrigerator in.
You should no longer have to clean up any more water under the crisper drawers.


Please feel free to post any feedback or questions you have on this repair guide.

[paul]

Just wanted to say thanks for the guide.
My refrigerator had been doing just that all summer, but not any more...

My wife is going to be so happy not having to clean up the water anymore.

Our refrigerator is kind of old now so we did not want to spend the money to have a service tech come out to look at it.

Thanks so much.....

[AJ]

Welcome to the forums paul.
Glad you found the repair guide helpful.

It will be a weekend project for me to atleast get one guide a weekend done.
If there is a repair guide you ever have in mind that you would like to see me do please let me know.

Thanks for checking us out..

[curtis]

I use to live in a rental house a few years back that had a refrigerator that had water under the crispers all the time.

The landlord tried to fix it a couple times and then gave up.
Not sure what he ever did, but I bet it was not this, lol..

I would bet I could fix it now.