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Old 01-06-2023, 03:07 PM   #1
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Refrigerator Water Leak

First time RVer, and new to the forum:

I just purchased a used 2014 FR Georgetown with a residential refrigerator/freezer. I am noticing some water in the floor in front of the refrigerator. I believe it is from the water line in back. I see no way to access this without removing the refrigerator. There is no outside access panel.
Any ideas on how to troubleshoot? Also, how do I remove the unit from the cabinets?
Thanks in advance!

Gene-O
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Old 01-06-2023, 03:58 PM   #2
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Moved thread from the Forester and Sunseeker sub-forum to the Georgetown sub-forum since the OP is asking for Georgetown information.
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Old 01-06-2023, 04:14 PM   #3
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Turn the water line valve

Under the sink off and see if the water stops.


Jimbo
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Old 01-06-2023, 05:00 PM   #4
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Try this

Quote:
Originally Posted by Gene-O View Post
First time RVer, and new to the forum:

I just purchased a used 2014 FR Georgetown with a residential refrigerator/freezer. I am noticing some water in the floor in front of the refrigerator. I believe it is from the water line in back. I see no way to access this without removing the refrigerator. There is no outside access panel.
Any ideas on how to troubleshoot? Also, how do I remove the unit from the cabinets?
Thanks in advance!

Gene-O
Gene, before you take the refrigerator out, try this. Residential refrigerators have an automatic defrost apparatus. It typically cycles once every 24 hours or so. The water drains into a plastic tray beneath the refrigerator. Air blowing through the condenser coil evaporates the water from the tray.

If you pull off the grille below the door (floor level), you can see the tray. Is it cracked? Is it full? If it's full, it's possible that the condenser coil is so clogged that the air flow is choked off. Give it a really good cleaning with your vacuum cleaner.

Let us know if that gets it. If not, you will have to move the refrigerator out. To prevent it from moving, it's anchored. Either there is a strip of wood in front of the front casters (you would see it with the grille off), or there is an angle bracket on the top of the refrigerator, screwed into the wall.
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Old 01-06-2023, 06:51 PM   #5
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Quote:
Originally Posted by bikendan View Post
Moved thread from the Forester and Sunseeker sub-forum to the Georgetown sub-forum since the OP is asking for Georgetown information.


Thank you!
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Old 01-06-2023, 06:53 PM   #6
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Originally Posted by Jc4ut View Post
Under the sink off and see if the water stops.





Jimbo


Thanks Jimbo. There is no shut off. I do not believe this was original to the coach, so not sure how it’s hooked up.
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Old 01-06-2023, 06:55 PM   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Larry-NC View Post
Gene, before you take the refrigerator out, try this. Residential refrigerators have an automatic defrost apparatus. It typically cycles once every 24 hours or so. The water drains into a plastic tray beneath the refrigerator. Air blowing through the condenser coil evaporates the water from the tray.



If you pull off the grille below the door (floor level), you can see the tray. Is it cracked? Is it full? If it's full, it's possible that the condenser coil is so clogged that the air flow is choked off. Give it a really good cleaning with your vacuum cleaner.



Let us know if that gets it. If not, you will have to move the refrigerator out. To prevent it from moving, it's anchored. Either there is a strip of wood in front of the front casters (you would see it with the grille off), or there is an angle bracket on the top of the refrigerator, screwed into the wall.


Thanks Larry!
Don’t see a drip pan. I don’t think this refrigerator is original to the coach, so I’m a little concerned as to how it’s hooked up and anchored.
I’m taking it to a shop in the am to let them check it out. The shop recommended that we just cap the water line to prevent future problems.
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Old 01-06-2023, 09:47 PM   #8
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What model is your coach?
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Old 01-06-2023, 11:08 PM   #9
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Originally Posted by Gene-O View Post
I’m taking it to a shop in the am to let them check it out. The shop recommended that we just cap the water line to prevent future problems.
As you probably know, in a residential refrigerator, a water line is used for an icemaker. If that's the problem capping the water line would be the cheap and easy solution. You can always buy ice cube trays.

However, if the water leak is caused by the defrost cycle removing water from the freezer, capping the water line isn't going to help.

Please let us know what you find out.
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Old 01-07-2023, 09:48 AM   #10
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I turned off the ice maker and no leak. Going to cap it off to avoid future problems.

Thanks everyone!!
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Old 01-07-2023, 10:29 AM   #11
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Icemaker is straightforward

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I turned off the ice maker and no leak. Going to cap it off to avoid future problems.

Thanks everyone!!
The icemaker is very straightforward. The feed line comes in at the lower back and goes to a solenoid valve (water valve operated by an electro-magnet). This is the only part of the system that's under continuous water pressure. If it leaked, you would have a LOT of water.

A segment of vinyl tubing goes from the valve, up the outside of the back of the refrigerator and into the ice maker. This part isn't under pressure since the end at the icemaker is open.

But there is one place to check. If the water wasn't well-drained from the icemaker, it can freeze in the vinyl tubing coming from the solenoid valve. The freezing simply pops the vinyl tubing from the valve. To fix it, you loosen the "compression nut" on the valve, slide the tubing back into place, and re-tighten the nut.

We have a second residential refrigerator in the cabin next to our trailer in southeastern Virginia. The cabin is on a slatted deck. I don't drain the vinyl tubing in the winter because it's a nuisance. Twice in the last ten years the vinyl tubing has popped off over the winter as I described. When I reconnect the water in the spring, each time the ice maker cycles water squirts onto the floor and simply runs through the gaps onto the ground below. When no ice is produced, that's my sign to pull the refrigerator out and re-connect the vinyl tubing.

Feel free to pass this on to your service folks. They could reconnect this line more quickly than capping it, and you could have ice.

And rather than capping the line, they could simply disconnect the wires to the solenoid--they are slide-on connectors.
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