Common fault
Why is there water under my refrigerator?
Short answer
The color of the water tells you which repair you are looking at. If it is cloudy and there is a sheet of ice sitting on the freezer floor, the defrost drain has frozen shut and the tray is overflowing inside the cabinet. If it is clean, the line feeding the ice maker has gone, almost always at a fitting behind the unit. Both are small repairs. What makes them expensive is time, because everything underneath a built-in is cabinet base, subfloor and flooring.
Hard water is why the fitting side of this fault turns up more here than it does closer to the coast. Mineral works into the compression joints and the inlet valve seat, the seal stops sealing, and a weep starts behind the unit where nothing shows on the floor for weeks. When we replace a line, the fittings go with it rather than getting reused.
The version that costs real money happens in a house that is empty. Grove properties, weekend places and families away on orders from Camp Pendleton all produce the same call: a drain iced over in week one, three weeks of quiet overflow, and nobody through the door until it is finished. If the house is going to sit, get the drain checked first.
Shut the supply off if you can reach the valve, pull anything absorbent off the floor, and call. On the visit we look for where the water is entering rather than where it is showing, which are often two different places, and the pan and the cabinet base get checked before the grille goes back on.
If that matches what your appliance is doing, say so when you call — it tells us which parts to bring, and most of these are finished in one visit.
Reviews
Our Sub-Zero freezer stopped working overnight. We called and had a technician at our Fallbrook home within hours. The repair was fast and professional—saved our entire freezer contents!" - Jennifer M., Fallbrook
- ★★★★★
Excellent service in Valley Center. The technician quickly diagnosed a sealed system issue in our built-in refrigerator and provided a clear, reasonable estimate. Highly recommended." - David L., Valley Center
- ★★★★★
Booked same-day service for our wine cooler in Bonsall. The repair technician was prompt and efficient, fixing the temperature and humidity controls perfectly. Very professional experience." - Sarah P., Bonsall
Appliance down in North County San Diego?
Tell us the brand and what it is doing — we can usually name the likely repair before we arrive.