A Fisher Paykel fridge leaking water is most often caused by a water supply fitting or filter that is not sealing, a blocked defrost drain, an ice maker that is overflowing, or a door that is not closing and letting humid air condense. Where the water appears gives the first clue: water on the floor at the front or underneath points to the supply line, filter or drain pan, water inside the cabinet points to the defrost drain, and a puddle or ice in the freezer points to the ice maker or the door seal.
Where is the water coming from?
Before you touch anything, dry the floor and the inside of the cabinet, then watch for an hour or two. A fridge that leaks only after a defrost cycle behaves differently from one that drips steadily from the water line. Note whether the water appears at the front edge, underneath near the toe grille, at the back or inside. Photographs help when you describe it to a technician.
If you think the water line is involved, close the shutoff valve on the wall first. If the water has reached the floor around the cord or the outlet, do not touch the plug with wet hands or while standing in water. Switch off the fridge’s circuit at the breaker with dry hands and a dry floor instead, and move the food into coolers if you need to.
Is a loose water filter or supply line the cause?
This is the most common cause when the water is on the floor. A filter that has not been seated and turned fully, or a filter housing that was disturbed, will drip steadily. Our guide to replacing the Fisher Paykel refrigerator water filter shows how a cartridge should seat. Remove it and reinstall it carefully, making sure it clicks into place.
Next, look at the supply line behind the refrigerator and the valve on the wall. A wet fitting, a damp wall or a line that has been kinked or crushed when the unit was pushed back is the sign. The supply line should be a metal or braided line, as set out in the Fisher Paykel refrigerator installation guide. Never use force on a plastic fitting. If a hose is cracked or a fitting keeps weeping, shut the water off and call for help rather than patching it.
Could the ice maker or dispenser be leaking?
Yes. An ice maker that is not shutting off properly, or a fill tube that has frozen, can send water past the mold and onto the freezer floor, where it freezes into a sheet of ice that later melts onto the kitchen floor. A dispenser that drips after you release the lever is also a candidate, and so is a filter that is not seated correctly. Our Fisher Paykel ice maker troubleshooting guide and the page on the water dispenser not working cover those checks. If the ice maker is overflowing, switch it off, remove the ice and let the area thaw with the door open before you restart it.
Is the defrost drain blocked?
Many refrigerators melt the frost from their evaporator from time to time. On many models the meltwater runs down a drain to a pan underneath the unit. If the drain is blocked by food debris or ice, water backs up and spills into the compartment or onto the floor. The exact location of the drain and the pan differs by model, and reaching the pan on a built-in unit can mean removing a base grille. Do only what your owner’s manual describes, and leave anything that needs panels removed to a technician. A blocked drain often shows up together with frost on the back wall, and our page on refrigerator frost buildup explains that link.
Is the door seal letting in humid air?
A door gasket that is torn, dirty or slightly open lets warm, humid room air flow in, and that moisture condenses on cold surfaces and runs down the back wall or drips to the floor. Wipe the gasket with warm water and a mild soap, because a film of dried spills keeps it from sealing. Check that nothing sticking out of a shelf holds the door ajar. Also check that the fridge is level and tilted slightly back, because a refrigerator that is not level may not close on its own, which is also a common cause of seal trouble. Our guide to annual Fisher Paykel refrigerator maintenance has a yearly checklist that covers the seals and the drain area.
When should you call a technician?
Call when the leak returns after you have reseated the filter and checked the line, when water is near the electrical parts or the water appears to come from a sealed area you cannot reach, or when food is warming up. A technician can trace the water to its source and replace a valve, tube or seal. A part swap is usually far cheaper than a new unit, and our Fisher Paykel refrigerator repair page explains how a visit works. Do not keep running the ice maker or dispenser while the supply line is leaking.
