# refrigerator evaporator pan overflowing



## the_man (Aug 14, 2010)

DenishiaM said:


> What makes the evaporator pan of the frig overflow?


too much water :whistling2: might be a question better suited for the appliance guys


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## Grampa Bud (Apr 6, 2009)

Dirty coils under the frig cause part of the problem. All the coils need to be clean as the day the frig was first put in. You need to vacuum them all the way through between front and back of the unit. If you don't have an adapter for the vac that will give you a nearly flat crevice tool that will fit between the coils you can get a bottle brush from the hardware store with a two foot handle that you can clean the coils with the vac sucking up as you go. Also remove the cover from the back of the frig where the circulating fan is under the unit and make sure the fan is still running. While you are back there vacuum out all the hair and dustballs around the fan and clean the blades too. If the drip pan still fills up and runs over you may need to have the appliance gorillas come in and change out the defrost cycling timer buried in the frig.


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## AllanJ (Nov 24, 2007)

Is the door gasket hardened or cracked and not sealing the door closed?

Water in the pan under the refrigerator came from humidity in the air, and the most likely way so much air got to condense out moisture inside the fridge is constant infiltration through a defective gasket (or opening the door too often or a bathroom or clothes dryer lettingout humid air close to the kitchen).


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## DenishiaM (Feb 27, 2011)

*Thanks!*

Thanks, Grandpa Bud!! I've vacuumed but will do a more through job since the pan is still filling and will overflow again if not addressed. I used sponges to remove the water the first time. The fan is running.

I'll continue to troubleshoot and may contact you for a followup.

I appreciate your help.


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## Grampa Bud (Apr 6, 2009)

Allan J Water in the evaporator pan most assuredly does not come from humidity in the air. That water is coming from ice melting off the defrost elements in the freezer walls during each defrost cycle. Normally about every 4-5 days. There should be just a little water in the pan after a complete defrost cycle and none at all within 60 minutes after that. If the pan overflows or is holding water for a day it is because of poor air circulation under the frig and/or blocked air passages through/by the evaporator coils normally found under the unit. Normally it is all that heat from the evaporator that keeps the drip pan dry.


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## DenishiaM (Feb 27, 2011)

*Water filter is leaking*

Hello Grandpa Bud,

I've isolated my problem as the leak continues. The water is coming from the water filter, part # AP3182816.

Can I change this out myself?


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## Grampa Bud (Apr 6, 2009)

Carefully, if it's accessible. Does the frig have a small water stop in the rear of the frig opening or is there just a line going down through the floor?. There should be a shut off for the water line either downstairs or look under the kitchen sink for another small line that comes up through the floor to a shutoff attached to the cold side of your sink. Turn it off and try to draw a glass of water from the frig. There shouldn't be anything - no pressure at all. Get a new cartridge from a hardware store or Home Depot or an appliance shop that is identical to the one you have if you want to replace the whole thing or just tighten the fittings at the cartridge and turn the water back on to look for leaks.


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## AllanJ (Nov 24, 2007)

Grampa Bud said:


> Allan J Water in the evaporator pan most assuredly does not come from humidity in the air. That water is coming from ice melting off the defrost elements in the freezer walls during each defrost cycle. .


Help me. Can you tell me how the defrost elements got wet so as to have ice form on them?


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## COLDIRON (Mar 15, 2009)

Grampa Bud said:


> Allan J Water in the evaporator pan most assuredly does not come from humidity in the air. That water is coming from ice melting off the defrost elements in the freezer walls during each defrost cycle. Normally about every 4-5 days. There should be just a little water in the pan after a complete defrost cycle and none at all within 60 minutes after that. If the pan overflows or is holding water for a day it is because of poor air circulation under the frig and/or blocked air passages through/by the evaporator coils normally found under the unit. Normally it is all that heat from the evaporator that keeps the drip pan dry.


" Heat from the condenser coils and fan keep the pan dry"


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## Grampa Bud (Apr 6, 2009)

Sorry about that Coldiron. I seem to do that more and more these days. Allan J - technicly you are correct as well, but in this case we both got it wrong. A leaking water filter ???? Hoo Boy.


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## COLDIRON (Mar 15, 2009)

Grampa to Grampa I understand what your talking about happens to me a least once a day she tells me.


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## turka02 (Mar 1, 2014)

*Leaking Water filter*

3 cheers for DenishaM, we just found this out the hard way! Soaking wet water filter overflowing the drip tray out behind fridge, thru the floor and into the insulation of the basement ceiling. Must have gogin on for weeks, we got close to 2 gallons of water when we pulled the insulation down.


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## atun willis (Feb 28, 2014)

dirt..u need to clean the parts from dirt, oil, etc


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## Doug46 (Apr 19, 2016)

Grampa Bud said:


> Allan J Water in the evaporator pan most assuredly does not come from humidity in the air. That water is coming from ice melting off the defrost elements in the freezer walls during each defrost cycle. Normally about every 4-5 days. There should be just a little water in the pan after a complete defrost cycle and none at all within 60 minutes after that. If the pan overflows or is holding water for a day it is because of poor air circulation under the frig and/or blocked air passages through/by the evaporator coils normally found under the unit. Normally it is all that heat from the evaporator that keeps the drip pan dry.


Wow I noticed this old post but I have to comment as there is some incorrect information. Now, I'm not a pro but I do know some basic science. The frost that forms in a freezer is mainly from humidity in the air that gets introduced into the refrigerator due to opening the door or leaks around the door. Anytime outside air is let into the cooling space, it brings with it moisture, which forms as frost on the evaporator - the cooling coils in the freezer. Also there may be moisture coming from food or liquids that you have stored in your refrigerator, which are not well sealed. During normal operation, the condenser (not the evaporator) gets hot, and that heat may be used to help dry the defrost pan.


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