Hotpoint FFA71 wetting our floor...help pls!

[Entrepinoy2542]

Hi! We have a 4 year old(hence out of warranty already) Hotpoint FFA71 refrigerator and for 1 month now we've noticed that we always get a wet spot underneath the ref on our laminated flooring. It used to be that we can see bits of frosting on the inside back panel of the upper compartment which we interpret as really nice cooling job being done by our ref BUT now the inside back panel don't get frosty anymore...maybe those frosty bits are melting now on our not very efficient ref already(my own amateur assesment) thus causing water to drip down to the floor. What could be causing this? We're still getting cold stored water from it and foods & vegetables still stay fresh...it's just that everyday we get a wet spot underneath the ref which had dripped from the upper compartment. The freezer below we have no problem. Thanks and I hope you could help me troublehoot and fix this.

[andywill]

As a start there are a few things you can check.
Check that the (usually) plastic vapouriser tray at the back is not leaking (melted) or overflowing.
Check that the drain hole in the fridge compartment is not blocked
Check that you don't have ice forming on any un-insulated pipework at the rear.
Check that you don't have any ice forming on the outside of the freezer section anywhere including around the door seal.
Report your findings back here.
I'm sure if anyone else can think of something they will let you know.

[Entrepinoy2542]

Thanks andywill, I think we're only a few steps from solving my problem. I believe it is a case of blocked drain hole in the fridge compartment that is causing water(melted frost bits on the inside back panel ie sort of like beads of perspiration) to collect on the lowermost part of the fridge compartment and eventually dripping down all the way to our floor. What I did was take out all the contents of the fridge compartment to look for and identify the drain hole and I was surprised when I saw it at the inside back panel(didn't know a drain hole ever existed there). I noticed that the drain hole is filled with water, overflowing actually, and the water is not going down. What could be blocking it? What can I do to find out? Is it safe to poke on the drain hole using a piece of wire to attempt to unblock whatever is stuck in there? How can I ensure it's patency and where does the drain hole eventually leads into? Again, thanks and I'll be waiting for your reply.

[344martin]

Alength of plastic coated curtain wire (the stuff you put net curtains up with) is excellent for the job. Get some from a hardware/haberdashers shop or very often to be found in convenience stores in a little plastic pack on a stand where they have fuses/needles/plasters/puncture kits et.c. Poke it down the hole as hard as you like, there's nothing to damage. the drain leads to an evaporation pan fixed to the top of the compressor and the water from the fridge evaporates with the heat generated by the compressor

[retrof]

Should we suggest to empty the drain pan (water tray) first before clearing the drain hole? Just to be safe, better than moping later on the wood floor.

Another thought. If you own a pet now would be a good time to check for pet hair near the coils and give it a good vacuuming.

[Entrepinoy2542]

Thanks for all your replies guys! I 've removed the drain pan underneath and was surprised to identify 2 holes under the fridge: one hole(hole 1) directly drains the soapy water I've used to test the patency of the drainage after poking the drain hole on the fridge compartment with a wire from top(I believe I have now unblocked whatever is clogging it). I am curious though on the other hole(hole 2) which has a black rubber tubing attached to it and which attaches(male-female) to the drain pan. Is it supposed to drain the freezer compartment? Or am I supposed to get drainage from it also when I pour soapy water on the drain hole on the fridge compartment? Well, I'm not really sure if it(hole 2) is a proper hole(I didn't poke on it upwards to check for patency) but what could be the purpose of the black rubber tubing attached to it? I don't suppose it is there only to anchor the drain pan because the drain pan have 2 proper attachments with screw to secure it underneath.

As an update...six hours have passed after I've got drainage from hole 1 underneath and so far the drain hole on the fridge compartment remains open whereas before it is filled with water and actually overflowing. And yeah, no more puddle of water on our flooring. Will continue to observe in the next couple of days.

[ractaan]

yes ur analysis is correct we have as you refr has two compartment hence two different drain holes but one tray!!!!!!!!!!!!