Fridge collecting water at back ?

[Mike]

Hi all

Recently noticed a strange damp smell coming from behind the fidge.....

Pulling the fidge out there is a sort of white plastic container (see picture attached) where water had collected and built up over 3 years and was the sorce of the smell.

Any ideas what it ????

Thanks

Mike

[Chimaera]

Has it got an automatic defrost? It could be water from insode the fridge - just throw it away and clean it out before you put it back!

[Delta Whiskey]

Originally Posted by Chimaera

Has it got an automatic defrost? It could be water from insode the fridge - just throw it away and clean it out before you put it back!

Agreed, it looks like the defrost outlet. If you look inside the fridge, you should be able to see a little hole at the back (sometimes near the bottom) which is the water outlet. It might be worth while pouring some disinfectant (food safe of course) down that hole to get rid of any smell.

DW

[bopdude]

The container on top of the compressor is there to collect any water from the fridge, via the hole insude the fridge, under normal use the heat from the compressor should evapourate the water, maybe your fridge is making to much, check stat settings etc etc

HTH

[greencreeper]

It's what's known as a "design fault". My parents had the same problem. It's supposed to collect water from the fridge and evaporate it due to heat from the compressor, as bopdude says. But the water collects faster than it evaporates, so it builds up. The water goes manky and collects dead wildlife. All you can do is buy a new fridge without the feature, or empty it regularly.

[Chimaera]

Dettox (or equivalent supermarket own brand) cleaner is good - it's anti-bacterial but doesn't smell or taint the food in the fridge.

[bopdude]

A new fridge might be a bit extreme, a sponge in the tray to rinse out on a regular basis or some other absorbant material ????

[Matth]

Check the door seals, if they have deteriorated, that can result in air leakage when the door is closed, and continual addition of condensation.

In the case of the freezer, poor seals mean it frosts up much faster, while with the fridge, it will mean increased condensation on the cold plate

Originally Posted by Matth

Check the door seals, if they have deteriorated, that can result in air leakage when the door is closed, and continual addition of condensation.

In the case of the freezer, poor seals mean it frosts up much faster, while with the fridge, it will mean increased condensation on the cold plate

IIRC, freezing water to the back plate & removing it with a defrost cycle relies on you not opening the door for too long, too often. Poor seals will just let more (moist) air in from outside, afaik, so yes you are right

[lauzjp]

omg, trust people on this board to make a fridge freezer sound so technical and complicated!

[greencreeper]

In short, some muppet designed the freezer without calculating whether the rate of water production would exceed the rate of evaporation. My parent's fridge was fine - perfect working order - but it still (over) filled the water collection tray. Just a bad design. Buy a fridge without the feature.

[Wicked_and_Crazy]

Originally Posted by greencreeper

In short, some muppet designed the freezer without calculating whether the rate of water production would exceed the rate of evaporation. My parent's fridge was fine - perfect working order - but it still (over) filled the water collection tray. Just a bad design. Buy a fridge without the feature.

How do you know it was fine and that there wasnt a fault causing the excess water?

[greencreeper]

I get this at work too

[Cobbydaler]

Originally Posted by lauzjp

omg, trust people on this board to make a fridge freezer sound so technical and complicated!

You mean you haven't got one of these or this?

[AntiSilence]

Originally Posted by Cobbydaler

You mean you haven't got one of these or this?

Oh no.... Not the internet fridges....