Common fault
Why is there water under my refrigerator?
Short answer
A puddle under a built-in has two likely sources, and both start as small repairs that grow expensive the longer they sit.
The reasoning behind that
Look at the water itself. If it is clear and appearing at the front, the line feeding the ice maker or dispenser has let go at a fitting. If it looks cloudy and there is a sheet of ice across the freezer floor, the defrost drain has frozen closed and the melt is backing up inside the cabinet. In Mission Hills the supply line deserves suspicion first, because in a house of this age that line was almost always added later, run a long way in narrow tubing, and often connected with a saddle valve that weeps rather than bursts.
How the diagnosis goes
The reason we would rather hear about this today than next week has little to do with the appliance. Water that gets under a built-in has nowhere to go and no air moving over it. It runs along the floor beneath the unit and into the toe-kick, and if the floor under yours is original hardwood or period tile bedded in mortar, the damage overtakes the cost of the repair quickly. Refinishing a section of floor that runs continuously into the rest of the house is a far bigger job than replacing a drain heater.
You can narrow it down before we arrive. Pull the lower grille and look for a wet fitting or a damp line running back toward the wall, which points at the supply side. Then open the freezer and look at the floor under the bottom basket, because a smooth sheet of ice there means the drain is blocked and the tray beneath is overflowing. If both are dry and the water only appears at the front on humid mornings, it may be condensation from a gasket that has stopped sealing, which is a door adjustment rather than a leak.
If that matches what yours is doing, say so when you call — it decides which parts come on the van.
Reviews
What Mission Hills customers say
After other repair services couldn't fix our Sub-Zero freezer, these experts solved the problem on the first visit. They truly understand these premium appliances.
Scheduled preventive maintenance for our Sub-Zero refrigerator. The technician was thorough, cleaned the coils, checked all seals, and now it runs quieter than ever. Great investment.
Emergency call at 10 PM when our Sub-Zero started leaking water. Technician arrived quickly, found a clogged drain line, and had everything working within an hour. Lifesavers!
Rated 4.9 from 617 customer reviews.
Appliance down in Mission Hills?
Tell us the brand and what it is doing — we can usually name the likely repair before we arrive.
Questions
Frequently asked questions
Where is the model number on a unit with a custom wood front?
On most built-in refrigeration it is on a plate behind the lower grille, and on some models inside the door frame. In a Mission Hills kitchen the appliance is faced in panels cut to match the original cabinetry, so that grille is the only part of the real appliance on show: worth two minutes with a flashlight before you dial (858) 400-4615.
Do you answer at night and on weekends in Mission Hills?
The scheduling line is answered 24 hours a day, seven days a week, holidays included, so a refrigerator that goes warm on a Saturday evening does not wait until Monday. Same-day service where the schedule allows. If your day is not one of those, you hear it on the call rather than after an afternoon spent waiting.