Frequently Asked Questions About Domestic Refrigerator Repair:

Water in cabinet causes food to rot?

I have an older Kenmore frig in a rental house I own. The freezer seems to be leaking water into the refrigerator section below. Towards the back on the ceiling in the refrigerator a large accumulation of ice has formed which slowly drips down and eventually fills up the crisper drawer. When I went to look at it the freezer temp was set on 5 (highest). I told the tenants to turn the temp down and call if it continued. Well they called back complaining of the same problems and adding that it was causing their food to rot. It's a frost free so I don't know if this is normal or if there is something wrong. Any advice you have or if you need more information please write. Thanks for your time. Your site is a big help to everyone trying to do it themselves.

Sounds like the condensation drains from the freezer compartment to the evaporator tray near the compressor are clogged. What then happens is the drain trough under the freezer coils fills and overflows. This may or may not burn out the heater under the drain trough (if your model has one). Or another thing that may happen to start this off is a bit of plastic or other debris plugs the drain in the trough. The unit needs to be taken apart, melted down, and cleaned for, left in this situation, the compressor may overheat and become damaged. Ice will block air flow so the bottom of the unit may not be cold enough, causing the food to rot.