Water in the fridge under the veg drawer – what to do?
Difficulty: Easy · Time: approx. 15 minutes
A puddle of water under the vegetable drawer looks like a defect – but it's almost always harmless: the small defrost drain hole on the back wall is blocked. The defrost water can't run off any more and collects at the lowest point of the fridge.
Cleaning it takes about fifteen minutes and needs nothing you don't already have at home. Afterwards the water will go where it's supposed to: out the back into the evaporation tray above the compressor.
What you'll need
- Cotton buds or a pipe cleaner
- If you have it: the green cleaning plug from the accessories
- A small syringe, spray bottle or small jug
- Warm water with a squirt of washing-up liquid
- Cloth and kitchen paper
- Optional: a torch
Step by step
- 1
Empty and remove the vegetable drawer
Take out the vegetable drawer and – if there is one – the glass shelf above it, and mop up the puddle with the cloth. Now you can see the small channel at the bottom of the back wall where the defrost water collects.
- 2
Find the drain hole
In the middle of this channel sits a small opening – the defrost drain hole. This is exactly where crumbs, bits of vegetable and slime build up over time until nothing runs through any more. With a torch you can often spot the blockage directly.
- 3
Clean the channel and the hole
Wipe out the channel with warm soapy water. Then carefully poke the cotton bud, pipe cleaner or green plug into the hole and pull the gunk out. Don't force anything sharp in there – there's only a small drain channel behind it.
- 4
Flush with warm water
Use the syringe or jug to squirt some warm water into the hole. If it drains away quickly, the path is clear – the water ends up in the collection tray above the compressor at the back and evaporates there by itself.
- 5
Dry everything and restock
Wipe everything dry, put the glass shelf and drawer back in and restock the fridge. Take a quick look at the channel next time you clean – that way the hole stays clear for good.
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Upload a photo →Frequently asked questions
- Why is the back wall of the fridge sometimes wet or icy?
- That's by design: the back wall is the coldest spot, so that's where humidity freezes. The appliance regularly defrosts this layer and the water runs off through the channel and the drain hole. Alternating between wet and lightly iced is completely normal.
- How often should I clean the drain hole?
- Once or twice a year is enough – ideally whenever you give the fridge a full wipe-down anyway. As soon as water collects under the vegetable drawer again, the hole is due another clean.
- Where does the water actually drain to?
- Through a small channel to the back, into an open tray above the compressor. The compressor's waste heat makes the water evaporate – which is why you normally never have to empty the tray.