Water is collecting in the bottom of refirigerater, spilling out on floor. Leak in drain pan was caulked by repair man, but water is now statring to appear in the bottom of unit again. Can this be normal condensation, or do we need to replace this 18 year old unit?

It's not unusual for a refrigerator to drip a little water on the floor after you replace the water filter-air trapped in the water dispenser system can make the water dispenser drip enough to overflow the drip tray below the dispenser. You can fix it by streaming a gallon or two of water through the dispenser to eliminate the trapped air.
If water drips on the floor from the back of the refrigerator, a leaking water inlet valve or cracked water system tubing could be the cause. A clogged or cracked defrost drain tube could also cause the leak. Defrost condensate water collects in the drain pan at the bottom of the refrigerator so a cracked or overflowing drain pan can also cause water to drip on the floor behind the refrigerator. Check the drain pan for cracks and clean out any foreign objects that may be inside the drain pan.
Excessive frost caused by a leaking door seal can also cause the defrost drain pan to overflow. Check the door gaskets and replace them if damaged.

Without a model can't pinpoint exact cause but in sounds like a leak in the evaporator drain pan

The evaporator pan in the bottom of you refrigerator may be out of place, damaged or missing. there also may be a problem with the drain tube being bent and not dripping into the pan. It is also possible that the drain tube could be clogged and water could be collecting in the bottom of the refrigerator and spilling out too.

The evaporator pan in the bottom of you refrigerator may be out of place, damaged or missing. there also may be a problem with the drain tube being bent and not dripping into the pan. It is also possible that the drain tube could be clogged and water could be collecting in the bottom of the refrigerator and spilling out too.

Hello,


The water is from the melted frost of the defrost cycle. The drain at the bottom of the back wall of the freezer is blocked so instead of the water draining into the pan where it will evaperate,it's pooling on the freezer floor and freezing, in many case when the floor indent is full the water will leak onto the floor.By pulling the refrigerator out from the wall,there will be a tube behind the service panel on the right side when looking at it from the rear,that tube can be removed and cleared,then clear the nozzle it connects to inside the freezer.

I hope this helps you to stop the leak,
Gene

the drain hole for the evaporator drain pan is plugged,you need to remove rear panel in freezer inside wall,thaw out any ice in the drain hole located under the evaporator coil,then take a small wire and rod-out this drain hole till you get water coming out the end of this tube at the pan located near the bottom of the machine near the compressor

This could be from a couple things, first is that as units get a little older, the drains and pans start to clog because as your removing water from the air, your also removing dirt. Sometimes this dirt builds up on the bottom of the pan and over time, it clogs the drain. This will allow the pan to overflow and spill over on the side that has the lowest spot. One way to tell is to shim up the back about an 1/8th or an inch. If it leaks from the front now, your drain is clogged. If it drains fine and the drip in the back goes away, you have corrosion in your pan and you'll need to take it apart an clean it, aluminum tape it, and silicone it to get back to full operation.

If you have a water filter the water will leak past the filter to the pan if it's clogged up and needs changing.
The defrost water drains to the pan, so if you are having a lot of frost it could fill it up. Excess frost can be caused by leaky door gaskets and frequent door openings.
The condenser fan near the pan should be running when the compressor runs to help evaporate the water in the pan.

When you sealed the holes outside, you trapped the water inside. The unit is designed to let the water run to the bottom of the pan and then go out the holes outside. Try unplugging one of them and see if that fixes the problem. Hope this helps.

Silicone bath/shower sealant should work, the one that smells like vinegar. Also known as RTV.

 

Just make sure the area is dry, clean and free of old caulk.

It'll need to be at room temperature to set properly for a few hours.

 

I have used this sealant on things before that went as low as

-50C. Preperation is the key though.