"leaking" fridge has caused trim to start rotting

[oldschoolhdmike]

so several months ago i noticed below my fridge there is a square access panel that had a bubble in it. i took it off and sure enough one corner was a little wet. there is not leaks under the fridge, so i found out the water is coming from the fridge during a defrost and it leaks right down through the door mount holes on onto the wood paneling. which is not wood. So i did what i thought might fix the issue and siliconed up the mount area and screw holes. then when it is defrosted i would leave towel at the bottom to soak up the water. well, about a month later it is worse and has spread to the panel to the side of the fridge. Even if i figure out how to fix the fridge from leaking down there, now i have a panel i have no idea how to replace and make it match. The access panel i can order and it is cheap but i do not want to replace it until i fix the leaking. My rv gets used quite a bit and even though i keep it plugged in sometimes i leave the fridge off/ open and clean it. so this is where the water is coming from, just melting/defrosting. any ideas? i have pictures but do not know how to attach them....

[John_Wayne]

When you put that drain tube outside make sure you have a little bend in it (p-trap) like your sinks so warm air can't get into the frig. via the drain tube.

[Atlee]

My Norcold came with a drip pan external to the fridge, but inside the exterior vent. I guess the idea was for the water to drip in the pan, and let evaporation take care of the water. However, I was always afraid evaporation would not take care of the water and the excess water would splash out of the pan.

I solved that problem. I just stuck the drain line outside the fridge vent. Now any excess water from the fridge drops harmlessly to the ground.

[oldschoolhdmike]

the drain tube is clear and does not stick out but it sticks out far enought to drop the water out of the openings on the access door. tomorrow i am going to put some water in there and see if it comes out of the tube. the drip tray looks like a crappy design, not sure how it is suppose to funnel water to where it is suppose to be. every time the fridge defrost, there is a puddle of water in the freezer and in the fridge. i soaked it up with a towel last time while it defrosted. but the damage had already been done....









i have priced some replacement panels from forest river once i get this worked out. The RV is for sale so I want it to be in good order and how i would want to buy it if it were me looking. If i could i would just replace with real wood but there would be no way to match that wood color....

[wa8yxm]

Yup was sure it was dometic

There is nothign wrong with the design of the dometics IF YOU FOLLOW THE DIRECTIONS and extend the drip tube to the outside so it drips on the ground

Alas.. as I said when my rig was new the factory did not. the dealer did not (I did eventually) and when they did the Dometic Recall a while later again the dealer did not even though the technician said "I always do" of course I did it even before I set foot inside.

That is the problem. Failure to follow instructions.

[oldschoolhdmike]

i will check tonight. it is a dometic 6cuft but not sure of "model"

[beemerphile1]

Knowing brand and model of refrigerator would go a long ways in trying to give advice.

[opnspaces]

That stinks, why is it so hard for manufacturers to come up with a working system. What kind of refrigerator do you have? Can we get the model number (probably on a sticker inside the door) What year is the coach (helps us get a rough idea of the refrigerator year) Below are some of my thoughts.

My Norcold also has a drip tray under the fins in the refrigerator. If I remember correctly the drips have to land on something that channels the water into the drain tube.

I would inspect the drip tray on yours and see if it's intact and funnels the water out through the drain tube. You'll find the tube in the back of the refrigerator if you open the outside hatch. You should be able to route the house outside the coach, or put a little catch pan under it to keep the water off the wood.

Pour a tiny bit of water into the drip tray and see what happens. It really only needs a little bit, like 1 ounce is probably too much. Does the water make it to the end of the tube behind the refrigerator?

[wa8yxm]

\Dometic????

Two things on the Dometic fridge you need to know.
ONE there is a plastic tray under the fins. this is a DRIP tray. do not put anything on it. make sure the drip outlet lines up with the thing below it to catch the drip.

OUtside there is a tube may be black or white. generally ribbed. the end is plugged with a thingy This is supposed to exit via a vent hole in the cover so it DRIP DRIP DRIPs on the ground.

When mine was new it was still inside so it driped on a terminal board and what you see is what I got

WHen I had the recall done the technician said "I always put it out" he Lied.

[oldschoolhdmike]

[PartyOf_Five]

My exterior panel behind the fridge is soft and we ruled out the vent pipe above, a leak from the shower nearby, and regular most from the fridge (the collection book is near the pilot flame, which makes any water evaporate we were told). I'm curious what you learn.

[cougar28]

Here's a link to post pic's in your post.

http://photoposting.is-great.net/