Got a scare today - water on the floor

[RSD559]

The wife called me at work to tell me about it. She's doing some reorganizing in the trailer. The water is coming out from under the refrigerator. So I was dreading the mess to pull out the refrigerator instead of thinking about work stuff. I checked it at lunch. Turns out I forgot to turn off the refrigerator after our last trip about 3 weeks ago. It was set for 110 volt and the trailer has been plugged in the whole time. Ice would build up and it would thaw. The tray designed to catch the thaw was overflowing. I turned it off, drained the tray and cleaned up the mess I made in the process. The tray is actually about an inch and a half deep, and holds quite a bit of water. I'll have to be more careful.

[fla-gypsy]

Mine drains outside into the frig compartment and is caught and evaporates there

[CavemanCharlie]

My 23 year old TT does not have a drain tube. There is just a tray under the evaporator coils on the back on the fridge. I have to remove and empty the tray once and awhile.

As a weekend camper I never need to do it except after I shut the fridge down on Sunday and it unthaws.

[coolbreeze01]

Sounds like it could have waited till you got home. Glad it was not a problem.

[skiles]

gbopp wrote:
Isn't it nice when you have a quick/simple/cheap fix?

And, wasn't it more fun to think about working on the RV than thinking about work stuff? Be honest. 🙂

Very true. OP- I'm glad it wasn't too serious. Thanks for the educational opportunity.

[ralph_day]

I had a water on the floor scare last June. Travelling in Newfoundland, low temps (highs above, lows close to freezing) high humidity. Warm up that air with the furnace and you have warm humid air. That air, in contact with the 1 layer of aluminum wheel wells resulted in condensation. The condensation puddled on the floor in the cupboards and under the tub. Finally ran out on the floor on a particularly rainy travel day. Panic!

Wiped up the wet, after the trip I applied bubble type insulation to the aluminum. Might never get the same conditions, but who knows.

There's nothing like the feeling when you see water running accross the floor of your new trailer!

Ralph

[Old-Biscuit]

Sounds like you have a Norcold Fridge.
They have a =catch pan= next to stack/burner area that food section drip pan drain tube drains into.
Then heat from stack/burner area evaporate the accumulated condensation.

If fridge temp setting is on a 'warmer' setting then less heat generated.

Dometic Fridge routes drain tube outside *thru hole in floor of fridge compartment or via a clip attached to lower vent louvers

[2oldman]

..

[gbopp]

Isn't it nice when you have a quick/simple/cheap fix?

And, wasn't it more fun to think about working on the RV than thinking about work stuff? Be honest. 🙂

[DutchmenSport]

Household refrigerators are designed to freeze, then melt, then the water is caught in a basin (catch pan) and then the heat from the refrigerator is suppose to evaporate the caught water, thus never having to empty the catch pan. Not sure if your's is suppose to do the same, but if humidity is really high impeding evaporation, I can sure see how it might fill up and over flow.

Glad it was nothing more. If you think this may be a problem again in the future, maybe, somehow you can rig up a drain line to catch in a larger bucket or even go outside somehow.

Good luck!

[korbe]

RSD559 wrote:
........ I'll have to be more careful.

Ah, don't be so hard on yourself. It's not your fault. The manufacturer should have made that tray designed to catch the melt a little bit bigger, you know, in anticipation of the potential thaw. :W

[2oldman]

Yeah, what's up with the drain tube?

[RSD559]

This is like a mini fridge. I'll check if it has a drain and it's status tonight after work.

[SoundGuy]

Ideally the fridge drain tube would have allowed that water to drain out ... perhaps it's plugged?

[phillyg]

You're a lucky man, indeed.