water dripping behind refrigerator

[chiefmickeymouse]

Some of you read my thread about our rental home and the tile breaking on the kitchen floor. Well, the owners finally decided to replace the floor and when they pulled up the two layers of tile and vinyl, lo and behold there is water damage. The tiler said this didn't cause the tile to fail. It failed because the tile was laid directly on top of vinyl and the wrong mortar was used.

The owners called a plumber who couldn't find any leaks. The owners were trying to blame us, but all the contractors said it looked like the damage had been there for years and we've lived here for six months. This all started on Monday, it's Friday and I'm sitting here waiting for a contractor to come and replace the water damaged subfloor in the bathroom.

My question for those of you who are plumbing savy is this: the water supply for the ice maker that is in the space behind the refrigerator is dripping a little water. We noticed it last night and I put a paper towel in to see how much. It was damp in the morning, not sopping, but damp. Is a small amount of water normal, or do I need to call the owner back to get the plumber back out here? I don't want to call (again) if it isn't a problem, but I also don't want the water damage cycle to start again if it IS a problem. Any help is much appreciated!

 

[seashoreCM]

All refrigerators discharge water from moisture condensing out of the air inside during the refrigeration process (just like an air conditioner). If the channels to the drip pan are clogged or the drip pan is missing then this water can end up on the floor.

Any amount of water leaking from the icemaker feed pipe is abnormal. It needs repair. But there can be condensation on the outside of that pipe which is normal. A hand towel on the floor behind should take care of dripping condensation off the icemaker feed pipe but not accompanied by leakage or by condensation from inside the refrigerator.

 

[chiefmickeymouse]

thanks Seashore!