Water collects in bottom of refrigerator

momto4girls · 10-04-2016, 10:00 PM

just got back from our first camping trip. The fridge worked great, but frost builds up and melts in the freezer--dripping water into the bottom of the fridge. I wondered why the racks had rust on them. There is also rust on the outside bottom of the fridge. Is this normal par for the course? Before we left the campground, I emptied the refrigerator and put a folded towel in the bottom of the fridge to catch the thawing frost. It was wet but not soaked when we got home.

**Bill** · 10-05-2016, 07:22 AM

You are located in the south, where the air is very humid. The humid air is getting into the refrig, and the humidity condenses out as liquid water. There are two ways that all that humid air can get into the refrig. First, perhaps you open the door to the refrig quite often (did you say 4 girls?). Or second, the seal around the door does not seal properly. To check this, run the dollar bill test. Open the door, and at several places around the door, lay a dollar bill half in / half out of the refrig, and close the door on the dollar bill. Now, with the door closed, try to pull the bill out. You should be able to pull it out, but there will be substantial resistance if the door is sealing correctly. If it slides out easily, the seal is shot, and it is likely that air is leaking in past it.

Bill

eddugo · 10-05-2016, 08:19 AM

I'm in the humid south too. On mine, the metal ring that the door seal closes against started to rust and it leaked air causing water inside. I removed the metal ring, sanded, primed and used epoxy spray paint from Ace hardware and the problem is gone.

Craigrrr · 10-05-2016, 12:58 PM

My fridge has a plastic drip tray. Maybe you are missing the drip tray

**Kidkraz** · 10-05-2016, 04:15 PM

I have the drip tray; my fridge parts book refers to it as "drip protection". Not sure you can see it well in the picture, but you can see the drain line coming off of it.
My fridge is the RM2354. I added the parts manual for that model.

momto4girls · 10-05-2016, 09:28 PM

Thanks for the replies. Any one of these things could be the issue. I'll have to check in to it further. Not sure if I have the drip protection tray--I'll look more closely next time I'm there (we can't park it at our house, so it's at storage).

Thanks, y'all!

**Bill** · 10-06-2016, 11:59 AM

KidKraz -

You have a Dometic refrigerator? I have good memories of the Dometic in my 2002 TM, but I didn't realize that TM had gone back to it. Meanwhile, the Norcold N300.3 units don't have a drip tray, or at least mine doesn't. Wish it did.

Bill

**Kidkraz** · 10-06-2016, 01:58 PM

Yes, sir that is the fridge that was in my TM when I got it.

**Kwantau** · 10-06-2016, 03:42 PM

My 2011 2720 has a drip tray in the Norcold. It fits into to small grooves in the side of the fridge right under the cooling fins. It does not however have a drain tube. You have to carefully slide it out to drain the water from it.

Craigrrr · 10-06-2016, 06:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kwantau

My 2011 2720 has a drip tray in the Norcold. It fits into to small grooves in the side of the fridge right under the cooling fins. It does not however have a drain tube. You have to carefully slide it out to drain the water from it.

That is the type I have as well. Manual water throw out