My Fridge is Leaking a Green Fluid! (4 Likely Explanations)

If your fridge is leaking a green fluid, there probably isn’t too much cause for concern. While refrigerators may be susceptible to many different kinds of leaks, a green fluid leak is more likely to be related to outside environmental factors than to any serious mechanical failure.

If you notice your fridge is leaking a green fluid, it’s likely to be an issue with a clogged drain tube. Sometimes, condensate from your fridge can build up when you have a clogged drain tube. In this event, water may leak onto the floor. If left unattended for too long, this fluid can promote mold and mildew growth that may give it a green appearance in color.

If you’re interested in learning more about the green fluid leaking from your fridge, read on.

My Fridge is leaking a green fluid – what is it?

There are a few possible answers to this question. First, the leak could be backed-up condensate from the inside of the fridge. If the drain tube that empties into the drip pan is clogged, water can build up inside the fridge. When this water leaks onto the floor it can cause mold growth. Once this develops, the water can begin to appear slimy, green, and murky.

The second possible cause, in the event your fridge is leaking a green fluid, is a chemical reaction between your drain tube, the water from your fridge, and the air. The green fluid may be refrigerant or defrost water mixed with copper oxide, which is formed when the copper tubes react with the air.

Another question to ask is, “Is the green fluid oily or watery?” If oily then it’s probably refrigerant. Sometimes, under certain lighting conditions, this oily substance may appear dark brown or green. This is the third possible explanation for the green fluid.

Why You Might Have a Leak? (& solutions)

Now that we’ve identified the green liquid, let’s determine the source of the green fluid leak. The following are potential causes of a leak of this kind. Read through each one and compare it to your circumstance.

The fridge has suffered physical damage to the evaporator coils

If your fridge suffers damage to the evaporator coils, it will have trouble cooling. Without the evaporator coils, your fridge/freezer combination, essentially can’t do its job. This can lead to food spoilage and ice melt which leads to leaks. Damaged coils are the cause of many refrigeration leaks. Perhaps this is the cause of your leaking water, which eventually turned green due to mold growth.

A previous repair job on the fridge coils was not done properly

Similar to our last scenario, if a repair job or defrost of the evaporator coils wasn’t done properly, the fridge cannot cool itself. This again leads to ice melt that may have puddled up under your fridge and developed mold and fungal growth, giving the water a green appearance.

Wear and tear to the refrigerant cooling system as the fridge ages

Sometimes, the refrigerant cooling system will develop some hiccups in its normal operations. This happens naturally as refrigerators age. If this is the case, you could run into a similar situation to that described above, in which a leak leads to mold and mildew growth.

Defrost water mixed with copper oxide

Finally, this idea, which was described in a previous section could be causing the leaking water from your fridge to appear green. Defrost water passing through the copper pipes in your refrigerator could be reacting with the copper and the oxygen in the air to make the water leaking from your fridge appear green. This is an unlikely event but theoretically possible.

Should you Continue using the Fridge?

This depends on the nature of the problem. If it is water from the defrost cycle, then there is no issue with the continued use of the fridge. If it is refrigerant then the fridge will not be able to cool.

If you don’t feel comfortable approaching this situation yourself, contact a qualified fridge technician. Depending on the cost of parts plus labor and the age of the fridge, it may be preferable to invest in a new fridge instead of repairing the old one.

My fridge is leaking a green fluid summary

The green fluid leaking from the fridge might be water from a defrost cycle mixing with copper oxide or a refrigerant leak, or it could be something simpler, like mold growth in a puddle of standing water that’s gone unnoticed for too long.

If it is water from the defrost cycle, it may be because the drain tube is blocked. Whatever the case may be, green fluid leaking from your fridge is an unlikely scenario that probably shouldn’t cause further concern. It’s always a good idea, however, to talk with an expert who has experience with these types of issues in the past.

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