Condensation in Your Fridge? 5 Causes and Solutions

If you recently noticed condensation in your refrigerator, you should take the necessary steps to investigate the situation further. It could be temporary, or it could be the sign of a mechanical problem that requires the attention of a professional. Regardless of what it turns out to be, it’s better to know now than to wait to see what happens.

Fortunately, this is a relatively common problem, and several of the causes are largely harmless. Home Warranty of America helps customers with things like fridge maintenance tips, and we provide warranty protection for homeowners. We will layout five common causes of condensation in a new fridge along with some ideas for solutions. Whatever it is, we hope you solve the problem quickly and easily, so you don’t have to worry about this any longer.

An Open-Door Policy?

Are you a person who tends to open the door of your refrigerator and stare at its contents, wondering what to make for dinner? Are there multiple people in your home who all open the refrigerator door regularly? If so, that could be a cause of condensation in your fridge. Allowing warm air to constantly invade the cool environment creates a reaction that can lead to moisture appearing. Also, it could be an issue with the seals on your doors, so check those to make sure that there are no holes or tears.

Potential Solution: Minimize the amount of time your refrigerator door spends open, discuss the matter with any family members or housemates, and repair or replace the door seal if necessary.

Dense Humidity?

Do you live in an area that’s home to a tropical climate? The reason this could be relevant is that people who live in these parts of the world ultimately get used to a high level of humidity. As much as people adjust to humidity to a degree, refrigerators do not. There could be condensation in your fridge because of the moisture that’s in the atmosphere surrounding the unit, and that moisture will eventually make its way inside the cooling compartments.

Potential Solution: Use your air conditioner and keep the windows closed if that’s an option for you. That should lower the level of humidity in your kitchen and minimize the amount of moisture in your fridge.

Sweaty Produce?

There’s nothing like going to a farmer’s market, or even a high-end grocery store, and coming home with farm-fresh produce. It looks different, it tastes different and it’s almost always more delicious. However, it’s also quite moist, and putting moist food into your refrigerator’s crisper can lead to condensation.. That’s because the moisture could evaporate from the food and find itself at the bottom of the compartment. This can also lead to your food spoiling quickly.

Potential Solution: Allow your produce to dry a bit before putting it in the refrigerator. Different produce will need different amounts of time, but let it adjust to your home before placing it inside a closed container.

Packed House?

Refrigerators tend to accumulate things, much like closets, shelves and cupboards in the kitchen. An overpacked refrigerator can lead to blocked vents in different compartments. When vents are blocked, cold air may not be able to get into these compartments as easily and moisture may appear as a result. This is particularly true if many of the items in your refrigerator are plastic and square in shape.

Potential Solution: If you want to minimize the chance that condensation in your fridge will appear in the big picture, get into the habit of removing things from your refrigerator that you’re not going to eat. It’s easy to let things hide on the back of a shelf, but avoiding condensation in your fridge means avoiding clutter.

Is Your Fridge Level?

Finally, a refrigerator that is not level will not operate properly. In many models, water won’t flow to the drain as it should. As a result, it can remain at the bottom of the unit without necessarily being noticed due to crispers and other compartments that prevent you from seeing what’s happening at the bottom. Ultimately, the presence of this water could create moisture elsewhere.

Potential Solution: Refrigerators come with adjustable legs. You’ve probably noticed that you can turn little wheels at the bottom of them. Adjust those wheels so that the unit is level. You can test that by placing a level along the bottom of the unit. After you take care of that, move the compartments at the bottom of the refrigerator out of the way and get rid of the standing water. That should take care of the problem.