That was the call I received from Beth one day last summer.  With visions of a great insurance claim dancing in my head, I left the office and headed home.  Like a good wife, she already had most of the water dried up and it was obvious water was coming from underneath the refrigerator.

After pulling the refrigerator away from the wall and looking underneath, I could see water dripping from the filter assembly.  I turned off the water valve to the refrigerator and it quit leaking.

I cringed at the thought of paying a $150 service call, then $150 for a part… all for a $699 refrigerator that was 7 years old.  I would just look into the problem later.  After all, it still worked..except for the icemaker and water dispenser.  We would survive.  What’s the big deal with using bagged ice anyway?

Six months later, I learned that a clogged water filter might cause a leak.   The light had come on numerous times reminding me to change the filter but it was much easier and quicker to just reset the indicator.  Five clicks and the light goes back from red to green.  Besides, everyone else does it.

LESSON LEARNED:  Replace the water filter when the red light turns on.  We were lucky.  If we had been on vacation, we would have returned to a huge mess.

HOW?  It’s easy.  Simply locate the filter knob at the lower front of the unit.  Twist left and pull it out.  (make sure you have turned off the water supply valve to the refrigerator)

Take it, along with about $40, to Lowes or Home Depot.  Don’t rely on writing down the number from your refrigerator or the filter.  Take the old one with you.  Trust me.

When you get there and locate the filters, ask for assistance.  Tell them you need “one of these.”  They will look at you like you are a real dumb-ass and then call someone else, because they really don’t know either.

The next guy, or girl, will come over and quickly hand you a box off the shelf.  Make them open the box they hand you and prove it is the same before you buy it.  They may look at you funny.  So what?  Again, trust me.  You can always go to another store for your future projects!

When you return home, simply place the decorative knob from the old filter on the new filter.  Push the new filter into the refrigerator and twist to lock in place.  Turn on the water supply and fill a few glasses of water from the door dispenser to get the air out of the system.

For me, everything worked perfectly.  No more leaks.  The ice-maker now works and I can drink water from the door again.

If there was any such thing as an “ass-kicking machine,” I would back right up to it.

Christmas gatherings without an icemaker were a bitch.

By the way, how often do they say to replace smoke detector batteries?