I installed 5/8" solid oak flooring throughout the house and glued it to the concrete slab. It's awesome stuff.

It's been installed for nearly two years and I've notice some of the joints near the refrigerator were beginning to separate. I feared a water leak. When I pulled out the fridge, I discovered most of the wood directly under the refrigerator to be dried out and warping significantly. This makes sense now. The evaporator fan (??) is blowing hot air and drying out the wood. The wood is drying out and the dryness is creeping toward the front to where it's visible in front of the fridge.

Solutions? I'm thinking of removing the affected wood and replacing it with ceramic tile - no issues with drying and warping. I can bring the edge of the tile forward to where it hides just from the front of the fridge. Secondly, I'll take my dremel and cut side to side and remove the old stuff. I may need to patch in some new boards (still have plenty of material from original oak installation).

When I reinstall fridge, I'm going to put it on 1" runners so it's a little more elevated and better air flow.

Is there a protective pan that fridges will rest in to avoid this problem (kind of like a clothes washer)?

Thanks
Russ

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Russ59,

You glued solid wood plank directly to concrete subfloor? If so, this may be the first of your problems. I don't think oak has the dimensional stability for that type of application. If it's engineered hardwood veneer that's a different story.

I'd tile under the fridge, it will always be a problem area. Matter of fact, I'm not a fan of any sort of wood in the kitchen, always gets messed up eventually. Of course, as a claims adjuster, I only see people's messed up houses... Maybe there are plenty wood floor kitchens that last decades w/o water damage?

quote:

Originally posted by Russ59:
I installed 5/8" solid oak flooring throughout the house and glued it to the concrete slab. It's awesome stuff.

I regret to inform you that if it's truly solid oak flooring your problems are just beginning.

Real wood "moves" with changes in temperature and humidity, which is why such floors are always "floated."

Also: Concrete passes moisture from the ground, which is why a vapor barrier is always placed between it and anything that may be affected by moisture.

Hardwood glued directly to concrete, is not ideal long term. That you haven't had issues just due to the slab on grade contact, is something.

Concrete is vapor permeable and a poor insulator, and such that any water will easily migrate.

The drying potential of wood means that direct install results in the individual joints opening.

"Floating" the floor is the solution, with a vapor barrier directly beneath. The vapor barrier protects the floor and also aids in insulation.

Insulation is one part temperature transfer, and one part air/vapor movement.

If it's been two years, and the problem is behind/beneath the fridge, you have a pretty stable grade.

It may only be a matter of adding a vapor impermeable surface, like 6mil plastic or better. Increasing airflow around the fridge is a good idea.

Tiling area, not a bad idea.

Hardwood in kitchens and baths is a crap shoot, regardless. Traffic and exposure to moisture can vary wildly.

I see this often too, usually it's 2.25" oak that is dried out and crowned. Do you have the manufacturers info/install recommendations by chance? As others have said, a true solid hardwood is usually nailed in place to a wooden subfloor, not glued to concrete.

Well, I think I can put your fears to rest regarding gluing hardwood to concrete. When I looked into this project, multiple vendors and suppliers said either floating or gluing on concrete in my environment would be fine. I live in a relatively dry area. I measured moisture content on the concrete previous to installation and used a Mapei (?) glue that has a vapor barrier built in. I stressed over this little issue for quite a while and looked at glued floors in my area. With over a 1000 sf installed, the gaps, seams, etc are fine. I don't have movement or areas where the floors coming unglued etc. The floor (Floor and Decor) has held up well and I'm happy with the glued floor. Last winter was one of the wettest on record and I didn't notice any issues with the floors etc.

Back to the issue at hand, the ONLY area with a problem is directly under the fridge.

I will take a picture before removing the old stuff, install tile, and increase air flow. Perhaps there's an exhaust fan I can install that is triggered by the compressor (over thinking the problem ) and would run when the exhaust fan is on. I could dump it into the garage on the other side of the wall.

I'll report back.

As I've seen more refrigerator installs and moved more of them out for service than likely anyone else here, i can assure you it is not a normal issue with hardwood flooring.

As other have said ( a few of them very talented professional remodelers), your problem is the floor installation and not something raising the refrigerator or additions to it will correct.

I wanted to provide an update. I determined that the water supply line to the ice box is the culprit. When the line is charged to refill the ice tray, it spews water at the rubber/plastic fitting where the line enters the back of the fridge. The damage done to the floor is water damage, not being dried up by the condenser fan. Yes, I know the pros and cons of glue vs floating a solid wood floor to concrete. The moisture damage is from the leaking water line, not moisture from the concrete.

I removed the damaged wood, scraped off as much glue as possible, installed tile.

My question to Appliance Brad and others - should I fix the broken filler/spout? Is it as simple as pull out the old filler and fit the new spout?

You should absolutely fix the water leak.

quote:

Originally posted by jimmy123x:
You should absolutely fix the water leak.

Of course. Perhaps I should of asked if the repair is doable? Is it a pressed fit requiring special tools. Or do I need a new fridge?

Currently the water is disconnected.

i had to replace water supply lines too many times. Now, I just buy ice & let the ice maker crush it. Very happy with disconnected water line.

I see water leaks like that often when the fill tube gets blocked with ice. Just the other day in fact. It's possible yours is broken though. Post a model # and I can give you an idea on the repair.

quote:

Originally posted by Appliance Brad:
I see water leaks like that often when the fill tube gets blocked with ice. Just the other day in fact. It's possible yours is broken though. Post a model # and I can give you an idea on the repair.

Bingo!!! That was the problem. The fill tube was frozen solid. So when the pump charged the line for the ice tray, the water stopped at the ice blockage and leaked at the fitting. Of course, I didn't realize this until I had removed the part. I went ahead and replaced it anyway. I did purchase water detection alarms on Amazon and placed one at the back of the fridge and one under the dishwasher. The new part has vents on top that I think helps to prevent ice from forming and blocking the tube.

So, it wasn't the compressor fan drying out the hardwood and it wasn't a broken filler tube. It was a frozen filler tube that forced water out of the fitting.