Thanks for the data plate photo. It shows your Whirlpool ET19DKXDW03 was made in January 1996, so it’s about 30 years old. The good news is that ice and water on the top shelf and in the crisper is one of the most common fridge problems, and the usual fix costs nothing.
What’s happening
Several times a day the freezer warms its cooling coils for a few minutes to melt off frost. That water runs down a small drain at the back of the freezer floor to a pan under the fridge, where it evaporates. When that drain gets clogged with ice or food bits, the water has nowhere to go. It overflows, drips through into the fridge, and some of it freezes on the way. That’s how you end up with ice on the top shelf and water collecting in the vegetable drawer.
How to fix it
- Empty the freezer and put the food in a cooler.
- Unplug the refrigerator.
- Remove the freezer shelf, then unscrew the back panel inside the freezer to expose the coils. The drain hole is under the coils, near the bottom center.
- Let the ice melt. A hair dryer on low or a bowl of hot water speeds it up. Keep the hair dryer moving and away from the plastic.
- Pour warm water with a little baking soda into the drain with a turkey baster until it runs freely. You should hear it reach the pan under the fridge.
- Wipe up the water in the fridge, dry the crisper drawers, put everything back and plug it in.
If it comes back
If the drain clogs again within a few weeks, or you see a heavy layer of frost on the coils, a part of the defrost system (heater, thermostat or timer) is probably failing. Also check the door gaskets: a gap lets warm, moist air in and makes more frost.
Repair or replace?
Clearing the drain is absolutely worth doing. If you need a defrost part or anything more, I’d honestly put that money toward a new refrigerator. At 30 years old, this one uses much more electricity than a new model, and the savings will cover part of the cost.