Is this refrigerator worth rescuing?

Factual Questions
1

I left my fridge at my old house. Originally, my ex was going to use it, but now he’s abandoned the house, and I’m wondering if I should go get it and use it here or hand it on to someone else.
However (you KNEW there was a however, right?), I’m not sure what’s wrong with it. During the last year I had it, water would gather in the bottom of it. It looked like it was condensing on the top inside of the refrigerating part, above the top shelf. Then it would drip and accumulate in the bottom. And it would accumulate a LOT, it seemed like. I had to constantly sponge the water out of it, or it would start leaking out onto the floor.
Anyone with experience know what might be up with this? Should I go rescue it from the old house, in hopes that it can be fixed?
I don’t know much about it except that it would be about 12 years old now, and it’s just a standard fridge (from Sears, I think) that cost about $800 new. It had an icemaker, but that wasn’t the source of the leak.
Thank you for any input.

Best,
karol

2

There’s a plastic tube to carry water created during the defrost cycle down to the pan below the compressor where local heat causes it to evaporate. If the tube is plugged by crud, then the water has to find some other place to go. I’d give the unit a thorough cleaning and make sure the drain line is free.

3

Our x year old Hotpoint fridge was doing just about exactly what you described, and the problem was just what danceswithcats said.

In our case, the tube had a U bend (who knows why) that some crud ended up in. I’m sure there’s a manufacturer recommended way to clear it, but we just used some paper towels on the inside, and a bicycle pump to the easily-accessible tube on the outside. Flush with water, and the fridge is good as new.