Why is My Refrigerator Not Cooling?

There are a lot of reasons a refrigerator won’t cool. If you want to spare yourself some time and inconvenience, give Speedy Appliance Repair a call for refrigerator repair. Our technicians are happy to come out and diagnose the issue as well as correct it for you.

When a refrigerator has lost its cold anymore, it’s time to determine what the problem is. Often times it’s something as basic as a routine coil cleaning behind the appliance. However, with modern refrigerators, they are manufactured with a variety of sensors too.

Before we look too deep, we inspect the most typical and simple causes for this issue. Here are a couple of things that we’ve found lead to a refrigerator not cooling:

Is it plugged into an electrical outlet? This will seem like it is a odd question, but we have been hired for jobs that this was the issue. Somehow, it was not plugged in. it’s possible a kid unplugged it, or an electrician during a project. Whatever the reason may be, be sure it’s plugged in.

Look at the thermostat inside. This is a very typical problem for customers with small children in their house. After all, children love dials and buttons and so, without understanding they’re doing something wrong, they play with them. So, be sure that the thermostat setting isn’t the cause of the warm fridge.

Refrigerator Components to Troubleshoot?

Check that all of the vents inside of the freezer area aren’t blocked with containers or food. This is very common since sometimes frozen veggies get jammed in the back of the freezer. There could be food in the back of a freezer unit that has been forgotten.

Be sure the refrigerator’s condenser cooling fan is clean and clear of debris. To be sure, unplug the fridge and pull it away from the kitchen wall. The cooling fan for a lot of models is just at the bottom of the appliance or in the back part of the freezer unit. Often times, customers do not think about cleaning this section of the refrigerator. But, it is important to clean it. And, it piles up with dust and fuzz quickly, especially with houses that have dogs and cats. So, find a rag and get the built-up dust out of the refrigerator coils and cooling fan.

This is not a suggestion for refrigerators that have the rear coil system. Once everything is clean, plug it into the wall and see if the cooling fan spins.

The Freezer is Cold but the Fridge is Not

There are several causes for a refrigerator not cooling after these obvious ones to check if the freezer is cold but your refrigerator is not. The evaporator coils have frost on them. This happens because there is a malfunction in the defrost heating system. Or when the automatic defrost has a problem. The evaporator fan motor can be another reason.

Every refrigerator has a pair of evaporator coils. These evaporator coils are what cool and then the fan moves the cold air throughout the unit. The damper control assembly isn’t working correctly. The temperature control board carries the electricity to the fan and compressor, this probably isn’t the problem but it’s worth mentioning.

And, the thermistor might be defective, which is a tiny sensor in the appliance that displays the temperature. Having one of our repairmen look at it is the best course of action but these are some of the most typical issues.

ADDITIONAL REFRIGERATOR RESOURCES

• Ice Maker Isn’t Working
• How Does a Refrigerator Work?
• Refrigerator is Noisy
• Refrigerator Water Dispenser Not Working