Why is My Refrigerator Not Cooling?

There are a lot of reasons for why a refrigerator isn’t cooling. If you would like to spare yourself a little time and inconvenience, give Lane Appliance Repair a call for refrigerator repair. Our repairmen are happy to come out and diagnose the cooling issue and repair it for you.

When your refrigerator is not cold, it’s time to figure out what the issue could be. Often times it is something as common as a routine coil cleaning behind the refrigerator. However, with new refrigerators, they are equipped with a variety of sensors too.

Before we look too deep, we monitor the most typical and easy reasons for this issue. Here are a couple of of the things that we have found can lead to a refrigerator that will not cool:

Is it plugged into an electrical outlet? This might seem like it is a silly question, but we’ve been called out to jobs that this was the reason for the problem. For some reason, the refrigerator was not plugged in. Maybe a a pet did it, or an electrician doing a project. Whatever the reason might be, make sure the refrigerator is plugged in.

Look at the thermostat inside. This is a very common issue for anyone with children in the home. After all, children are fascinated with dials and buttons and so, without understanding they’re doing anything wrong, they mess with them. So, check that the thermostat setting is not the reason for the warm fridge.

Which Refrigerator Components to Inspect?

Check that each of the vents inside of the freezer area are not blocked with boxes or food. This is common because sometimes frozen vegetables get jammed in the back. There might be food in the very back of a freezer that has long been forgotten about.

Check that the refrigerator’s condenser cooling fan is clean and clear of all debris. To be sure, unplug the refrigerator and pull it out from the kitchen wall. The fan for many models is just at the bottom or in the back of the freezer portion. Often times, homeowner do not think about cleaning this area of the appliance. But, it’s important to clean it. And, it clogs up with fuzz and dust quickly, especially with houses that have dogs and cats. So, find a clean rag and get the dust out of the coils and fan.

This is not recommended for refrigerators that have a rear coil system. Once everything is clean, plug it back into the outlet and monitor if the fan spins.

The Freezer Unit is Cold but the Fridge is Not

There are several reasons for a refrigerator not cooling after these more common ones to check if your freezer is cool but the fridge isn’t. The evaporator coils are frosted over. This happens if there’s a malfunction in the defrost heating system. Or if the automatic defrost experiences a problem. The evaporator fan motor can be another cause.

Every refrigerator has a set of evaporator coils. These coils are what cool and the fan pushes the cool air throughout the appliance. The damper control assembly isn’t working the right way. The temperature control board carries the electricity to the compressor and fan, this isn’t likely the problem but it’s worth troubleshooting.

And, the thermistor could be defective, which is a tiny sensor in the appliance that displays the temperature. Having one of our repairmen inspect it is the best course of action but these are a few of of the most typical problems.

ADDITIONAL REFRIGERATOR RESOURCES

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