Why is My Refrigerator Not Cooling?

There are a few reasons a refrigerator will not cool. If you would like to spare yourself a little time and hassle, give Powell Appliance Repair a call for refrigerator repair in CITY, ST. We’re eager to come out and diagnose the problem and fix it for you.

When your refrigerator isn’t cold anymore, it is time to determine what the problem could be. A lot of times it is something as common as a routine coil cleaning. However, with new models of refrigerators, they are equipped with a variety of sensors too.

Before we look too deep, we monitor the most common and easy causes for this issue. Here are a couple of of the things that we have determined can lead to a refrigerator that won’t cool:

Is the refrigerator plugged into an outlet? This may seem like it’s a silly question, but we’ve been hired for appointments that this was the issue. Somehow, it was unplugged. Maybe a kid unplugged it, or an electrician during a service visit. Whatever the reason may be, be sure the refrigerator is plugged in.

Look at the thermostat inside of the appliance. This is a typical issue for families with children in the home. After all, children love buttons and dials and so, without understanding they’re doing anything wrong, they play with them. So, be sure that the thermostat setting isn’t the reason for the warm refrigerator.

Refrigerator Parts to Inspect?

Be sure the vents inside the freezer area aren’t blocked with boxes or food. This is very common since sometimes frozen vegetables get jammed in the back. There could be food in the back of a freezer that has been forgotten about.

Check that the refrigerator’s condenser cooling fan is clean and clear of debris. To do this, unplug the refrigerator and slide it out from the kitchen wall. The cooling fan for a lot of models is right at the bottom of the appliance or in the back part of the freezer portion. A lot of times, customers do not think to clean this area of the refrigerator. But, it’s important to keep it clean. And, it fills up with dust and fuzz quickly, especially with houses that have pets. So, find a clean rag and clean the collected dust out of the refrigerator coils and cooling fan.

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

The Freezer Unit is Cold but the Refrigerator Isn’t

There are many causes for a refrigerator that won’t cool after these obvious ones to start to check if your freezer is cool but your refrigerator isn’t. The evaporator coils are frosted over. This occurs if there’s a malfunction in the defrost system. Or if the automatic defrost has a problem. The evaporator fan motor can be another cause.

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

And, the thermistor could be malfunctioning, which is a small sensor within the unit that tells the temperature. Having one of our technicians inspect it is the best solution but these are a few of of the most common issues.

ADDITIONAL REFRIGERATOR RESOURCES

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