Why is My Refrigerator Not Cooling?

There are a variety of reasons why a refrigerator is not cooling. If you want to spare yourself some time and hassle, give Calhoun Appliance Repair a call for refrigerator repair. We’re eager to come out and diagnose the cooling problem and fix it for you.

When your refrigerator is no longer cold anymore, it is time to figure out what the issue could be. Most times it’s something as basic as a routine coil cleaning behind the appliance. But, with these latest refrigerators, they are manufactured with various sensors too.

Before we investigate further, we monitor the most typical and easy causes for this problem. Here are a couple of of the things that we have determined lead to a refrigerator that will not cool:

Is the cord plugged in? This might seem like it’s a silly question, but we’ve been called out to appointments that this was the issue. For some reason, the refrigerator was not plugged in. Maybe a kid did it, or an electrician doing a service visit. Whatever the reason may be, be sure it’s plugged in.

Check the thermostat inside. This is a very common issue for customers with small children in the house. After all, children love dials and buttons and so, without understanding they are doing anything bad, they play with them. So, check that the thermostat temperature is not the reason for the warm refrigerator.

Refrigerator Components to Inspect?

Check that all of the vents inside of the freezer area are not blocked with containers or food. This is very common because frozen veggies get pushed in the back of the freezer. There could be food in the back of a freezer that has long been forgotten about.

Be sure the condenser cooling fan is clean and clear of all debris. To do this, 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 somewhere in the back part of the freezer unit. Many times, customers do not think about cleaning this area of the fridge. But, it’s important to keep it clean. And, it piles up with fuzz and dust quickly, especially with homes that have dogs and cats. So, find a clean rag and get the collected dust out of the refrigerator coils and cooling fan.

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

The Freezer is Cold but the Refrigerator is Not

There are a few more reasons for a refrigerator that won’t cool after these more common ones to start to check if the freezer is cold but the fridge is not. The evaporator coils are frosted over. This occurs if there is a failure in the defrost system. Or the automatic defrost experiences a problem. The evaporator fan motor can be another reason.

Every fridge has a set of evaporator coils. These coils are what gets cold and then the fan pushes the cold air throughout the unit. The damper control assembly is not working the right way. The temperature control board which carries the electricity to the compressor and fan, this probably isn’t the issue but it is worth mentioning.

And, the thermistor might be defective, which is a tiny sensor inside the appliance that tells the temperature. Having one of our technicians look at it is the best option but these are a few of of the most common problems.

ADDITIONAL REFRIGERATOR RESOURCES

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