Why is My Refrigerator Not Cooling?

There are a variety of reasons for why a refrigerator won’t cool. If you want to save yourself some time and inconvenience, give Appliance Repair Force a call for refrigerator repair in South and North Carolina. We are happy to come out and troubleshoot the problem as well as repair it for you.

When a refrigerator is no longer cold, it’s time to see what the issue is. A lot of times it is something as common as a good coil cleaning. But, with latest models of refrigerators, they’re equipped with a variety of sensors as well.

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

Is the refrigerator plugged into an outlet? This might seem like it is a odd question, but we’ve been called out to jobs that this was the problem. For some reason, the refrigerator was unplugged. Maybe a a pet unplugged it, or an electrician doing a service visit. Whatever the case may be, make sure the refrigerator is plugged in.

Check the thermostat inside of the appliance. This is a typical issue for those with children in their house. After all, kids are fascinated with dials and buttons and so, without knowing they’re doing something wrong, they play with them. So, check that the thermostat temperature isn’t the cause of the warm fridge.

Which Refrigerator Parts to Troubleshoot?

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

Check that the refrigerator’s condenser cooling fan is clean and clear of debris. To check this, unplug the refrigerator and slide it away from the kitchen wall. The fan for most models is right at the bottom or somewhere in the back part of the freezer section. A lot of times, homeowner do not think about cleaning this section of the appliance. But, it is important to clean it. And, it piles up with dust and fuzz quickly, especially with homes that have cats and dogs. So, find a rag and get the dust out of the coils and cooling fan.

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

The Freezer Unit is Cold but the Fridge is Not

There are many causes for a refrigerator that won’t cool after these more common ones to start to check if the freezer is cool but the fridge isn’t. The evaporator coils have frost on them. This occurs because there is a failure in the defrost system. Or if the automatic defrost has a problem. The evaporator fan motor is another reason.

Every refrigerator has a set of evaporator coils. These coils are what cool and the fan circulates the cold air throughout the unit. The damper control assembly is not working correctly. The temperature control board that transports the electricity to the fan and compressor, this is not likely the issue but it’s worth mentioning.

And, the thermistor could be malfunctioning, which is a little sensor inside the unit that displays the temperature. Having one of our repairmen look at it is the best option 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