Why is My Refrigerator Not Cooling?

There are many reasons a refrigerator is not cooling. If you want to save yourself a little time and hassle, give Onward Appliance Repair a call for refrigerator repair in Colorado. We are happy to come out and diagnose the problem and fix it for you.

When a refrigerator is not cold anymore, it’s time to see what the problem is. A lot of times it’s something as common as a routine coil cleaning. However, with new refrigerators, they’re manufactured with a variety of sensors too.

Before we look too deep, we look at the most common and easy reasons for this problem. Here are some things that we have determined can lead to a refrigerator that will not cool:

Is the refrigerator plugged in? This may seem like it’s a odd question, but we’ve been hired for jobs that this was the reason for the problem. For some reason, it was not plugged in. Maybe a child or pet did it, or an electrician while doing a service visit. Whatever the reason may be, make sure it’s plugged in.

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

Refrigerator Parts to Troubleshoot?

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

Be sure the refrigerator’s condenser cooling fan is clear and clean of debris. To do this, unplug the refrigerator and pull it out from the kitchen wall. The fan for many models is right at the bottom or somewhere in the back part of the freezer section. A lot of times, homeowner do not think to clean this section of the fridge. But, it is important to keep it clean. And, it clogs up with dust and fuzz quickly, especially in homes that have cats and dogs. So, grab a clean rag and clean the dust out of the refrigerator coils and cooling fan.

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

The Freezer Unit is Cold but the Fridge is Not

There are several causes for a refrigerator that won’t cool after these more common ones to start to take a look at if your freezer is cool but the fridge is not. The evaporator coils have frost on them. This happens because there’s a failure in the defrost heating system. Or if the automatic defrost experiences an issue. The evaporator fan motor is another cause.

Every fridge has a set of evaporator coils. These evaporator coils are what gets cold and the fan moves the cool air throughout the unit. The damper control assembly working properly. The temperature control board that carries the electricity to the compressor and fan, this is not likely the issue but it’s worth troubleshooting.

And, the thermistor might be malfunctioning, which is a little sensor within the appliance that tells the temperature. Having one of our technicians inspect it is the best course of action 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