Why is My Refrigerator Not Cooling?

refrigerator too warm

There are a few reasons a refrigerator won’t cool. If you would like to save yourself a little time and burden, give QuickFix Appliance Repair a call for refrigerator repair in Sioux City, IA. Our repairmen are eager to come out and troubleshoot the problem and repair it for you.

When your refrigerator has lost its cold anymore, it’s time to determine what the issue might be. Often times it’s something as basic as a good coil cleaning behind the refrigerator. But, with latest fridges, they are equipped with various sensors too.

Before we look too deep, we look at the most common and easy reasons for this issue. Here are a few of of the things that we have determined can lead to a refrigerator not cooling:

Is the refrigerator plugged into an electrical outlet? This may seem like it’s a funny question, but we’ve been hired for appointments that this was the reason for the issue. For some reason, the refrigerator was not plugged in. it’s possible a child or pet did it, or an electrician during a project. Whatever the case may be, make sure it’s plugged in.

Look at the thermostat inside. This is a typical problem for anyone with small children in the home. After all, children are fascinated with buttons and dials and so, without knowing they are doing anything wrong, they play with them. So, check that the thermostat setting is not the reason for the warm refrigerator.

Refrigerator Parts to Troubleshoot?

Check that the vents in the freezer area aren’t blocked with food or containers. This is common because frozen veggies get pushed in the back. There could be food in the way back of a freezer that has been forgotten about.

Be sure the condenser cooling fan is clear and clean of all debris. To be sure, unplug the fridge and slide it away from the wall. The cooling fan for most models is just at the bottom or in the back part of the freezer portion. A lot of times, customers do not think to clean this section of the appliance. But, it’s very important to clean it. And, it builds up with fuzz and dust quickly, especially in houses that have cats and dogs. So, grab a rag and get the collected dust out of the refrigerator coils and cooling fan.

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

The Freezer Unit is Cold but the Fridge Isn’t

There are a few more causes for a refrigerator not cooling after these more common ones to start to check if the freezer is cold but the refrigerator isn’t. The evaporator coils are frosted over. This happens when there is a failure in the defrost system. Or the automatic defrost experiences a problem. The evaporator fan motor is another cause.

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

And, the thermistor could be malfunctioning, which is a tiny sensor within the appliance that displays the temperature. Having one of our technicians inspect it is the best solution but these are some of the most common issues.

ADDITIONAL REFRIGERATOR RESOURCES