Why is My Refrigerator Not Cooling?

refrigerator not cooling

There are a few reasons a refrigerator is not cooling. If you want to save yourself a little time and inconvenience, give Premiere Appliance Repair a call for refrigerator repair in Chula Vista, CA. Our technicians are happy to come out and diagnose the cooling issue and correct it for you.

When your refrigerator has lost its cold, it is time to determine what the issue could be. Often times it is something as basic as a good coil cleaning. However, with these new models of refrigerators, they are manufactured with a variety of sensors too. Before we look too deep, we look at the most common and easy causes for this issue. Here are some things that we’ve determined can lead to a refrigerator not cooling:

Is the cord plugged in? This might seem like it is a silly question, but we’ve been hired for appointments that this was the reason for the problem. For some reason, the refrigerator was unplugged. Maybe a a pet did it, or an electrician while doing a project. Whatever the case might be, be sure the refrigerator is plugged in.

Look at the thermostat inside of the refrigerator. This is a very typical issue for those with children in their house. After all, children are fascinated with dials and buttons and so, without knowing they are doing something bad, they mess with them. So, check that the thermostat setting is not the reason for the warm refrigerator.

Which Refrigerator Components to Troubleshoot?

Check that each of the vents inside of the freezer area are not blocked with food or boxes. This is very common since bags of frozen vegetables get stuck in the back of the freezer. There might be food in the very back of a freezer unit that has been forgotten about.

Check that the condenser cooling fan is clear and clean of all debris. To do this, unplug the fridge and slide it out from the kitchen wall. The cooling fan for several models is right at the bottom of the appliance or somewhere in the back part of the freezer unit. A lot of times, homeowner do not think to clean this section of the appliance.

But, it’s very important to clean it. And, it fills up with fuzz and dust quickly, especially in homes that have dogs and cats. So, find a rag and clean the built-up dust out of the refrigerator coils and fan. This is not suggested for refrigerators that have a rear coil system. Once everything is 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 reasons for a refrigerator that won’t cool after these more common ones to check if the freezer is cool but the refrigerator is not. The evaporator coils are frosted over. This happens because there’s a malfunction in the defrost heating system. Or if the automatic defrost experiences an issue. The evaporator fan motor can be another reason.

Every fridge has a set of evaporator coils. These evaporator coils are what gets cold and the fan pushes the cool air throughout the unit. The damper control assembly is not working properly. The temperature control board that carries the electricity to the fan and compressor, this probably isn’t the problem but it is worth mentioning. And, the thermistor could be malfunctioning, which is a little sensor within the appliance that tells the temperature. Having one of our technicians look at it is the best solution but these are some of the most common issues.

ADDITIONAL REFRIGERATOR RESOURCES