Why is My Refrigerator Not Cooling?

refrigerator not cooling

There are many reasons a refrigerator isn’t cooling. If you want to save yourself some time and inconvenience, give Pride Vacaville Appliance Repair a call for refrigerator repair in Vacaville, CA. Our repairmen are eager to visit and troubleshoot the cooling problem and correct it for you.

When a refrigerator has lost its cold anymore, it is time to see what the problem could be. A lot of times it’s something as common as a good coil cleaning behind the appliance. However, with these latest models of refrigerators, they’re equipped with a variety of sensors as well.

Before we look too deep, we look at the most typical and common causes for this problem. Here are a few of issues that we have found can lead to a refrigerator not cooling:

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

Look at the thermostat inside. This is a very common problem for anyone with children in their house. After all, kids like buttons and dials and so, without understanding they’re doing something wrong, they play with them. So, check that the thermostat temperature isn’t the cause of the warm fridge.

Refrigerator Components to Troubleshoot?

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

Check that the 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 many models is right at the bottom of the appliance or in the back part of the freezer unit. Many times, people do not think to clean this area of the refrigerator. But, it’s important to clean it. And, it builds up with dust and fuzz quickly, especially with houses that have dogs and cats. So, find a rag and clean the collected 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 into the wall and see if the cooling fan spins.

The Freezer Unit is Cold but the Fridge Isn’t

There are many causes for a refrigerator that won’t cool after these obvious ones to check if the freezer is cold but your refrigerator is not. The evaporator coils are frosted over. This occurs because there is a malfunction in the defrost system. Or when the automatic defrost experiences an issue. The evaporator fan motor can be another reason.

Every refrigerator has a set of evaporator coils. These coils are what gets cold and the fan circulates the cold air around inside the appliance. The damper control assembly is not working properly. The temperature control board that provides the electricity to the fan and compressor, this isn’t likely the problem but it’s worth mentioning.

And, the thermistor could be defective, which is a little sensor within the unit that displays the temperature. Having one of our technicians inspect it is the best solution but these are a few of of the most common problems.

ADDITIONAL REFRIGERATOR RESOURCES