Why is My Refrigerator Not Cooling?

There are a variety of reasons why a refrigerator isn’t cooling. If you would like to save yourself a little time and inconvenience, give Eastvale Appliance Repair a call for refrigerator repair in Eastvale, CA. Our repairmen are eager to come out and diagnose the cooling problem and correct it for you.

When a refrigerator isn’t cold anymore, it’s time to determine what the issue is. Often times it is something as common as a routine coil cleaning behind the refrigerator. However, with these modern refrigerators, they are manufactured with a variety of sensors too.

Before we look too deep, we look at the most typical and easy causes for this issue. Here are some of the things that we have found lead to a refrigerator that will not cool:

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

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

Refrigerator Components to Troubleshoot?

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

Check that the refrigerator’s condenser cooling fan is clear and clean of debris. To do this, unplug the fridge and slide it away from the kitchen wall. The cooling fan for many models is right at the bottom of the appliance or somewhere in the back part of the freezer section. Many times, people do not think to clean this section of the appliance. But, it’s very important to clean it. And, it clogs up with dust and fuzz quickly, especially with houses that have pets. So, find a clean rag and clean the collected dust out of the refrigerator coils and fan.

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

The Freezer is Cold but the Refrigerator is Not

There are several reasons for a refrigerator that won’t cool after these obvious ones to take a look at if your freezer is cool but the fridge is not. The evaporator coils have frost on them. This happens if there is a failure in the defrost system. Or the automatic defrost experiences a problem. The evaporator fan motor is another reason.

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

And, the thermistor could be malfunctioning, which is a small sensor in the appliance that displays the temperature. Having one of our technicians inspect 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