Why is My Refrigerator Not Cooling?

There are a lot of reasons for why a refrigerator will not cool. If you want to spare yourself some time and hassle, give Peerless Appliance Repair a call for refrigerator repair in Grand Prairie, TX. We’re eager to visit and troubleshoot the cooling issue and fix it for you.

When a refrigerator is not cold, it’s time to see what the problem might be. Often times it’s something as common as a routine coil cleaning behind the appliance. But, with modern refrigerators, they’re equipped with various sensors as well.

Before we investigate further, we look at the most typical and simple reasons for this issue. Here are a couple of things that we have determined can lead to a refrigerator not cooling:

Is it plugged into an electrical outlet? This may seem like a funny question, but we’ve been called out to appointments that this was the issue. For some reason, the refrigerator was not plugged in. Maybe a a pet unplugged it, or an electrician during a service visit. Whatever the case might be, make sure it’s plugged in.

Check the thermostat inside. This is a very common problem for those with children in their house. After all, children like dials and buttons and so, without understanding they are doing anything wrong, they play with them. So, be sure that the thermostat setting isn’t the cause of the warm refrigerator.

Which Refrigerator Parts to Troubleshoot?

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

Check that the refrigerator’s condenser cooling fan is clean and clear of all debris. To be sure, unplug the fridge and slide it out from the kitchen wall. The fan for several models is just at the bottom of the appliance or somewhere in the back part of the freezer section. A lot of times, customers do not think about cleaning this area of the refrigerator. But, it’s important to keep it clean. And, it fills up with dust and fuzz quickly, especially in homes that have cats and dogs. So, get a clean rag and get the collected dust out of the refrigerator coils and fan.

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

The Freezer Unit is Cold but the Fridge Isn’t

There are many causes for a refrigerator not cooling after these more common ones to start to take a look at if the freezer is cool but the refrigerator isn’t. The evaporator coils have frost on them. This happens when there is a malfunction in the defrost system. Or if the automatic defrost has an issue. The evaporator fan motor can be another reason.

Every refrigerator has a set of evaporator coils. These evaporator coils are what gets cold and the fan pushes the cold air around inside the unit. The damper control assembly is not working the right way. The temperature control board which provides the electricity to the compressor and fan, this probably isn’t the issue but it is worth mentioning.

And, the thermistor could be malfunctioning, which is a little sensor in the appliance that displays the temperature. Having one of our repairmen inspect it is the best course of action but these are some 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