Why is My Refrigerator Not Cooling?

There are a few reasons why a refrigerator isn’t cooling. If you would like to spare yourself some time and burden, give Lynn Appliance Repair a call for refrigerator repair in California. We’re eager to visit and diagnose the cooling issue as well as fix it for you.

When a refrigerator is not cold, it is time to figure out what the issue might be. A lot of times it’s something as simple as a good coil cleaning behind the refrigerator. However, with these latest refrigerators, they’re manufactured with a variety of sensors too.

Before we look too deep, we look at the most common and simple reasons for this problem. Here are a couple of things that we have found can lead to a refrigerator not cooling:

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

Look at the thermostat inside of the appliance. This is a common issue for families with children in their house. After all, kids are fascinated with dials and buttons and so, without understanding they are doing something bad, they mess with them. So, be sure that the thermostat temperature is not the cause of the warm refrigerator.

Refrigerator Components to Troubleshoot?

Be sure the vents inside the freezer are not blocked with boxes or food. This is common since bags of frozen veggies get pushed in the back of the freezer. There might be food in the very back of a freezer that has long been forgotten.

Be sure the refrigerator’s condenser cooling fan is clean and clear of debris. To check this, unplug the refrigerator and pull it out from the kitchen wall. The cooling fan for several models is just at the bottom of the appliance or in the back part of the freezer portion. Often times, homeowner do not think about cleaning this area of the fridge. But, it is important to clean it. And, it fills up with fuzz and dust quickly, especially in homes that have dogs and cats. So, find a clean rag and get the built-up dust out of the refrigerator coils and fan.

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

The Freezer Unit is Cold but the Refrigerator is Not

There are a few more reasons for a refrigerator not cooling after these obvious ones to check if your freezer is cool but the fridge isn’t. The evaporator coils are frosted over. This happens if there’s a failure in the defrost system. Or the automatic defrost experiences a problem. The evaporator fan motor can be another cause.

Every fridge has a pair of evaporator coils. These evaporator coils are what gets cold and the fan pushes the cold air throughout the appliance. The damper control assembly is not working the right way. The temperature control board provides the electricity to the compressor and fan, this probably isn’t the problem but it is worth troubleshooting.

And, the thermistor might be malfunctioning, which is a little sensor inside the appliance that displays the temperature. Having one of our technicians look at 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