Why is My Refrigerator Not Cooling?

refrigerator too warm

There are many reasons why a refrigerator won’t cool. If you want to save yourself a little time and inconvenience, give Wells Appliance Repair a call for refrigerator repair in Fremont, CA. We are happy to visit and troubleshoot the issue as well as repair it for you.

When your refrigerator has lost its cold, it’s time to determine what the issue could be. A lot of times it’s something as basic as a good coil cleaning. But, with these modern fridges, they’re manufactured with a variety of sensors as well.

Before we look too deep, we monitor the most common and easy causes for this problem. Here are a few of things that we’ve found lead to a refrigerator that will not cool:

Is it plugged into an electrical outlet? This might seem like a funny question, but we’ve been called out to appointments that this was the reason for the issue. Somehow, it was unplugged. Maybe a child or pet did it, or an electrician during a project. Whatever the cause might be, make sure it’s plugged in.

Check the thermostat inside of the refrigerator. This is a common issue for those with children in the home. After all, kids love dials and buttons and so, without understanding they’re doing anything bad, they mess with them. So, be sure that the thermostat setting is not the reason for the warm fridge.

Refrigerator Components to Inspect?

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

Be sure the condenser cooling fan is clean and clear of debris. To do this, unplug the fridge and pull it away from the wall. The cooling fan for several models is just at the bottom of the appliance or in the back part of the freezer portion. Many times, homeowner do not think about cleaning this section of the fridge. But, it is important to keep it clean. And, it builds up with dust and fuzz quickly, especially in houses that have dogs and cats. So, find a rag and clean the built-up 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 back into the wall and see if the cooling fan moves.

The Freezer Unit is Cold but the Refrigerator is Not

There are many reasons for a refrigerator not cooling after these more common ones to take a look at if your freezer is cold but the refrigerator isn’t. The evaporator coils are frosted over. This occurs because there’s a malfunction in the defrost system. Or the automatic defrost has a problem. The evaporator fan motor can be another cause.

Every refrigerator has a set of evaporator coils. These coils are what cool and then the fan moves the cool 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 issue but it is worth troubleshooting.

And, the thermistor might be defective, which is a little sensor within the appliance that displays the temperature. Having one of our repairmen look at it is the best solution but these are a few of of the most typical issues.

ADDITIONAL REFRIGERATOR RESOURCES