Why is My Refrigerator Not Cooling?

refrigerator not cooling

There are a variety of reasons a refrigerator isn’t cooling. If you would like to save yourself a little time and hassle, give Choice Hawthorne Appliance Repair a call for refrigerator repair in Hawthorne, CA. We are eager to come out and diagnose the issue as well as repair it for you.

When your refrigerator is not cold, it is time to figure out what the issue might be. Often times it’s something as simple as a good coil cleaning. However, with new fridges, they’re equipped with a variety of sensors as well.

Before we investigate further, we monitor the most typical and simple causes for this problem. Here are a couple of issues that we have found lead to a refrigerator that will not cool:

Is the cord plugged in? This might seem like a odd question, but we have been hired for jobs that this was the reason for the issue. For some reason, the refrigerator was not plugged in. it’s possible a child or pet unplugged it, or an electrician during a project. Whatever the cause may be, be sure it’s plugged in.

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

Which Refrigerator Parts to Inspect?

Check that the vents inside the freezer aren’t blocked with boxes or food. This is very common because sometimes frozen veggies get jammed in the back. There could be food in the way back of a freezer that has long been forgotten.

Check that the refrigerator’s condenser cooling fan is clean and clear of debris. To do this, unplug the fridge and pull it away from the kitchen wall. The cooling fan for several models is right at the bottom of the appliance or somewhere in the back part of the freezer portion. Many times, homeowner don’t think about cleaning this section of the appliance. But, it’s very important to keep it clean. And, it clogs up with dust and fuzz quickly, especially in homes 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 a rear coil system. Once all clean, plug it into the wall and see if the cooling fan spins.

The Freezer is Cold but the Refrigerator is Not

There are several reasons for a refrigerator not cooling after these obvious ones to start to take a look at if your freezer is cold but the fridge is not. The evaporator coils are frosted over. This happens when there’s a malfunction in the defrost system. Or if the automatic defrost experiences a problem. The evaporator fan motor can be another reason.

Every fridge has a pair of evaporator coils. These evaporator coils are what cool and then the fan moves the cool air around inside the unit. The damper control assembly is not working correctly. The temperature control board carries the electricity to the compressor and fan, this probably isn’t the issue but it’s worth mentioning.

And, the thermistor might be defective, which is a small sensor inside the appliance that tells the temperature. Having one of our technicians inspect it is the best solution but these are a few of of the most typical issues.

ADDITIONAL REFRIGERATOR RESOURCES