Why is My Refrigerator Not Cooling?

refrigerator not cold

There are a variety of reasons a refrigerator won’t cool. If you would like to save yourself a little time and burden, give Albany Appliance Repair a call for refrigerator repair in Albany, GA. We are eager to come out and diagnose the cooling problem as well as fix it for you.

When your refrigerator is not cold anymore, it is time to see what the problem could be. A lot of times it is something as simple as a routine coil cleaning. However, with new refrigerators, they’re manufactured with a variety of sensors too.

Before we look too deep, we look at the most typical and simple reasons for this issue. Here are a few of of the things that we’ve found can lead to a refrigerator not cooling:

Is the refrigerator plugged into an outlet? This will seem like it’s a odd question, but we have been hired for jobs that this was the issue. For some reason, the refrigerator was unplugged. Maybe a kid unplugged it, or an electrician during a project. Whatever the reason might be, be sure it is plugged in.

Check the thermostat inside. This is a typical problem for customers with small children in the house. After all, kids are fascinated with dials and buttons and so, without understanding they are doing anything bad, they mess with them. So, check that the thermostat setting is not the reason for the warm fridge.

Refrigerator Parts to Troubleshoot?

Check that the vents in the freezer area are not blocked with boxes or food. This is very common because frozen vegetables get jammed in the back. There might be food in the very back of a freezer that has long been forgotten about.

Check that the refrigerator’s condenser cooling fan is clear and clean of debris. To check this, unplug the fridge and pull it out from the wall. The cooling fan for many models is just at the bottom of the appliance or somewhere in the back of the freezer section. A lot of times, homeowner do not think to clean this area of the appliance. But, it is very important to keep it clean. And, it fills up with dust and fuzz quickly, especially with homes that have cats and dogs. So, get a clean rag and get the 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 into the wall and monitor if the cooling fan moves.

The Freezer is Cold but the Refrigerator is Not

There are many causes for a refrigerator not cooling after these more common ones to start to check if your freezer is cool but the fridge isn’t. The evaporator coils have frost on them. This occurs if there is a malfunction in the defrost heating system. Or the automatic defrost experiences an issue. The evaporator fan motor is another reason.

Every refrigerator has a pair of evaporator coils. These evaporator coils are what cool and the fan moves the cold air around inside the appliance. The damper control assembly isn’t working the right way. The temperature control board which provides the electricity to the compressor and fan, this is not likely the problem but it is worth mentioning.

And, the thermistor might be malfunctioning, which is a small sensor within the appliance that displays the temperature. Having one of our technicians look at it is the best solution but these are some of the most typical issues.

ADDITIONAL REFRIGERATOR RESOURCES