Why is My Refrigerator Not Cooling?

There are many reasons why a refrigerator will not cool. If you would like to spare yourself some time and burden, give Witt Appliance Repair a call for refrigerator repair. Our technicians are happy to visit and diagnose the issue as well as correct it for you.

When a refrigerator is no longer cold, it’s time to see what the problem might be. A lot of times it is something as simple as a good coil cleaning. But, with these new refrigerators, they are manufactured with various sensors too.

Before we investigate further, we inspect the most typical and easy causes for this issue. Here are some of the things that we have determined can lead to a refrigerator not cooling:

Is it plugged into an electrical outlet? This may seem like it is a funny question, but we’ve been called out to jobs that this was the issue. For some reason, the refrigerator was not plugged in. Maybe a kid did it, or an electrician doing a project. Whatever the case may be, be sure it’s plugged in.

Check the thermostat inside of the unit. This is a typical problem for families with small children in the house. After all, children are fascinated with dials and buttons and so, without understanding they’re doing anything wrong, they mess with them. So, check that the thermostat temperature isn’t the cause of the warm fridge.

Which Refrigerator Parts to Inspect?

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

Check that the refrigerator’s condenser cooling fan is clear and clean of debris. To be sure, unplug the fridge and slide it out from the wall. The fan for a lot of models is right at the bottom or somewhere in the back of the freezer portion. Many times, customers don’t think to clean this section of the appliance. But, it’s important to keep it clean. And, it builds up with dust and fuzz quickly, especially with homes that have pets. So, find a clean rag and get the dust out of the coils and fan.

This is not suggested for refrigerators that have the rear coil system. Once all clean, plug it into the wall and monitor if the fan moves.

The Freezer Unit is Cold but the Refrigerator is Not

There are many reasons for a refrigerator that won’t cool after these obvious ones to take a look at if your freezer is cool but your refrigerator isn’t. The evaporator coils have frost on them. This occurs if there is a malfunction in the defrost heating system. Or when the automatic defrost experiences an issue. The evaporator fan motor can be another reason.

Every fridge has a pair of evaporator coils. These coils are what gets cold and the fan circulates the cold air around inside the appliance. The damper control assembly isn’t working properly. The temperature control board carries the electricity to the compressor and fan, this probably is not the issue but it is worth troubleshooting.

And, the thermistor might be defective, which is a small sensor within 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 problems.

ADDITIONAL REFRIGERATOR RESOURCES

• Ice Maker Isn’t Working
• How Does a Refrigerator Work?
• Refrigerator is Noisy
• Refrigerator Water Dispenser Not Working