Why is My Refrigerator Not Cooling?

refrigerator not cold

There are a lot of reasons for why a refrigerator is not cooling. If you want to save yourself a little time and hassle, give Hometown Appliance Repair a call for refrigerator repair in Suffolk, VA. We are eager to visit and troubleshoot the issue as well as repair it for you.

When your refrigerator isn’t cold, it is time to see what the problem is. A lot of times it’s something as simple as a good coil cleaning behind the refrigerator. But, with modern refrigerators, they’re equipped with various sensors as well.

Before we investigate further, we monitor the most common and simple reasons for this problem. Here are a few of of the issues that we have determined can lead to a refrigerator that will not cool:

Is the cord plugged in? This may seem like a silly question, but we’ve been hired for appointments that this was the issue. Somehow, it was not plugged in. Maybe a child or pet did it, or an electrician during a service visit. Whatever the cause may be, make sure it’s plugged in.

Check the thermostat inside of the appliance. This is a very common problem for anyone with children in the house. After all, kids love dials and buttons and so, without knowing they’re doing something bad, they mess with them. So, be sure that the thermostat temperature isn’t the cause of the warm refrigerator.

Which Refrigerator Parts to Inspect?

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

Be sure the condenser cooling fan is clean and clear of all debris. To check this, unplug the refrigerator and slide it away from the kitchen wall. The cooling fan for many models is right at the bottom or somewhere in the back part of the freezer unit. Often times, customers don’t think about cleaning this area of the refrigerator. But, it’s important to clean it. And, it piles up with dust and fuzz quickly, especially with houses that have pets. So, get a clean rag and get the built-up dust out of the coils and cooling fan.

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

The Freezer is Cold but the Refrigerator Isn’t

There are several reasons for a refrigerator that won’t cool after these obvious ones to check if the freezer is cool but the refrigerator is not. The evaporator coils have frost on them. This occurs when there is a failure in the defrost system. Or when the automatic defrost experiences an issue. The evaporator fan motor can be another cause.

Every fridge has a set of evaporator coils. These evaporator coils are what cool and the fan circulates the cold air throughout the appliance. The damper control assembly is not working the right way. The temperature control board that carries the electricity to the fan and compressor, this is not likely the problem but it’s worth mentioning.

And, the thermistor might be defective, which is a tiny sensor inside the unit that displays the temperature. Having one of our repairmen look at it is the best course of action but these are some of the most common problems.

ADDITIONAL REFRIGERATOR RESOURCES