Why is My Refrigerator Not Cooling?

There are several reasons a refrigerator won’t cool. If you would like to save yourself some time and inconvenience, give Accolade Appliance Repair a call for refrigerator repair. Our technicians are happy to visit and diagnose the problem as well as repair it for you.

When a refrigerator is not cold anymore, it’s time to see what the problem is. Most times it’s something as simple as a routine coil cleaning. But, with modern fridges, they are equipped with various sensors too.

Before we investigate further, we monitor the most typical and common causes for this issue. Here are a few of of the things that we have found can lead to a refrigerator not cooling:

Is the refrigerator plugged in? This will seem like it’s a silly question, but we have been hired for appointments that this was the reason for the problem. For some reason, the refrigerator was not plugged in. Maybe a a pet did it, or an electrician doing a service visit. Whatever the cause might be, make sure it is plugged in.

Look at the thermostat inside. This is a very common issue for those with small children in their home. After all, children love buttons and dials and so, without understanding they’re doing anything wrong, they play with them. So, check that the thermostat setting isn’t the reason for the warm fridge.

Which Refrigerator Components to Inspect?

Check that each of the vents inside of the freezer area are not blocked with containers or food. This is very common because sometimes bags of frozen vegetables get stuck in the back of the freezer. There might be food in the way back of a freezer unit that has long been forgotten.

Be sure the condenser cooling fan is clear and clean of debris. To check this, unplug the refrigerator and pull it out from the kitchen wall. The fan for several models is just at the bottom of the appliance or in the back part of the freezer portion. A lot of times, homeowner don’t think about cleaning this section of the fridge. But, it’s important to keep it clean. And, it fills up with fuzz and dust quickly, especially in homes that have dogs and cats. So, get a clean rag and get the collected dust out of the refrigerator coils and fan.

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

The Freezer is Cold but the Fridge Isn’t

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

Every refrigerator has a set of evaporator coils. These evaporator coils are what gets cold and then the fan circulates the cool air throughout the appliance. The damper control assembly isn’t working properly. The temperature control board provides the electricity to the fan and compressor, this isn’t likely the issue but it’s worth mentioning.

And, the thermistor could be malfunctioning, which is a little sensor in the unit that tells the temperature. Having one of our repairmen inspect it is the best option but these are some of the most common problems.

ADDITIONAL REFRIGERATOR RESOURCES

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