Why is My Refrigerator Not Cooling?

refrigerator too warm

There are a few reasons a refrigerator won’t cool. If you want to save yourself some time and inconvenience, give Ware Appliance Repair a call for refrigerator repair. We are eager to come out and troubleshoot the problem as well as fix it for you.

When your refrigerator isn’t cold anymore, it’s time to see what the problem is. Most times it is something as common as a good coil cleaning behind the appliance. However, with latest models of refrigerators, they are equipped with various sensors too.

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

Is the cord plugged in? This might seem like a odd question, but we’ve been called out to appointments that this was the problem. Somehow, the refrigerator was not plugged in. Maybe a a pet did it, or an electrician doing a service visit. Whatever the cause may be, be sure the refrigerator is plugged in.

Look at the thermostat inside. This is a typical problem for anyone with children in their home. After all, kids are fascinated with dials and buttons and so, without understanding they’re doing something wrong, they mess with them. So, check that the thermostat temperature isn’t the reason for the warm refrigerator.

Refrigerator Parts to Troubleshoot?

Check that the vents inside of the freezer are not blocked with containers or food. This is very common since bags of frozen veggies get stuck in the back of the freezer. There can be food in the way back of a freezer that has been forgotten.

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

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

The Freezer Unit is Cold but the Refrigerator Isn’t

There are many reasons for a refrigerator that won’t cool after these obvious ones to check if the 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 the automatic defrost has a problem. The evaporator fan motor can be another reason.

Every refrigerator has a pair of evaporator coils. These coils are what gets cold and the fan circulates the cool air around inside the appliance. The damper control assembly is not working correctly. The temperature control board that transports the electricity to the compressor and fan, this probably is not the issue but it is worth troubleshooting.

And, the thermistor could be defective, which is a small sensor inside the appliance that displays the temperature. Having one of our repairmen inspect it is the best option but these are a few of of the most typical problems.

ADDITIONAL REFRIGERATOR RESOURCES