Why is My Refrigerator Not Cooling?

There are many reasons for why a refrigerator is not cooling. If you want to spare yourself some time and hassle, give Goff Appliance Repair a call for refrigerator repair. Our repairmen are eager to visit and diagnose the problem and repair it for you.

When a refrigerator isn’t cold anymore, it’s time to determine what the problem might be. Often times it is something as simple as a good coil cleaning. But, with modern fridges, they are equipped with a variety of sensors too.

Before we investigate further, we inspect the most common and simple causes for this issue. Here are a couple of things that we have determined can lead to a refrigerator that will not cool:

Is the refrigerator plugged into an electrical outlet? This will seem like it’s a funny question, but we have been hired for jobs that this was the reason for the issue. For some reason, it was unplugged. it’s possible a a pet unplugged it, or an electrician during a service visit. Whatever the cause may be, make sure it’s plugged in.

Check the thermostat inside. This is a typical issue for those with small children in the house. After all, kids like dials and buttons and so, without knowing they’re doing something bad, they mess with them. So, be sure that the thermostat temperature is not the reason for the warm refrigerator.

Refrigerator Parts to Inspect?

Be sure the vents inside of the freezer are not blocked with food or containers. This is very common since sometimes bags of frozen vegetables get jammed in the back. There can be food in the very back of a freezer that has been forgotten about.

Check that the condenser cooling fan is clean and clear of debris. To check this, unplug the fridge and slide it out from the wall. The cooling fan for a lot of models is just at the bottom or somewhere in the back of the freezer section. Many times, customers don’t think to clean this area of the appliance. But, it is very important to keep it clean. And, it piles up with fuzz and dust quickly, especially in houses that have dogs and cats. So, grab a clean rag and get the dust out of the coils and fan.

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

The Freezer Unit is Cold but the Refrigerator is Not

There are several causes for a refrigerator that won’t cool after these more common ones to check if the freezer is cold but your refrigerator is not. The evaporator coils have frost on them. This occurs because there’s a malfunction in the defrost system. Or the automatic defrost experiences a problem. The evaporator fan motor can be another reason.

Every fridge has a pair of evaporator coils. These evaporator coils are what gets cold and then the fan circulates the cold air throughout the unit. The damper control assembly isn’t working properly. The temperature control board that provides the electricity to the fan and compressor, this isn’t likely the problem but it is worth troubleshooting.

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

ADDITIONAL REFRIGERATOR RESOURCES

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