Why is My Refrigerator Not Cooling?

refrigerator not cold

There are many reasons why a refrigerator is not cooling. If you would like to spare yourself a little time and inconvenience, give Rapid Richmond Appliance Repair a call for refrigerator repair in Richmond, VA. Our repairmen are happy to visit and troubleshoot the cooling problem as well as correct it for you.

When your refrigerator is no longer cold, it’s time to figure out what the problem might be. Most times it’s something as basic as a good coil cleaning behind the appliance. However, with modern refrigerators, they’re manufactured with a variety of sensors as well.

Before we look too deep, we monitor the most common and easy causes for this issue. Here are some things that we’ve found can lead to a refrigerator not cooling:

Is the cord plugged in? This will seem like a silly question, but we have been called out to jobs that this was the problem. For some reason, it was not plugged in. Maybe a child or pet unplugged it, or an electrician during a project. Whatever the case might be, make sure it is plugged in.

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

Which Refrigerator Parts to Troubleshoot?

Check that all of the vents inside the freezer area are not blocked with containers or food. This is common since sometimes frozen vegetables get stuck in the back of the freezer. There can be food in the back of a freezer that has been forgotten.

Be sure the refrigerator’s 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 many models is right at the bottom or in the back of the freezer unit. Often times, homeowner don’t think about cleaning this section of the refrigerator. But, it is important to keep it clean. And, it clogs up with dust and fuzz quickly, especially in houses that have pets. So, get a rag and clean the built-up dust out of the coils and cooling fan.

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

The Freezer Unit is Cold but the Refrigerator is Not

There are a few more causes for a refrigerator that won’t cool after these obvious ones to start to check if your freezer is cold but your refrigerator is not. The evaporator coils are frosted over. This occurs when there’s a failure in the defrost system. Or the automatic defrost has a problem. The evaporator fan motor can be another cause.

Every refrigerator has a pair of evaporator coils. These evaporator coils are what gets cold and then the fan moves the cold air throughout the unit. The damper control assembly 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 troubleshooting.

And, the thermistor might be malfunctioning, 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 some of the most typical problems.

ADDITIONAL REFRIGERATOR RESOURCES