Why is My Refrigerator Not Cooling?

There are many reasons a refrigerator isn’t cooling. If you want to save yourself some time and hassle, give Power Appliance Repair a call for refrigerator repair in Reston, VA. We are happy to visit and diagnose the cooling issue as well as fix it for you.

When your refrigerator has lost its cold anymore, it is time to see what the issue is. Often times it’s something as common as a routine coil cleaning behind the appliance. But, with these new models of refrigerators, they’re equipped with various sensors as well.

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

Is the cord plugged in? This will seem like it’s a funny question, but we’ve been hired for appointments that this was the problem. Somehow, the refrigerator was unplugged. it’s possible a a pet unplugged it, or an electrician while doing a project. Whatever the reason may be, be sure it’s plugged in.

Check the thermostat inside of the unit. This is a very typical problem for customers with children in the home. After all, children like dials and buttons and so, without knowing they’re doing something wrong, they play with them. So, be sure that the thermostat setting isn’t the cause of the warm refrigerator.

Refrigerator Parts to Troubleshoot?

Be sure the vents inside the freezer aren’t blocked with food or containers. This is very common because frozen vegetables get jammed in the back. There could be food in the very back of a freezer that has been forgotten.

Check that the refrigerator’s condenser cooling fan is clear and clean of debris. To do this, unplug the fridge and pull it away from the kitchen wall. The fan for most models is right at the bottom of the appliance or somewhere in the back of the freezer unit. A lot of times, customers do not think to clean this area of the appliance. But, it’s important to keep it clean. And, it piles up with dust and fuzz quickly, especially with houses that have dogs and cats. So, grab a rag and clean the dust out of the refrigerator coils and cooling fan.

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

The Freezer 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 the freezer is cold but your refrigerator isn’t. The evaporator coils have frost on them. This occurs when there’s a failure in the defrost heating system. Or when 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 cool and then the fan circulates the cool air throughout the appliance. The damper control assembly working the right way. The temperature control board provides the electricity to the compressor and fan, this probably isn’t the issue but it’s worth troubleshooting.

And, the thermistor could be malfunctioning, which is a small sensor within the appliance that tells the temperature. Having one of our repairmen look at it is the best solution but these are a few of of the most typical issues.

ADDITIONAL REFRIGERATOR RESOURCES

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