Why is My Refrigerator Not Cooling?

refrigerator not cold

There are a variety of reasons a refrigerator won’t cool. If you want to save yourself a little time and inconvenience, give Beaverton Appliance Repair a call for refrigerator repair in Beaverton, OR. We’re happy to come out and troubleshoot the cooling issue as well as correct it for you.

When a refrigerator isn’t cold anymore, it is time to determine what the issue might be. A lot of times it’s something as basic as a good coil cleaning behind the refrigerator. But, with latest models of refrigerators, they’re equipped with various sensors too.

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

Is the cord plugged into an electrical outlet? This might seem like it is a funny question, but we’ve been hired for jobs that this was the problem. Somehow, the refrigerator was not plugged in. it’s possible a child or pet unplugged it, or an electrician doing a service visit. Whatever the cause may be, be sure it is plugged in.

Check the thermostat inside. This is a very common issue for customers with children in the home. After all, kids love buttons and dials and so, without understanding they’re doing anything wrong, they mess with them. So, be sure that the thermostat temperature isn’t the cause of the warm refrigerator.

Which Refrigerator Parts to Troubleshoot?

Be sure the vents in the freezer aren’t blocked with food or boxes. This is very common since frozen vegetables get stuck in the back. There might be food in the very back of a freezer that has long been forgotten about.

Be sure the condenser cooling fan is clear and clean of debris. To be sure, unplug the fridge and slide 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 portion. Many times, homeowner don’t think about cleaning this area of the fridge. But, it is important to keep it clean. And, it builds up with dust and fuzz quickly, especially in houses that have pets. So, grab a rag and clean the collected dust out of the coils and fan.

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

The Freezer is Cold but the Fridge Isn’t

There are a few more causes for a refrigerator that won’t cool after these obvious ones to take a look at if the freezer is cold but your fridge is not. The evaporator coils are frosted over. This happens because there is a failure in the defrost heating system. Or the automatic defrost has an issue. The evaporator fan motor is another cause.

Every refrigerator has a set of evaporator coils. These evaporator coils are what cool and the fan moves the cold air throughout the appliance. The damper control assembly isn’t working the right way. The temperature control board that provides the electricity to the compressor and fan, this probably is not the issue but it is worth mentioning.

And, the thermistor might be malfunctioning, which is a little sensor within the unit that tells the temperature. Having one of our technicians inspect it is the best course of action but these are a few of of the most typical issues.

ADDITIONAL REFRIGERATOR RESOURCES