Why is My Refrigerator Not Cooling?

There are a few reasons for why a refrigerator is not cooling. If you want to spare yourself a little time and hassle, give Express Centreville Appliance Repair a call for refrigerator repair in Centreville, VA. Our repairmen are eager to come out and troubleshoot the issue as well as repair it for you.

When your refrigerator isn’t cold anymore, it’s time to determine what the issue could be. Often times it is something as simple as a good coil cleaning. But, with these latest models of refrigerators, they are equipped with various sensors too.

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

Is the refrigerator plugged into an electrical outlet? This may seem like it is a odd question, but we have been hired for appointments that this was the reason for the issue. For some reason, the refrigerator was unplugged. Maybe a kid unplugged it, or an electrician during a project. Whatever the reason may be, be sure it is plugged in.

Look at the thermostat inside of the unit. This is a common issue for families with children in the house. After all, children love buttons and dials and so, without understanding they are doing anything wrong, they play with them. So, check that the thermostat temperature is not the cause of the warm fridge.

Refrigerator Parts to Troubleshoot?

Check that the vents inside the freezer are not blocked with containers or food. This is very common because sometimes frozen veggies get jammed in the back. There could be food in the very back of a freezer unit that has long been forgotten about.

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 cooling fan for a lot of models is just at the bottom or in the back of the freezer portion. Many times, homeowner do not think about cleaning this section of the fridge. But, it’s important to keep it clean. And, it piles up with dust and fuzz quickly, especially with houses that have cats and dogs. So, find a rag and get the collected dust out of the refrigerator coils and cooling fan.

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

The Freezer is Cold but the Fridge Isn’t

There are many reasons for a refrigerator not cooling after these more common ones to start to take a look at if the freezer is cool but the fridge is not. The evaporator coils are frosted over. This occurs because there is a malfunction in the defrost heating system. Or the automatic defrost has a problem. The evaporator fan motor is another cause.

Every refrigerator has a set of evaporator coils. These coils are what cool and the fan moves the cool air around inside the unit. The damper control assembly isn’t working properly. The temperature control board which transports the electricity to the fan and compressor, this isn’t likely the problem but it’s worth mentioning.

And, the thermistor might be defective, which is a little sensor within the unit that displays the temperature. Having one of our repairmen look at it is the best option but these are some 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