Why is My Refrigerator Not Cooling?

refrigerator not cold

There are several reasons why a refrigerator is not cooling. If you want to save yourself some time and burden, give Next Noblesville Appliance Repair a call for refrigerator repair in Noblesville, IN. Our technicians are eager to visit and troubleshoot the cooling problem as well as correct it for you.

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

Before we investigate further, we monitor the most typical and common reasons for this problem. Here are a few of of the things that we’ve found can lead to a refrigerator not cooling:

Is the refrigerator plugged into an electrical outlet? This will seem like it is a silly question, but we have been called out to jobs that this was the problem. For some reason, the refrigerator was unplugged. Maybe a kid did it, or an electrician during a service visit. Whatever the reason might be, make sure it’s plugged in.

Look at the thermostat inside of the unit. This is a very common issue for anyone with small children in their home. After all, kids love buttons and dials and so, without understanding they are doing anything wrong, they play with them. So, check that the thermostat setting isn’t the reason for the warm refrigerator.

Which Refrigerator Components to Troubleshoot?

Be sure each of the vents in the freezer are not blocked with containers or food. This is common because sometimes frozen vegetables get pushed in the back. There might be food in the very back of a freezer unit that has long been forgotten.

Be sure the refrigerator’s condenser cooling fan is clear and clean of all debris. To check this, unplug the fridge and pull it out from the wall. The fan for several models is right at the bottom of the appliance or somewhere in the back part of the freezer unit. A lot of times, customers don’t think about cleaning this area of the refrigerator. But, it is important to keep it clean. And, it piles up with dust and fuzz quickly, especially with homes that have cats and dogs.

So, grab a rag and get the collected dust out of the coils and cooling fan.
This is not recommended for refrigerators that have a back coil system. Once everything is clean, plug it into the outlet and notice if the fan spins.

The Freezer is Cold but the Fridge is Not

There are many reasons for a refrigerator not cooling after these obvious ones to start to take a look at if your freezer is cool but the fridge is not. The evaporator coils have frost on them. This happens if there is a malfunction in the defrost heating system. Or when the automatic defrost experiences an issue. The evaporator fan motor can be another reason.

Every fridge has a pair of evaporator coils. These coils are what gets cold and then the fan circulates the cool air throughout the appliance. The damper control assembly working the right way. The temperature control board carries the electricity to the compressor and fan, this probably is not the problem but it is worth troubleshooting.

And, the thermistor might be defective, which is a little sensor within the unit that displays the temperature. Having one of our technicians inspect it is the best option but these are a few of of the most typical problems.

ADDITIONAL REFRIGERATOR RESOURCES