Why is My Refrigerator Not Cooling?

There are a few reasons a refrigerator is not cooling. If you want to spare yourself a little time and burden, give World Class Appliance Repair a call for refrigerator repair in Rancho Cucamonga, CA. Our technicians are happy to come out and troubleshoot the cooling issue and fix it for you.

When your refrigerator is no longer cold, it’s time to determine what the issue could be. Most times it’s something as basic as a routine coil cleaning behind the refrigerator. But, with these modern refrigerators, they’re equipped with various sensors as well.

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

Is the cord plugged in? This may seem like it’s a funny question, but we have been hired for jobs that this was the problem. Somehow, the refrigerator was not plugged in. Maybe a a pet unplugged it, or an electrician doing a project. Whatever the case might be, make sure it is plugged in.

Look at the thermostat inside. This is a common issue for those with small children in the house. After all, kids like buttons and dials and so, without knowing they are doing anything wrong, they mess with them. So, be sure that the thermostat setting is not the cause of the warm fridge.

Refrigerator Components to Inspect?

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

Check that the refrigerator’s condenser cooling fan is clear and clean of debris. To be sure, unplug the refrigerator and pull it out from the wall. The fan for a lot of models is right at the bottom of the appliance or in the back of the freezer portion. A lot of times, people don’t think about cleaning this section of the refrigerator. But, it’s important to keep it clean. And, it builds up with fuzz and dust quickly, especially with houses that have dogs and cats. So, find a rag and get the dust out of the coils and cooling fan.

This is not recommended for refrigerators that have the rear coil system. Once everything is clean, plug it into the wall and monitor if the fan moves.

The Freezer is Cold but the Refrigerator is Not

There are many causes for a refrigerator not cooling after these more common ones to check if the freezer is cool but the fridge isn’t. The evaporator coils are frosted over. This happens if there’s a failure in the defrost system. Or the automatic defrost experiences a problem. The evaporator fan motor can be another reason.

Every refrigerator has a set of evaporator coils. These evaporator coils are what gets cold and the fan pushes the cool air around inside the appliance. The damper control assembly isn’t working the right way. The temperature control board which transports the electricity to the compressor and fan, this is not likely the issue but it is worth mentioning.

And, the thermistor might be defective, which is a little sensor in the appliance that displays the temperature. Having one of our technicians inspect it is the best course of action but these are a few of of the most common issues.

ADDITIONAL REFRIGERATOR RESOURCES

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