Why is My Refrigerator Not Cooling?

There are several reasons a refrigerator is not cooling. If you would like to spare yourself a little time and hassle, give Ace Alhambra Appliance Repair a call for refrigerator repair in Alhambra, CA. We are eager to visit and diagnose the cooling issue as well as fix it for you.

When a refrigerator has lost its cold anymore, it’s time to determine what the issue is. Most times it’s something as common as a routine coil cleaning behind the refrigerator. However, with these new refrigerators, they’re equipped with a variety of sensors too.

Before we look too deep, we inspect the most typical and easy reasons for this problem. Here are a couple of of the things that we’ve determined can lead to a refrigerator not cooling:

Is it plugged in? This might seem like it’s a odd question, but we’ve been called out to appointments that this was the reason for the problem. Somehow, the refrigerator was not plugged in. it’s possible a kid unplugged it, or an electrician doing a service visit. Whatever the reason might be, be sure it is plugged in.

Check the thermostat inside of the refrigerator. This is a very common problem for those with children in their home. After all, children are fascinated with dials and buttons and so, without knowing they are doing anything wrong, they play with them. So, check that the thermostat setting isn’t the cause of the warm refrigerator.

Which Refrigerator Parts to Troubleshoot?

Be sure the vents inside the freezer area aren’t blocked with containers or food. This is very common since bags of frozen veggies get pushed in the back. There could be food in the back of a freezer unit that has long been forgotten about.

Be sure the condenser cooling fan is clear and clean of all debris. To be sure, unplug the refrigerator and pull it away from the wall. The cooling fan for most models is just at the bottom or somewhere in the back of the freezer section. Often times, homeowner don’t think to clean this area of the refrigerator. But, it’s important to keep it clean. And, it builds up with fuzz and dust quickly, especially in houses that have dogs and cats. So, grab a clean rag and get the collected dust out of the refrigerator coils and cooling fan.

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

The Freezer is Cold but the Refrigerator is Not

There are a few more reasons for a refrigerator not cooling after these more common ones to check if your freezer is cool but your fridge is not. The evaporator coils are frosted over. This occurs if there’s a malfunction in the defrost heating system. Or the automatic defrost experiences an issue. The evaporator fan motor can be another cause.

Every refrigerator has a pair of evaporator coils. These coils are what gets cold and then the fan pushes the cool air throughout the unit. The damper control assembly working correctly. The temperature control board provides the electricity to the compressor and fan, this isn’t likely the issue but it’s worth troubleshooting.

And, the thermistor could be malfunctioning, which is a little sensor inside the unit that tells the temperature. Having one of our technicians look at it is the best solution but these are some of the most common problems.

ADDITIONAL REFRIGERATOR RESOURCES