Why is My Refrigerator Not Cooling?

refrigerator too warm

There are a few reasons a refrigerator is not cooling. If you would like to spare yourself a little time and burden, give Sterling Heights Appliance Repair HQ a call for refrigerator repair in Sterling Heights, MI. Our technicians are eager to come out and diagnose the cooling problem as well as repair it for you.

When your refrigerator has lost its cold anymore, it’s time to see what the issue could be. A lot of times it’s something as simple as a good coil cleaning. But, with these modern models of refrigerators, they are manufactured with a variety of sensors as well.

Before we look too deep, we inspect the most common and easy causes for this issue. Here are a few of of the things that we’ve found can lead to a refrigerator that won’t cool:

Is it plugged in? This will seem like it is a odd question, but we have been hired for appointments that this was the problem. For some reason, the refrigerator was unplugged. it’s possible a child or pet unplugged it, or an electrician while doing a service visit. Whatever the cause might be, be sure it is plugged in.

Check the thermostat inside of the refrigerator. This is a typical problem for those with children in their house. After all, children love dials and buttons and so, without knowing they’re doing anything bad, they mess with them. So, check that the thermostat setting isn’t the reason for the warm refrigerator.

Which Refrigerator Components to Inspect?

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

Be sure the refrigerator’s condenser cooling fan is clear and clean of all debris. To be sure, unplug the refrigerator and slide it out from the kitchen wall. The fan for many models is just at the bottom of the appliance or in the back of the freezer unit. A lot of times, people do not think about cleaning this area of the refrigerator. But, it is important to clean it. And, it builds up with fuzz and dust quickly, especially with houses that have dogs and cats. So, get a clean rag and get the 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 monitor if the fan moves.

The Freezer is Cold but the Refrigerator is Not

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

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

And, the thermistor could be malfunctioning, which is a little sensor within the appliance that tells the temperature. Having one of our technicians look at it is the best option but these are a few of of the most typical problems.

ADDITIONAL REFRIGERATOR RESOURCES