Why is My Refrigerator Not Cooling?

There are a few reasons a refrigerator will not cool. If you want to save yourself some time and burden, give Green Bay Appliance Repair a call for refrigerator repair in Green Bay, WI. We’re eager to come out and diagnose the cooling issue and correct it for you.

When your refrigerator has lost its cold anymore, it’s time to figure out what the problem could be. Most times it’s something as common as a routine coil cleaning. However, with latest fridges, they’re manufactured with various sensors as well.

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

Is it plugged into an outlet? This might seem like a silly question, but we have been called out to appointments that this was the issue. For some reason, it was unplugged. Maybe a a pet did it, or an electrician during a project. Whatever the case may be, make sure it is plugged in.

Check the thermostat inside. This is a very typical problem for customers with children in their home. After all, kids like buttons and dials and so, without knowing they are doing something wrong, they mess with them. So, be sure that the thermostat setting is not the cause of the warm refrigerator.

Which Refrigerator Parts to Inspect?

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

Be sure the refrigerator’s condenser cooling fan is clear and clean of debris. To be sure, unplug the fridge and pull it away from the kitchen wall. The fan for many models is right at the bottom of the appliance or somewhere in the back part of the freezer section. Often times, homeowner do not think about cleaning this area of the appliance. But, it is important to keep it clean. And, it clogs up with fuzz and dust quickly, especially with houses that have cats and dogs. So, grab a rag and clean the collected dust out of the refrigerator coils and cooling fan.

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

The Freezer is Cold but the Refrigerator Isn’t

There are many causes for a refrigerator not cooling after these more common ones to take a look at if the freezer is cool but your refrigerator isn’t. The evaporator coils are frosted over. This happens if there is a failure in the defrost heating system. Or the automatic defrost has a problem. The evaporator fan motor is another cause.

Every fridge has a set of evaporator coils. These evaporator coils are what gets cold and the fan circulates the cool air throughout the unit. The damper control assembly working correctly. The temperature control board that provides the electricity to the compressor and fan, this probably is not the issue but it’s worth mentioning.

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

ADDITIONAL REFRIGERATOR RESOURCES