Why is My Refrigerator Not Cooling?

There are a lot of reasons why a refrigerator is not cooling. If you want to spare yourself some time and burden, give L&G San Diego Appliance Repair a call for refrigerator repair in San Diego, CA. We’re happy to visit and diagnose the cooling problem as well as repair it for you.

When your refrigerator is not cold, it’s time to determine what the issue might be. A lot of times it is something as basic as a routine coil cleaning behind the refrigerator. But, with these modern fridges, they are equipped with various sensors as well.

Before we investigate further, we monitor the most common and easy reasons for this problem. Here are some things that we have determined can lead to a refrigerator not cooling:

Is the cord plugged in? This will seem like it’s a silly question, but we’ve been called out to appointments that this was the issue. Somehow, it was unplugged. Maybe a kid did it, or an electrician during a service visit. Whatever the cause might be, make sure it’s plugged in.

Look at the thermostat inside. This is a very common problem for anyone with small children in their house. After all, children are fascinated with buttons and dials and so, without knowing they are doing something wrong, they mess with them. So, check that the thermostat setting isn’t the reason for the warm fridge.

Refrigerator Components to Troubleshoot?

Be sure each of the vents inside of the freezer area aren’t blocked with containers or food. This is common because bags of frozen vegetables get stuck in the back. There might be food in the way back of a freezer that has been forgotten about.

Be sure the refrigerator’s condenser cooling fan is clean and clear of all debris. To be sure, unplug the refrigerator and slide it out from the wall. The cooling fan for a lot of models is just at the bottom or in the back part of the freezer section. Many times, homeowner don’t think about cleaning this section of the refrigerator. But, it is very important to clean it. And, it fills up with dust and fuzz quickly, especially with homes that have cats and dogs. So, find a rag and get the collected dust out of the refrigerator coils and cooling fan.

This is not suggested for refrigerators that have a back 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 many reasons for a refrigerator not cooling after these more common ones to check if the freezer is cold but your fridge isn’t. The evaporator coils are frosted over. This occurs if there’s a malfunction in the defrost system. Or the automatic defrost has a problem. The evaporator fan motor can be another cause.

Every refrigerator has a set of evaporator coils. These evaporator coils are what cool and then the fan moves the cold air throughout the appliance. The damper control assembly working the right way. The temperature control board transports the electricity to the compressor and fan, this isn’t likely the problem but it’s worth troubleshooting.

And, the thermistor might be defective, which is a tiny sensor within the appliance that tells the temperature. Having one of our repairmen look at it is the best course of action but these are some 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