Why is My Refrigerator Not Cooling?

refrigerator not cold

There are many reasons a refrigerator is not cooling. If you want to spare yourself some time and burden, give Champion Chandler Appliance Repair a call for refrigerator repair in Chandler, AZ. We’re happy to come out and diagnose the cooling issue as well as repair it for you.

When a refrigerator is not cold, it is time to determine what the problem is. A lot of times it is something as simple as a good coil cleaning behind the refrigerator. However, with these new models of refrigerators, they’re manufactured with a variety of sensors too.

Before we look too deep, we inspect the most typical and simple causes for this issue. Here are some of the issues that we have found lead to a refrigerator that won’t cool:

Is the cord plugged into an outlet? This might seem like it is a funny question, but we have been called out to jobs that this was the reason for the issue. Somehow, it was not plugged in. Maybe a child or pet did it, or an electrician during a project. Whatever the cause might be, make sure it is plugged in.

Look at the thermostat inside. This is a typical issue for families with children in their home. After all, kids like dials and buttons and so, without understanding they’re doing something wrong, they play with them. So, check that the thermostat setting is not the cause of the warm fridge.

Which Refrigerator Parts to Troubleshoot?

Check that all of the vents inside the freezer area aren’t blocked with food or containers. This is common since frozen veggies get stuck in the back of the freezer. There could be food in the way back of a freezer unit that has long been forgotten about.

Be sure the condenser cooling fan is clean and clear of debris. To be sure, unplug the fridge and pull it out from the wall. The fan for most models is just at the bottom of the appliance or somewhere in the back of the freezer unit. Often times, homeowner do not think to clean this section of the refrigerator. But, it is important to clean it. And, it piles up with fuzz and dust quickly, especially in homes that have dogs and cats. So, find a clean rag and clean the built-up dust out of the refrigerator coils and fan.

This is not a suggestion for refrigerators that have the back coil system. Once everything is clean, plug it into the wall and see if the fan moves.

The Freezer Unit is Cold but the Fridge Isn’t

There are many causes for a refrigerator that won’t cool after these obvious ones to start to check if the freezer is cool but the refrigerator is not. The evaporator coils have frost on them. This happens when there is a failure in the defrost system. Or when the automatic defrost experiences an issue. The evaporator fan motor can be another reason.

Every fridge has a set of evaporator coils. These evaporator coils are what gets cold and then the fan pushes the cool air throughout the appliance. The damper control assembly is not working properly. The temperature control board which transports the electricity to the fan and compressor, this probably is not the issue but it’s worth mentioning.

And, the thermistor could be malfunctioning, which is a small sensor inside the unit that displays the temperature. Having one of our technicians look at it is the best solution but these are a few of of the most typical problems.

ADDITIONAL REFRIGERATOR RESOURCES