Why is My Refrigerator Not Cooling?

refrigerator not cooling

There are a few reasons a refrigerator isn’t cooling. If you would like to save yourself a little time and hassle, give Chico Appliance Repair a call for refrigerator repair in Chico, CA. Our technicians are happy to visit and diagnose the cooling issue and correct it for you.

When your refrigerator isn’t cold, it’s time to figure out what the issue is. Often times it’s something as simple as a good coil cleaning behind the appliance. However, with these new refrigerators, they are manufactured with a variety of sensors as well.

Before we investigate further, we look at the most typical and simple reasons for this problem. Here are some of the things that we’ve determined can lead to a refrigerator that won’t cool:

Is the refrigerator plugged into an electrical outlet? This may seem like a odd question, but we’ve been called out to appointments that this was the reason for the issue. For some reason, the refrigerator was unplugged. it’s possible a child or pet did it, or an electrician during a project. Whatever the case may be, be sure the refrigerator is plugged in.

Look at the thermostat inside. This is a very typical problem for anyone with small children in their home. After all, kids like buttons and dials and so, without understanding they are doing something bad, they play with them. So, be sure that the thermostat temperature is not the cause of the warm fridge.

Refrigerator Components to Inspect?

Check that each of the vents inside the freezer aren’t blocked with boxes or food. This is very common because sometimes frozen veggies get stuck in the back of the freezer. There can be food in the back of a freezer unit that has been forgotten about.

Check that the condenser cooling fan is clear and clean of debris. To do this, unplug the fridge and slide it out from the wall. The cooling fan for many models is right at the bottom or in the back part of the freezer portion. Often times, homeowner don’t think about cleaning this section of the fridge. But, it is very important to keep it clean. And, it builds up with dust and fuzz quickly, especially with homes that have dogs and cats. So, grab a clean rag and get the collected dust out of the coils and fan.

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

The Freezer is Cold but the Fridge is Not

There are many reasons for a refrigerator that won’t cool after these obvious ones to check if the freezer is cold but your refrigerator isn’t. The evaporator coils have frost on them. This happens when there’s a failure in the defrost system. Or the automatic defrost has a problem. The evaporator fan motor is another reason.

Every fridge has a set of evaporator coils. These evaporator coils are what cool and then the fan pushes the cool air throughout the appliance. 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’s worth troubleshooting.

And, the thermistor might be malfunctioning, which is a small sensor within the appliance that displays the temperature. Having one of our repairmen inspect it is the best option but these are a few of of the most common issues.

ADDITIONAL REFRIGERATOR RESOURCES