Why is My Refrigerator Not Cooling?

There are many reasons for why a refrigerator won’t cool. If you want to save yourself a little time and inconvenience, give Dynamic Dayton Appliance Repair a call for refrigerator repair in Dayton, OH. We’re happy to come out and diagnose the issue as well as correct it for you.

When your refrigerator is not cold, it is time to see what the issue is. Often times it is something as basic as a good coil cleaning behind the refrigerator. However, with modern models of refrigerators, they’re equipped with various sensors as well.

Before we look too deep, we monitor the most common and easy reasons for this issue. Here are some of the issues that we’ve determined lead to a refrigerator that won’t cool:

Is the refrigerator plugged in? This may seem like a silly question, but we have been called out to appointments that this was the problem. Somehow, the refrigerator was not plugged in. it’s possible a child or pet did it, or an electrician during a project. Whatever the cause may be, be sure it is plugged in.

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

Which Refrigerator Components to Inspect?

Check that all of the vents inside of the freezer are not blocked with boxes or food. This is very common because sometimes frozen vegetables get stuck in the back. There could be food in the back of a freezer unit that has been forgotten.

Be sure the refrigerator’s condenser cooling fan is clear and clean of debris. To be sure, unplug the refrigerator and slide it out from the kitchen wall. The fan for most models is right at the bottom of the appliance or somewhere in the back part of the freezer portion. Often times, homeowner don’t think about cleaning this area of the refrigerator. But, it is important to keep it clean. And, it fills up with fuzz and dust quickly, especially in houses that have pets. So, grab a clean rag and clean the dust out of the refrigerator coils and fan.

This is not recommended for refrigerators that have the rear coil system. Once all clean, plug it back into the outlet and see if the fan spins.

The Freezer Unit is Cold but the Refrigerator Isn’t

There are a few more reasons for a refrigerator not cooling after these obvious ones to start to check if your freezer is cold but your refrigerator isn’t. The evaporator coils are frosted over. This happens when there is a failure in the defrost heating system. Or when the automatic defrost experiences an issue. The evaporator fan motor is another cause.

Every refrigerator has a pair 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 carries the electricity to the fan and compressor, this probably is not the problem but it is worth mentioning.

And, the thermistor could be malfunctioning, which is a small sensor inside the unit that tells the temperature. Having one of our repairmen look at it is the best option but these are some of the most typical problems.

ADDITIONAL REFRIGERATOR RESOURCES

• Ice Maker Isn’t Working
• How Does a Refrigerator Work?
• Refrigerator is Noisy
• Refrigerator Water Dispenser Not Working