Why is My Refrigerator Not Cooling?

There are a lot of reasons a refrigerator will not cool. If you would like to spare yourself some time and burden, give Lee Appliance Repair a call for refrigerator repair in Sioux City, Iowa. We are eager to visit and diagnose the cooling issue and correct it for you.

When a refrigerator has lost its cold, it is time to determine what the problem might be. A lot of times it is something as basic as a good coil cleaning. However, with these latest fridges, they are equipped with various sensors as well.

Before we look too deep, we inspect the most common and simple reasons for this problem. Here are a couple of of the things that we have determined can lead to a refrigerator not cooling:

Is the cord plugged into an electrical outlet? This may seem like it’s a silly question, but we’ve been called out to jobs that this was the reason for the issue. Somehow, the refrigerator was unplugged. Maybe a kid did it, or an electrician while doing a service visit. Whatever the case may be, make sure the refrigerator is plugged in.

Look at the thermostat inside of the refrigerator. This is a common issue for customers with small children in their house. After all, kids like dials and buttons and so, without understanding they are doing anything wrong, they play with them. So, check that the thermostat temperature isn’t the reason for the warm refrigerator.

Which Refrigerator Parts to Inspect?

Check that all of the vents in the freezer area are not blocked with food or containers. This is common because bags of frozen veggies get pushed in the back. There could be food in the back of a freezer unit that has been forgotten about.

Check that the refrigerator’s condenser cooling fan is clean and clear of all debris. To be sure, unplug the fridge and slide it out from the kitchen wall. The cooling fan for a lot of models is right at the bottom of the appliance or somewhere in the back of the freezer section. Often times, customers don’t think about cleaning this section of the fridge. But, it’s very important to clean it. And, it builds up with fuzz and dust quickly, especially in houses that have cats and dogs. So, find a clean rag and clean the collected dust out of the coils and fan.

This is not recommended for refrigerators that have a rear 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 is Not

There are a few more causes for a refrigerator that won’t cool after these obvious ones to start to take a look at if your freezer is cold but your fridge isn’t. The evaporator coils have frost on them. This occurs because there’s a failure in the defrost system. Or if the automatic defrost has an issue. The evaporator fan motor can be another cause.

Every fridge has a set of evaporator coils. These evaporator coils are what gets cold and then the fan moves the cold air around inside the unit. The damper control assembly working properly. The temperature control board that provides the electricity to the compressor and fan, this probably isn’t the issue but it is worth mentioning.

And, the thermistor could be malfunctioning, which is a tiny sensor inside the unit that tells 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 common issues.

ADDITIONAL REFRIGERATOR RESOURCES

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