Why is My Refrigerator Not Cooling?

refrigerator too warm

There are several reasons why a refrigerator isn’t cooling. If you want to save yourself a little time and hassle, give College Station Appliance Repair a call for refrigerator repair in College Station, TX. Our repairmen are happy to come out and diagnose the cooling issue as well as correct it for you.

When your refrigerator is not cold anymore, it’s time to figure out what the issue might be. Often times it is something as simple as a routine coil cleaning behind the appliance. However, with these latest refrigerators, they’re manufactured with various sensors too.

Before we look too deep, we monitor the most common and common causes for this issue. Here are a couple of things that we have determined can lead to a refrigerator that will not cool:

Is the refrigerator plugged into an outlet? This may seem like it’s a odd question, but we’ve been hired for appointments that this was the issue. Somehow, it was unplugged. it’s possible a kid did it, or an electrician while doing a service visit. Whatever the reason may be, be sure it is plugged in.

Look at the thermostat inside. This is a common problem for families with small children in the home. After all, kids like dials and buttons and so, without understanding they’re doing anything bad, they mess with them. So, be sure that the thermostat temperature is not the reason for the warm fridge.

Which Refrigerator Parts to Troubleshoot?

Check that all of the vents in the freezer area aren’t blocked with food or containers. This is very common since frozen vegetables get stuck 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 clear and clean of debris. To check this, unplug the refrigerator and pull it away from the kitchen wall. The cooling fan for most models is right at the bottom of the appliance or in the back part of the freezer portion. Often times, homeowner do not think to clean this area of the refrigerator. But, it is very important to keep it clean. And, it fills up with dust and fuzz quickly, especially in homes that have pets. So, find a clean rag and clean the dust out of the refrigerator coils and fan.

This is not suggested for refrigerators that have the back coil system. Once all clean, plug it back into the wall and notice if the fan moves.

The Freezer is Cold but the Refrigerator Isn’t

There are many reasons for a refrigerator not cooling after these obvious ones to take a look at if your freezer is cold but the refrigerator is not. The evaporator coils are frosted over. This happens when there’s a failure in the defrost heating system. Or the automatic defrost has a problem. The evaporator fan motor is another cause.

Every fridge has a set of evaporator coils. These coils are what gets cold and then the fan pushes the cold air throughout the unit. The damper control assembly working correctly. The temperature control board transports the electricity to the compressor and fan, this probably isn’t the problem but it’s worth troubleshooting.

And, the thermistor could be malfunctioning, which is a small sensor within the appliance that displays the temperature. Having one of our technicians look at it is the best course of action but these are some of the most common problems.

ADDITIONAL REFRIGERATOR RESOURCES