Why is My Refrigerator Not Cooling?

There are a lot of reasons a refrigerator isn’t cooling. If you would like to save yourself a little time and burden, give United Appliance Repair a call for refrigerator repair in Hillsboro, OR. Our repairmen are eager to come out and diagnose the issue and fix it for you.

When a refrigerator is no longer cold, it is time to figure out what the issue could be. A lot of times it’s something as simple as a good coil cleaning. But, with these modern models of refrigerators, they’re equipped with a variety of sensors as well.

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

Is it plugged into an outlet? This might seem like it’s a silly question, but we’ve been hired for jobs that this was the problem. Somehow, the refrigerator was unplugged. Maybe a kid did it, or an electrician doing a project. Whatever the reason might be, make sure it’s plugged in.

Check the thermostat inside. This is a very common issue for anyone with small children in their house. After all, kids like buttons and dials and so, without knowing they’re doing something bad, they play with them. So, check that the thermostat temperature is not the reason for the warm fridge.

Which Refrigerator Parts to Inspect?

Be sure each of the vents inside the freezer area aren’t blocked with boxes or food. This is very common because sometimes bags of frozen veggies get pushed in the back of the freezer. There could be food in the back of a freezer that has been forgotten.

Check that the refrigerator’s condenser cooling fan is clean and clear of all debris. To do this, unplug the refrigerator and pull it out from the kitchen wall. The fan for several models is right at the bottom of the appliance or in the back part of the freezer unit. Often times, people don’t think about cleaning this area of the refrigerator. But, it’s important to keep it clean. And, it clogs up with dust and fuzz quickly, especially with homes that have pets. So, find a rag and get the dust out of the refrigerator coils and cooling fan.

This is not a suggestion for refrigerators that have the rear coil system. Once everything is clean, plug it into the outlet and monitor if the cooling fan moves.

The Freezer is Cold but the Fridge Isn’t

There are a few more reasons for a refrigerator that won’t cool after these more common ones to check if the freezer is cold but your fridge isn’t. The evaporator coils are frosted over. This occurs because there’s a failure in the defrost system. Or if the automatic defrost experiences a problem. The evaporator fan motor can be another cause.

Every refrigerator has a pair of evaporator coils. These evaporator coils are what gets cold and the fan moves the cool air around inside the appliance. The damper control assembly is not working the right way. The temperature control board provides the electricity to the compressor and fan, this isn’t likely the issue but it is worth troubleshooting.

And, the thermistor might 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 solution but these are some of the most common problems.

ADDITIONAL REFRIGERATOR RESOURCES

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