Why is My Refrigerator Not Cooling?

There are a few reasons a refrigerator is not cooling. If you would like to spare yourself a little time and hassle, give P&G Baltimore Appliance Repair a call for refrigerator repair in Baltimore, MD. Our technicians are happy to visit and troubleshoot the cooling problem as well as repair it for you.

When a refrigerator is no longer cold, it’s time to see what the problem might be. A lot of times it is something as simple as a good coil cleaning behind the refrigerator. However, with these modern fridges, they’re equipped with a variety of sensors as well.

Before we investigate further, we inspect the most typical and simple reasons for this problem. Here are a few of issues that we have determined lead to a refrigerator not cooling:

Is the refrigerator plugged in? This might seem like it is a silly question, but we have been hired for jobs that this was the issue. Somehow, the refrigerator was unplugged. Maybe a kid unplugged it, or an electrician during a project. Whatever the case might be, be sure the refrigerator is plugged in.

Check the thermostat inside. This is a very common problem for those with small children in their home. After all, kids like buttons and dials and so, without knowing they’re doing anything wrong, they mess with them. So, check that the thermostat setting isn’t the cause of the warm refrigerator.

Refrigerator Parts to Troubleshoot?

Be sure the vents inside of the freezer aren’t blocked with food or boxes. This is common since sometimes bags of frozen veggies get jammed in the back of the freezer. There might be food in the very back of a freezer that has been forgotten about.

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

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

The Freezer is Cold but the Fridge is Not

There are several causes for a refrigerator that won’t cool after these more common ones to start to check if the freezer is cold but the refrigerator isn’t. The evaporator coils are frosted over. This happens because there’s a failure in the defrost system. Or if the automatic defrost has a problem. The evaporator fan motor is another reason.

Every fridge has a pair of evaporator coils. These coils are what cool and then the fan circulates the cold air throughout the unit. The damper control assembly working properly. The temperature control board that provides the electricity to the compressor and fan, this probably is not the issue but it is worth mentioning.

And, the thermistor might be defective, which is a small sensor within the unit that tells the temperature. Having one of our repairmen look at it is the best course of action but these are a few of of the most typical issues.

ADDITIONAL REFRIGERATOR RESOURCES

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