Why is My Refrigerator Not Cooling?

There are a variety of reasons a refrigerator will not cool. If you would like to save yourself some time and burden, give United Appliance Repair a call for refrigerator repair in Union City, NJ. Our repairmen are happy to come out and troubleshoot the cooling problem and fix it for you.

When a refrigerator isn’t cold, it’s time to see what the issue might be. Most times it’s something as common as a routine coil cleaning behind the appliance. But, with these modern fridges, they’re equipped with a variety of sensors too.

Before we look too deep, we look at the most common and simple causes for this problem. Here are a few of of the things that we have found can lead to a refrigerator not cooling:

Is it plugged into an outlet? This might seem like a funny question, but we’ve been called out to appointments that this was the issue. For some reason, the refrigerator was not plugged in. it’s possible a kid did it, or an electrician during a project. Whatever the case might be, make sure it is plugged in.

Check the thermostat inside. This is a very typical issue for customers with small children in their house. After all, children like buttons and dials and so, without knowing they’re doing anything bad, they play with them. So, check that the thermostat setting is not the cause of the warm fridge.

Refrigerator Parts to Inspect?

Be sure each of the vents in the freezer area are not blocked with food or containers. This is very common since bags of frozen veggies get stuck in the back. There can be food in the very back of a freezer unit that has been forgotten about.

Check that the condenser cooling fan is clean and clear of all debris. To be sure, unplug the fridge and pull it out from the wall. The fan for many models is right at the bottom or somewhere in the back of the freezer portion. Often times, people don’t think about cleaning this area of the appliance. But, it is very important to keep it clean. And, it builds up with dust and fuzz quickly, especially in homes that have cats and dogs. So, grab a clean rag and get the collected dust out of the refrigerator coils and cooling fan.

This is not recommended for refrigerators that have the rear coil system. Once everything is clean, plug it into the wall and see if the cooling fan moves.

The Freezer is Cold but the Refrigerator is Not

There are a few more causes for a refrigerator not cooling after these more common ones to start to take a look at if your freezer is cold but your fridge is not. The evaporator coils are frosted over. This occurs if there is a malfunction in the defrost system. Or the automatic defrost experiences a problem. The evaporator fan motor is another reason.

Every refrigerator has a pair of evaporator coils. These evaporator coils are what cool and then the fan circulates the cold air around inside the unit. The damper control assembly working the right way. The temperature control board which provides the electricity to the compressor and fan, this probably is not the problem but it is worth troubleshooting.

And, the thermistor might be defective, which is a little sensor inside the unit that displays the temperature. Having one of our technicians inspect it is the best solution but these are a few of 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