Why is My Refrigerator Not Cooling?

refrigerator coolant

There are a few reasons why a refrigerator is not cooling. If you want to spare yourself some time and hassle, give Gold Appliance Repair a call for refrigerator repair in Pearland, TX. Our repairmen are happy to come out and diagnose the cooling issue as well as correct it for you.

When a refrigerator is no longer cold, it’s time to determine what the issue could be. Often times it’s something as simple as a routine coil cleaning behind the appliance. But, with modern refrigerators, they’re manufactured with a variety of sensors too.

Before we investigate further, we monitor the most common and easy causes for this problem. Here are some of the issues that we’ve determined lead to a refrigerator not cooling:

Is it plugged into an electrical outlet? This may seem like it is a funny question, but we have been called out to jobs that this was the issue. Somehow, the refrigerator was not plugged in. Maybe a kid unplugged it, or an electrician doing a service visit. Whatever the reason may be, be sure the refrigerator is plugged in.

Look at the thermostat inside. This is a common issue for customers with small children in the home. After all, kids are fascinated with dials and buttons and so, without knowing they’re doing something wrong, they mess with them. So, be sure that the thermostat temperature isn’t the reason for the warm fridge.

Refrigerator Parts to Troubleshoot?

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

Check that the refrigerator’s condenser cooling fan is clear and clean of all debris. To do this, unplug the fridge and slide it out from the wall. The cooling fan for several models is just at the bottom or somewhere in the back of the freezer unit. Often times, people do not think about cleaning this section of the fridge. But, it’s very important to clean it. And, it fills up with fuzz and dust quickly, especially in homes that have pets. So, grab a clean rag and clean the dust out of the refrigerator coils and fan.

This is not recommended for refrigerators that have the rear coil system. Once all clean, plug it back into the wall and monitor if the cooling fan spins.

The Freezer is Cold but the Refrigerator Isn’t

There are many reasons for a refrigerator that won’t cool after these more common ones to take a look at if the freezer is cold but the 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 an issue. The evaporator fan motor can be another cause.

Every fridge has a pair of evaporator coils. These evaporator coils are what gets cold and the fan circulates the cold air around inside the unit. The damper control assembly working the right way. The temperature control board that transports the electricity to the fan and compressor, this isn’t likely the problem but it’s worth mentioning.

And, the thermistor could be malfunctioning, which is a tiny sensor in the appliance that displays 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 common issues.

ADDITIONAL REFRIGERATOR RESOURCES