Why is My Refrigerator Not Cooling?

refrigerator not cold

There are a lot of reasons a refrigerator isn’t cooling. If you would like to save yourself a little time and hassle, give Instant Livonia Appliance Repair a call for refrigerator repair in Livonia, MI. We’re happy to come out and troubleshoot the issue and repair it for you.

When your refrigerator isn’t cold anymore, it’s time to figure out what the problem could be. Most times it’s something as common as a routine coil cleaning behind the refrigerator. However, with these latest fridges, they are manufactured with various sensors as well.

Before we investigate further, we look at the most typical and easy causes for this issue. Here are a few of of the things that we’ve found can lead to a refrigerator not cooling:

Is the refrigerator plugged into an electrical outlet? This may seem like it’s a odd question, but we’ve been called out to appointments that this was the reason for the issue. For some reason, the refrigerator was unplugged. it’s possible a a pet did it, or an electrician during a project. Whatever the cause may be, make sure it is plugged in.

Look at the thermostat inside of the refrigerator. This is a very common problem for those with small children in the home. After all, children like dials and buttons and so, without understanding they are doing anything wrong, they play with them. So, be sure that the thermostat temperature is not the reason for the warm fridge.

Refrigerator Components to Troubleshoot?

Check that the vents inside of the freezer aren’t blocked with containers or food. This is very common because frozen veggies get pushed in the back. There might be food in the way back of a freezer that has been forgotten about.

Check that the refrigerator’s condenser cooling fan is clean and clear of debris. To do this, unplug the fridge and pull it out from the wall. The fan for most models is right at the bottom of the appliance or in the back part of the freezer portion. Often times, people don’t think to clean this section of the appliance. But, it’s very important to clean it. And, it piles up with dust and fuzz quickly, especially in homes that have cats and dogs. So, get a clean rag and clean the built-up dust out of the coils and cooling fan.

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

The Freezer Unit is Cold but the Fridge is Not

There are many causes for a refrigerator that won’t cool after these more common ones to check if your freezer is cold but your refrigerator isn’t. The evaporator coils have frost on them. This happens when there’s a failure in the defrost system. Or the automatic defrost experiences an issue. The evaporator fan motor can be another reason.

Every fridge has a pair of evaporator coils. These coils are what gets cold and the fan circulates the cold air throughout 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 is not likely the problem but it’s worth troubleshooting.

And, the thermistor could be malfunctioning, which is a little sensor within the appliance that tells the temperature. Having one of our repairmen inspect it is the best solution but these are some of the most common problems.

ADDITIONAL REFRIGERATOR RESOURCES