Why is My Refrigerator Not Cooling?

There are a lot of reasons a refrigerator will not cool. If you would like to save yourself a little time and burden, give Triumph Appliance Repair a call for refrigerator repair in White Plains, NY. Our repairmen are happy to visit and diagnose the issue and fix it for you.

When a refrigerator is not cold, it’s time to figure out what the problem could be. Most times it is something as basic as a routine coil cleaning behind the appliance. But, with these latest fridges, they are manufactured with a variety of sensors as well.

Before we look too deep, we monitor the most common and easy reasons for this problem. Here are a couple of things that we have found can lead to a refrigerator that won’t cool:

Is the cord plugged into an outlet? This might seem like it is a odd question, but we have been hired for jobs that this was the issue. For some reason, the refrigerator was unplugged. Maybe a child or pet did it, or an electrician during a project. Whatever the case might be, make sure it’s plugged in.

Check the thermostat inside of the refrigerator. This is a common problem for customers with small children in the house. After all, children are fascinated with buttons and dials and so, without understanding they are doing something bad, they play with them. So, be sure that the thermostat setting is not the reason for the warm refrigerator.

Which Refrigerator Components to Inspect?

Check that the vents inside the freezer aren’t blocked with food or containers. This is common since bags of frozen vegetables get stuck in the back of the freezer. There can be food in the very back of a freezer unit that has long been forgotten about.

Be sure the condenser cooling fan is clean and clear of debris. To check this, unplug the fridge and slide it out from the wall. The cooling fan for a lot of models is just at the bottom or somewhere in the back of the freezer unit. A lot of times, customers do not think about cleaning this section of the appliance. But, it is very important to clean it. And, it fills up with fuzz and dust quickly, especially in homes that have dogs and cats. So, grab a clean rag and clean the built-up dust out of the refrigerator coils and cooling fan.

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

The Freezer is Cold but the Fridge Isn’t

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

Every fridge has a set of evaporator coils. These evaporator coils are what cool and the fan moves the cold air around inside the unit. The damper control assembly working the right way. The temperature control board that provides the electricity to the compressor and fan, this is not likely the issue but it’s worth troubleshooting.

And, the thermistor might be malfunctioning, which is a tiny sensor inside the appliance that displays the temperature. Having one of our repairmen look at it is the best option but these are some 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