Why is My Refrigerator Not Cooling?

refrigerator too warm

There are many reasons for why a refrigerator is not cooling. If you would like to spare yourself some time and hassle, give Santa Maria Appliance Repair a call for refrigerator repair in Santa Maria, CA. We are happy to visit and diagnose the cooling issue as well as repair it for you.

When a refrigerator isn’t cold anymore, it is time to figure out what the problem might be. Often times it’s something as common as a routine coil cleaning. But, with new models of refrigerators, they’re manufactured with various sensors as well.

Before we look too deep, we monitor the most typical and common reasons for this issue. Here are a few of things that we have determined can lead to a refrigerator not cooling:

Is it plugged in? This might seem like a silly question, but we have been called out to jobs 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 service visit. Whatever the case might be, make sure it is plugged in.

Look at the thermostat inside of the appliance. This is a common issue for those with small children in their house. After all, children like buttons and dials and so, without understanding they are doing anything bad, they mess with them. So, check that the thermostat temperature is not the cause of the warm refrigerator.

Which Refrigerator Components to Inspect?

Check that all of the vents inside the freezer area are not blocked with food or containers. This is common because sometimes bags of frozen veggies get jammed in the back. There might be food in the back of a freezer unit that has been forgotten.

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

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

The Freezer is Cold but the Fridge Isn’t

There are many causes for a refrigerator not cooling after these obvious ones to start to take a look at if your freezer is cold but your refrigerator isn’t. The evaporator coils have frost on them. This happens when there is a failure in the defrost system. Or when the automatic defrost experiences an issue. The evaporator fan motor can be another cause.

Every fridge has a pair of evaporator coils. These coils are what cool and then the fan pushes the cool air around inside the appliance. The damper control assembly working the right way. The temperature control board transports the electricity to the compressor and fan, this is not likely the issue but it is worth mentioning.

And, the thermistor might be malfunctioning, which is a little sensor within the unit that displays the temperature. Having one of our repairmen inspect it is the best solution but these are some of the most typical issues.

ADDITIONAL REFRIGERATOR RESOURCES