Why is My Refrigerator Not Cooling?

refrigerator too warm

There are a lot of reasons a refrigerator is not cooling. If you want to spare yourself a little time and hassle, give Houston Appliance Repair NOW a call for refrigerator repair in Houston, TX. Our repairmen are happy to visit and troubleshoot the problem as well as repair it for you.

When your refrigerator is not cold, it is time to determine what the problem could be. Most times it is something as common as a routine coil cleaning behind the appliance. But, with modern refrigerators, they are manufactured with various sensors too.

Before we look too deep, we monitor the most common and easy reasons for this issue. Here are some things that we have found lead to a refrigerator not cooling:

Is the cord plugged in? This may seem like it is a odd question, but we’ve been called out to appointments that this was the problem. Somehow, it was unplugged. it’s possible a a pet unplugged it, or an electrician doing a project. Whatever the cause may be, make sure the refrigerator is plugged in.

Check the thermostat inside. This is a common issue for customers with children in their home. After all, children like buttons and dials and so, without knowing they are doing something wrong, they play with them. So, be sure that the thermostat setting isn’t the reason for the warm fridge.

Which Refrigerator Components to Inspect?

Check that the vents in the freezer are not blocked with containers or food. This is common since bags of frozen veggies get pushed in the back. There can be food in the very back of a freezer unit that has long been forgotten.

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

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

The Freezer Unit is Cold but the Refrigerator is Not

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

Every refrigerator has a pair of evaporator coils. These coils are what cool and the fan moves the cool air throughout the unit. The damper control assembly is not working the right way. The temperature control board that transports the electricity to the fan and compressor, this probably is not the issue but it is worth troubleshooting.

And, the thermistor might be defective, which is a small sensor in the appliance that tells the temperature. Having one of our repairmen inspect it is the best option but these are some of the most common issues.

ADDITIONAL REFRIGERATOR RESOURCES