Why is My Refrigerator Not Cooling?

There are several reasons a refrigerator is not cooling. If you would like to save yourself a little time and hassle, give Enhance New Brunswick Appliance Repair a call for refrigerator repair in New Brunswick, NJ. We’re happy to visit and diagnose the cooling issue as well as fix it for you.

When a refrigerator is no longer cold, it’s time to see what the issue might be. Most times it’s something as common as a routine coil cleaning behind the refrigerator. But, with new refrigerators, they are manufactured with a variety of sensors too.

Before we look too deep, we look at the most typical and common causes for this problem. Here are some things that we have found can lead to a refrigerator that won’t cool:

Is the cord plugged in? This might seem like a silly question, but we’ve been called out to appointments that this was the issue. Somehow, the refrigerator was not plugged in. Maybe a kid unplugged it, or an electrician during a project. Whatever the reason may be, be sure it’s plugged in.

Look at the thermostat inside. This is a very typical problem for those with children in their home. After all, children like buttons and dials and so, without understanding they’re doing something bad, they mess with them. So, check that the thermostat temperature isn’t the reason for the warm refrigerator.

Which Refrigerator Parts to Troubleshoot?

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

Be sure the condenser cooling fan is clear and clean of all debris. To be sure, unplug the fridge and pull it out from the wall. The fan for most models is just at the bottom of the appliance or in the back part of the freezer portion. Often times, customers do not 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 houses that have cats and dogs. So, find a rag and clean the collected dust out of the coils and cooling fan.

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

The Freezer Unit is Cold but the Refrigerator is Not

There are a few more reasons for a refrigerator that won’t cool after these more common ones to start to take a look at if your freezer is cold but your fridge isn’t. The evaporator coils have frost on them. This occurs if there is a failure in the defrost heating system. Or the automatic defrost has a problem. The evaporator fan motor can be another cause.

Every refrigerator has a set of evaporator coils. These evaporator coils are what cool and then the fan moves the cool air around inside the appliance. The damper control assembly working correctly. The temperature control board provides the electricity to the compressor and fan, this probably isn’t the issue but it is worth mentioning.

And, the thermistor might be malfunctioning, which is a tiny sensor inside the appliance that tells the temperature. Having one of our repairmen look at it is the best solution but these are a few of of the most common issues.

ADDITIONAL REFRIGERATOR RESOURCES

• Ice Maker Isn’t Working
• How Does a Refrigerator Work?
• Refrigerator is Noisy
• Refrigerator Water Dispenser Not Working