Why is My Refrigerator Not Cooling?

There are many reasons why a refrigerator won’t cool. If you want to spare yourself a little time and burden, give Prime Provo Appliance Repair a call for refrigerator repair in Provo, UT. We are happy to visit and troubleshoot the problem as well as fix it for you.

When your refrigerator has lost its cold, it’s time to figure out what the problem could be. Often times it’s something as basic as a good coil cleaning. However, with latest refrigerators, they are equipped with a variety of sensors as well.

Before we investigate further, we monitor the most common and common causes for this problem. Here are some of the issues that we have determined lead to a refrigerator not cooling:

Is it plugged in? This will seem like it’s a funny question, but we have been hired for appointments that this was the reason for the problem. For some reason, the refrigerator was not plugged in. Maybe a a pet unplugged it, or an electrician while doing a service visit. Whatever the case may be, be sure the refrigerator is plugged in.

Look at the thermostat inside. This is a very common issue for anyone with small children in the home. After all, kids love buttons and dials and so, without understanding they’re doing something bad, they play with them. So, check that the thermostat setting is not the cause of the warm refrigerator.

Which Refrigerator Components to Inspect?

Check that the vents inside of the freezer area aren’t blocked with boxes or food. This is common because bags of frozen veggies get jammed in the back. There could be food in the way back of a freezer that has long been forgotten about.

Be sure the condenser cooling fan is clear and clean of all debris. To be sure, unplug the refrigerator and pull it out from the kitchen wall. The fan for a lot of models is right at the bottom of the appliance or somewhere in the back of the freezer unit. Many times, people do not think about cleaning this area of the fridge. But, it is important to clean it. And, it clogs up with fuzz and dust quickly, especially in homes that have cats and dogs. So, get a rag and clean the built-up dust out of the refrigerator coils and cooling fan.

This is not suggested for refrigerators that have the back coil system. Once all 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 many 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 is not. The evaporator coils are frosted over. This happens when there’s a malfunction in the defrost heating system. Or when the automatic defrost experiences an issue. The evaporator fan motor can be another cause.

Every refrigerator has a pair of evaporator coils. These coils are what cool and the fan circulates the cool air throughout the unit. The damper control assembly working properly. The temperature control board transports the electricity to the fan and compressor, this probably isn’t the problem but it’s worth troubleshooting.

And, the thermistor could be malfunctioning, which is a tiny sensor inside the unit 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