Why is My Refrigerator Not Cooling?

refrigerator coolant

There are a few reasons a refrigerator isn’t cooling. If you want to spare yourself some time and hassle, give Express Vista Appliance Repair a call for refrigerator repair in Vista, CA. We are happy to visit and troubleshoot the problem and correct it for you.

When a refrigerator is not cold anymore, it’s time to figure out what the issue might be. A lot of times it is something as common as a good coil cleaning behind the appliance. But, with these latest fridges, they’re manufactured with a variety of sensors as well.

Before we investigate further, we look at the most common and simple causes for this issue. Here are a couple of things that we’ve found lead to a refrigerator not cooling:

Is the refrigerator plugged into an electrical outlet? This will seem like a odd question, but we have been hired for appointments that this was the problem. Somehow, the refrigerator was not plugged in. it’s possible a a pet unplugged it, or an electrician during a service visit. Whatever the cause may be, make sure it is plugged in.

Look at the thermostat inside. This is a very common problem for customers with children in their house. After all, kids are fascinated with dials and buttons and so, without understanding they are doing something wrong, they mess with them. So, be sure that the thermostat setting isn’t the cause of the warm refrigerator.

Which Refrigerator Components to Inspect?

Be sure the vents inside of the freezer are not blocked with boxes or food. This is common because sometimes bags of frozen vegetables get stuck in the back. There could be food in the back of a freezer unit that has been forgotten about.

Be sure the refrigerator’s condenser cooling fan is clean and clear of debris. To be sure, unplug the refrigerator and pull it out from the kitchen wall. The fan for a lot of models is just at the bottom or in the back of the freezer unit. Many times, customers do not think about cleaning this section of the fridge. But, it’s important to keep it clean. And, it piles up with dust and fuzz quickly, especially in houses that have dogs and cats. So, grab a rag and clean the built-up dust out of the refrigerator coils and cooling fan.

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

The Freezer is Cold but the Refrigerator is Not

There are a few more causes for a refrigerator not cooling after these obvious ones to start to check if the freezer is cold but the fridge is not. The evaporator coils are frosted over. This happens if there’s a failure in the defrost heating system. Or the automatic defrost has a problem. The evaporator fan motor is another cause.

Every fridge has a pair of evaporator coils. These evaporator coils are what cool and then the fan moves the cool air throughout the appliance. The damper control assembly is not working properly. The temperature control board which transports the electricity to the compressor and fan, this is not likely the issue but it’s worth mentioning.

And, the thermistor could be malfunctioning, which is a small sensor in the unit that tells the temperature. Having one of our repairmen inspect it is the best course of action but these are a few of of the most typical issues.

ADDITIONAL REFRIGERATOR RESOURCES