Why is My Refrigerator Not Cooling?

refrigerator not cold

There are several reasons for why a refrigerator isn’t cooling. If you want to save yourself a little time and hassle, give Ideal Appliance Repair a call for refrigerator repair in Boston, MA. We are eager to visit and diagnose the problem and fix it for you.

When your refrigerator isn’t cold, it’s time to determine what the issue might be. Often times it is something as simple as a good coil cleaning behind the refrigerator. But, with modern fridges, they are equipped with various sensors too.

Before we investigate further, we look at the most common and simple causes for this issue. Here are some of the issues that we have determined can lead to a refrigerator that will not cool:

Is it plugged into an outlet? This will seem like a funny question, but we have been hired for appointments that this was the issue. For some reason, the refrigerator was not plugged in. it’s possible a kid unplugged it, or an electrician during a project. Whatever the case may be, make sure it is plugged in.

Look at the thermostat inside. This is a typical problem for those with small children in their house. After all, children love buttons and dials and so, without understanding they’re doing anything bad, they mess with them. So, be sure that the thermostat setting isn’t the reason for the warm refrigerator.

Refrigerator Components to Troubleshoot?

Check that the vents in the freezer area aren’t blocked with boxes or food. This is common since bags of frozen vegetables get pushed in the back of the freezer. There can be food in the very back of a freezer unit that has long been forgotten about.

Check that the condenser cooling fan is clear and clean of all debris. To check this, unplug the fridge and slide it out from the kitchen wall. The fan for most models is just at the bottom of the appliance or in the back part of the freezer unit. Often times, customers do not think to clean this area of the fridge. But, it is important to clean it. And, it clogs up with fuzz and dust quickly, especially in houses that have pets. So, grab a clean rag and clean the built-up dust out of the coils and fan.

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

The Freezer is Cold but the Refrigerator is Not

There are several causes for a refrigerator that won’t cool after these more common ones to start to check if the freezer is cold but your refrigerator isn’t. The evaporator coils are frosted over. This occurs when there is a failure in the defrost heating system. Or if the automatic defrost experiences a problem. The evaporator fan motor is another cause.

Every refrigerator has a set of evaporator coils. These coils are what gets cold and then the fan pushes the cool air throughout the appliance. The damper control assembly is not working properly. The temperature control board that carries the electricity to the fan and compressor, this probably isn’t the problem but it is worth troubleshooting.

And, the thermistor might be malfunctioning, which is a small sensor within the unit that tells the temperature. Having one of our repairmen inspect it is the best option but these are some of the most typical problems.

ADDITIONAL REFRIGERATOR RESOURCES