Why is My Refrigerator Not Cooling?

There are a lot of reasons a refrigerator won’t cool. If you would like to spare yourself some time and inconvenience, give DC Appliance Repair ASAP a call for refrigerator repair in Washington DC. Our repairmen are happy to come out and diagnose the issue as well as correct it for you.

When your refrigerator isn’t cold, it is time to figure out what the problem might be. A lot of times it’s something as simple as a routine coil cleaning behind the refrigerator. However, with these latest models of refrigerators, they’re manufactured with a variety of sensors as well.

Before we investigate further, we inspect the most common and common reasons for this problem. Here are a couple of issues that we have determined can lead to a refrigerator not cooling:

Is the cord plugged in? This will seem like it’s a odd question, but we have been called out to jobs that this was the issue. Somehow, the refrigerator was unplugged. it’s possible a kid unplugged it, or an electrician doing a project. Whatever the case might be, make sure it’s plugged in.

Check the thermostat inside. This is a typical problem for those with children in the home. After all, children like dials and buttons and so, without knowing they’re doing something wrong, they play with them. So, check that the thermostat temperature isn’t the cause of the warm fridge.

Refrigerator Parts to Troubleshoot?

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

Check that the refrigerator’s condenser cooling fan is clean and clear of debris. To check this, unplug the fridge and pull it out from the wall. The cooling fan for several models is right at the bottom of the appliance or somewhere in the back of the freezer portion. Often times, customers don’t think about cleaning this area of the fridge. But, it’s important to clean it. And, it piles up with fuzz and dust quickly, especially with houses that have pets. So, find a rag and get 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 notice if the fan spins.

The Freezer is Cold but the Fridge Isn’t

There are several reasons for a refrigerator that won’t cool after these obvious ones to start to check if the freezer is cool but your fridge isn’t. The evaporator coils have frost on them. This happens because there’s a failure in the defrost heating system. Or when the automatic defrost experiences an issue. The evaporator fan motor is another reason.

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

And, the thermistor might be defective, which is a small sensor within the appliance that tells the temperature. Having one of our technicians inspect it is the best course of action but these are some of the most common problems.

ADDITIONAL REFRIGERATOR RESOURCES

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