Why is My Refrigerator Not Cooling?

refrigerator not cold

There are several reasons a refrigerator is not cooling. If you would like to spare yourself some time and burden, give Nashua Appliance Repair a call for refrigerator repair in Nashua, NH. We’re happy to come out and diagnose the cooling problem and correct it for you.

When a refrigerator isn’t cold anymore, it’s time to determine what the problem is. Most times it is something as basic as a good coil cleaning behind the refrigerator. But, with new models of refrigerators, they’re manufactured with various sensors too.

Before we look too deep, we look at the most typical and easy causes for this issue. Here are a few of issues that we’ve found lead to a refrigerator that won’t cool:

Is it plugged into an electrical outlet? This will seem like it is a silly question, but we’ve been hired for jobs that this was the problem. Somehow, it was unplugged. it’s possible a kid unplugged it, or an electrician during a service visit. Whatever the reason may be, be sure it is plugged in.

Look at the thermostat inside of the appliance. This is a very typical problem for customers with children in their house. After all, children are fascinated with buttons and dials and so, without knowing they’re doing anything bad, they play with them. So, check that the thermostat temperature isn’t the reason for the warm fridge.

Refrigerator Components to Inspect?

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

Check that the refrigerator’s condenser cooling fan is clean and clear of debris. To do this, unplug the refrigerator and slide it out from the kitchen wall. The fan for several models is right at the bottom of the appliance or somewhere in the back of the freezer portion. A lot of times, customers don’t think about cleaning this section of the appliance. But, it’s very important to keep it clean. And, it piles up with dust and fuzz quickly, especially in homes that have pets. So, find a clean rag and get the built-up dust out of the refrigerator coils and fan.

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

The Freezer is Cold but the Fridge is Not

There are a few more reasons for a refrigerator that won’t cool after these more common ones to check if your freezer is cool but your refrigerator is not. The evaporator coils have frost on them. This happens when there’s a failure in the defrost heating system. Or when the automatic defrost has a problem. The evaporator fan motor can be another reason.

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

And, the thermistor could be malfunctioning, which is a little sensor inside 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 typical issues.

ADDITIONAL REFRIGERATOR RESOURCES