Why is My Refrigerator Not Cooling?

refrigerator not cold

There are a few reasons for why a refrigerator isn’t cooling. If you would like to save yourself a little time and burden, give C&L Fort Lauderdale Appliance Repair a call for refrigerator repair in Fort Lauderdale, FL. We’re eager to come out and diagnose the problem and repair it for you.

When your refrigerator has lost its cold, it is time to figure out what the issue is. Often times it’s something as basic as a good coil cleaning. But, with these new models of refrigerators, they are manufactured with various sensors as well.

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

Is it plugged in? This may seem like it’s a funny question, but we have been called out to jobs that this was the problem. Somehow, the refrigerator was not plugged in. Maybe a a pet did it, or an electrician during a project. Whatever the reason might be, make sure the refrigerator is plugged in.

Look at the thermostat inside. This is a common problem for those with small children in their house. After all, children are fascinated with buttons and dials and so, without knowing they are doing something wrong, they mess with them. So, be sure that the thermostat setting isn’t the reason for the warm fridge.

Refrigerator Components to Troubleshoot?

Check that all of the vents inside of the freezer aren’t blocked with boxes or food. This is very common since bags of frozen veggies get jammed in the back of the freezer. There could be food in the very back of a freezer unit 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 away from the wall. The fan for several models is right at the bottom or somewhere in the back part of the freezer section. Many times, homeowner don’t think to clean this area of the appliance. But, it’s very important to keep it clean. And, it clogs up with fuzz and dust quickly, especially with houses that have cats and dogs. So, find a clean rag and get the dust out of the coils and fan.

This is not a suggestion for refrigerators that have the rear coil system. Once all clean, plug it into the wall and monitor if the fan spins.

The Freezer Unit is Cold but the Fridge Isn’t

There are a few more reasons for a refrigerator not cooling after these obvious ones to check if the freezer is cool but the refrigerator isn’t. The evaporator coils have frost on them. This occurs because 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 refrigerator 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 correctly. The temperature control board that carries the electricity to the fan and compressor, this is not likely the issue but it’s worth troubleshooting.

And, the thermistor might be malfunctioning, which is a tiny sensor within the appliance that displays the temperature. Having one of our repairmen inspect it is the best solution but these are a few of of the most common issues.

ADDITIONAL REFRIGERATOR RESOURCES