Why is My Refrigerator Not Cooling?

There are a few reasons for why a refrigerator won’t cool. If you want to spare yourself a little time and inconvenience, give Excel Oxnard Appliance Repair a call for refrigerator repair in Oxnard, CA. We are happy to visit and diagnose the cooling problem and repair it for you.

When a refrigerator is not cold, it is time to see what the problem could be. Most times it is something as common as a good coil cleaning. But, with new refrigerators, they are manufactured with various sensors as well.

Before we look too deep, we inspect the most common and common reasons for this problem. Here are a couple of of the issues that we have determined can lead to a refrigerator that won’t cool:

Is the refrigerator plugged in? This may seem like it’s a odd question, but we have been called out to appointments that this was the issue. For some reason, it was not plugged in. it’s possible a kid did it, or an electrician during a project. Whatever the cause might be, make sure the refrigerator is plugged in.

Look at the thermostat inside of the refrigerator. This is a very typical problem for anyone with children in the home. After all, children are fascinated with buttons and dials and so, without knowing they are doing anything wrong, they play with them. So, be sure that the thermostat temperature is not the reason for the warm fridge.

Which Refrigerator Components to Inspect?

Be sure each of the vents in the freezer area are not blocked with boxes or food. This is very common since frozen vegetables get pushed in the back of the freezer. There might be food in the very back of a freezer unit that has long been forgotten about.

Check that the refrigerator’s condenser cooling fan is clear and clean of debris. To do this, unplug the refrigerator and pull it away from the wall. The cooling fan for several models is right at the bottom of the appliance or in the back of the freezer unit. Often times, homeowner do not think to clean this area of the appliance. But, it’s important to keep it clean. And, it clogs up with dust and fuzz quickly, especially with homes that have pets. So, get a rag and clean the collected dust out of the refrigerator coils and cooling fan.

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

The Freezer is Cold but the Refrigerator is Not

There are a few more causes for a refrigerator not cooling after these more common ones to check if the freezer is cold but your fridge is not. The evaporator coils are frosted over. This occurs if there’s a malfunction in the defrost system. Or if the automatic defrost experiences a problem. The evaporator fan motor can be another reason.

Every fridge has a set of evaporator coils. These coils are what cool and the fan moves the cold air throughout the unit. The damper control assembly isn’t working properly. The temperature control board that carries the electricity to the fan and compressor, this probably is not the issue but it is worth mentioning.

And, the thermistor might be malfunctioning, which is a tiny sensor in the unit that tells the temperature. Having one of our technicians look at it is the best course of action but these are some of the most common issues.

ADDITIONAL REFRIGERATOR RESOURCES

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