Why is My Refrigerator Not Cooling?

refrigerator not cold

There are a few reasons why a refrigerator will not cool. If you want to save yourself a little time and burden, give Tuscaloosa Appliance Repair a call for refrigerator repair in Tuscaloosa, AL. We are eager to visit and diagnose the cooling issue as well as repair it for you.

When your refrigerator is not cold, it’s time to see what the problem could be. A lot of times it is something as basic as a good coil cleaning behind the refrigerator. But, with new fridges, they are equipped with a variety of sensors as well.

Before we investigate further, we monitor the most typical and simple reasons for this issue. Here are a few of of the things that we have determined lead to a refrigerator that won’t cool:
Is the refrigerator plugged in? This may seem like it is a odd question, but we’ve been called out to appointments that this was the reason for the issue. Somehow, it was unplugged. it’s possible a child or pet unplugged it, or an electrician during a service visit. Whatever the cause may be, make sure it’s plugged in.
Check the thermostat inside of the appliance. This is a common problem for customers with small children in their house. After all, children love buttons and dials and so, without understanding they’re doing something wrong, they play with them. So, be sure that the thermostat temperature is not the reason for the warm refrigerator.

Which Refrigerator Components to Inspect?

Be sure the vents in 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 could be food in the very back of a freezer unit that has long been forgotten.
Be sure the condenser cooling fan is clear and clean of debris. To do this, unplug the refrigerator and slide it away from the wall. The fan for several models is just at the bottom or in the back part of the freezer portion. Many times, customers don’t think about cleaning this area of the refrigerator. But, it is important to clean it. And, it piles up with dust and fuzz quickly, especially in houses that have pets. So, find a rag and get the collected dust out of the refrigerator coils and cooling fan.
This is not a suggestion for refrigerators that have the back coil system. Once everything is clean, plug it into the outlet and monitor if the fan spins.

The Freezer Unit is Cold but the Refrigerator is Not

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

Every refrigerator has a pair of evaporator coils. These evaporator coils are what gets cold and then the fan pushes the cold air around inside the appliance. The damper control assembly isn’t working correctly. The temperature control board transports the electricity to the fan and compressor, this probably isn’t the problem but it’s worth troubleshooting.

And, the thermistor might be defective, which is a little sensor in the appliance that displays the temperature. Having one of our technicians look at it is the best course of action but these are some of the most typical issues.

ADDITIONAL REFRIGERATOR RESOURCES