Why is My Refrigerator Not Cooling?

There are many reasons for why a refrigerator will not cool. If you want to save yourself some time and inconvenience, give Oshkosh Appliance Repair a call for refrigerator repair in Oshkosh, WI. Our repairmen are happy to come out and troubleshoot the issue and repair it for you.

When your refrigerator is not cold, it’s time to see what the issue is. A lot of times it’s something as simple as a routine coil cleaning. However, with these modern fridges, they’re manufactured with a variety of sensors as well.

Before we look too deep, we monitor the most typical and easy causes for this issue. Here are some issues that we have determined lead to a refrigerator not cooling:

Is it plugged into an outlet? This will seem like a silly question, but we have been hired for jobs that this was the reason for the issue. For some reason, it was not plugged in. it’s possible a child or pet did it, or an electrician doing a project. Whatever the reason might be, be sure the refrigerator is plugged in.

Look at the thermostat inside. This is a typical issue for anyone with children in the house. After all, children love buttons and dials and so, without understanding they’re doing anything wrong, they mess with them. So, check that the thermostat setting isn’t the cause of the warm fridge.

Refrigerator Parts to Inspect?

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

Check that the refrigerator’s condenser cooling fan is clean and clear of all debris. To be sure, unplug the refrigerator and pull it out from the kitchen wall. The fan for most models is right at the bottom of the appliance or in the back part of the freezer unit. Many times, customers don’t think about cleaning this section of the fridge. But, it is important to clean it. And, it builds up with dust and fuzz quickly, especially in homes that have pets. So, get a rag and clean the dust out of the coils and fan.

This is not a suggestion for refrigerators that have the back coil system. Once everything is clean, plug it back into the outlet and see if the cooling fan moves.

The Freezer Unit is Cold but the Fridge Isn’t

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

Every fridge has a pair of evaporator coils. These coils are what cool and then the fan moves the cold air throughout the unit. The damper control assembly isn’t working the right way. The temperature control board carries the electricity to the compressor and fan, this is not likely the issue but it is worth troubleshooting.

And, the thermistor might be malfunctioning, which is a little sensor inside 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