Refrigerator Not Cooling: What to Check Before You Call
Safe checks before you call
None of these involve opening the appliance. Unplug it before cleaning anything.
- 1
Listen and feel
Is the light on? Can you hear a fan or the compressor humming at the back? A silent refrigerator with the light on points to the start relay or control. No light at all means check the outlet and breaker.
- 2
Check the temperature setting
Controls get bumped. Set the refrigerator to about 37 F and the freezer to 0 F.
- 3
Check the freezer
If the freezer is cold and the refrigerator is warm, the cooling system works and the problem is airflow: a fan, a damper or frost buildup.
- 4
Look at the vents and the back wall
Vents blocked by food stop cold air from circulating. Heavy frost on the freezer's back wall means a defrost fault.
- 5
Give it room and clean the coils
Pull the refrigerator out a few inches, unplug it and vacuum the condenser coils and the grille. A matted coil is the most common cause of gradual warming.
What a technician usually finds
Evaporator fan motor
No air moving in the freezer, or a loud buzz that stops when you open the door.
Defrost heater, thermostat or control
Frost covering the freezer's back panel, with the refrigerator section warming over several days.
Condenser fan motor
The compressor runs hot and cuts out because nothing is cooling it.
Start relay or control board
A click every few minutes from the back with no steady hum.
Compressor or refrigerant leak
Everything runs but nothing gets cold. This is the expensive one and the point where repair or replace has to be weighed.
Questions and answers
How long can a refrigerator be off before food spoils?
USDA guidance: about 4 hours for a closed refrigerator, about 48 hours for a full freezer and 24 hours for a half-full one. Discard perishable food that has been above 40 F for more than 2 hours.
Can I fix a refrigerator that is not cooling myself?
You can check the settings, clear the vents and clean the condenser coils. Fans, defrost parts, relays and boards involve live wiring behind panels and are better left to a technician. Sealed-system work requires EPA certification.
Is a refrigerator that is not cooling worth repairing?
Usually, if the fault is a fan, relay, board or defrost part. If the compressor or sealed system has failed on a refrigerator more than about 10 years old, compare the written estimate with the price of a new one.
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