When you open your refrigerator and find it is not cold inside, there must be a problem that requires your immediate attention. This means that it’s not cooling enough. When you witness such, don’t rush to replace the refrigerator, figure out the problem first. Find out if it’s just not cold enough or if it doesn’t have the power to run.
If your fridge suddenly stops cooling, you need to check several things before replacing it with a new one. This is because some problems are easy to fix yourself without hiring an expert technician or calling for repair services. Here are some of the reasons your refrigerator is not cooling.
Evaporator Fan Motor Not Working
The evaporator fan motor is located at the back of your fridge. If this is not working, it causes insufficient airflow resulting in a warm refrigerator. Without air circulation, you can’t expect things inside your fridge to stay cool for a long period.
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If your unit has only one fan, it will be located in the freezer compartment. The evaporator fan motor circulates the cold air from evaporator coils through the compartment. If the fan motor isn’t working, you may have a cold freezer but no cool air in the refrigerator compartment.
Clogged Condenser Coils
The condenser coils are located in the back of your fridge behind the coils. Over time dust and dirt may accumulate on the coils, blocking air flow through them and leading to clogged condenser coils. This pressure creates heat and gas, which cools to absorb heat and turn back into liquid.
If this is happening, you need to pull out the refrigerator and disassemble it. Clean the coils with a brush or shop vac away any debris that’s obstructing airflow.
Damaged Control Boards
The control board is a series of electrical components that relay the proper signals to regulate different parts of your refrigerator. If it’s damaged, you need to replace it as soon as possible.
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A modern refrigerator uses two circuit boards, including the main control board and the temperature control board. These issues are not easy for a novice to diagnose and repair, so contact a service professional if you suspect a control board failure.
Door Not Closing Properly
A malfunctioning door is often the result of an improper installation or a broken hinge. You can correct this problem by adjusting the hinges, readjusting the door, and removing any debris that might be blocking its path. The fridge door must be sealed shut for the food to stay fresh and temperatures and temperatures to remain where they need to be.
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Also, a broken gasket can stop this from happening. The gasket is a rubber strip around the edge of the fridge door. It should be airtight without leaks and not allow warm air inside.
Outdated Defrost System
A refrigerator’s freezer does not cool as well as it should if there is no airflow. Defrost system controls the cooling and defrost cycle. The components of the defrost system include a defrost timer, and a defrost heater. A defrost timer switches the refrigerator between the cooling and defrost mode.
If it goes bad and cooling mode stops, it causes excessive frost to build up on the evaporator coils, reducing the air flow. On the other hand, a defrost heater melts the frost developed over the evaporator coil. If it goes bad, the excessive frost accumulates on coils reducing the cool air flow inside the refrigerator.
Faulty Compressor
A compressor is the main component of the refrigerator cycle. When it starts to malfunction, the entire cooling process doesn’t even start. The main function of the compressor is to compress the refrigerant from a cool, low-pressure vapor into high-pressure hot vapors.
The compressed refrigerant is hot, high-pressure vapors that flow through the condenser, where it gets condensed into a high-pressure liquid. The liquid flows through the evaporator coil, where it evaporates and cools down to a low-pressure vapor.
Broken Thermostat
The first thing people check when the fridge is feeling warm is the thermostat. The thermostat setting off can also be another issue if your refrigerator isn’t cooling. This can happen, especially if you have children and inconsiderate houseguests messing around with the thermostat.
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And when the temperature on the thermostat doesn’t match the actual one, then your thermostat could be broken. You can easily replace it if it becomes faulty without involving a professional.
Defective Condenser Fan
In most refrigerators, there is a condenser fan that forces hot air out of the refrigerator. When it becomes faulty, it cannot release hot air into the room. The hot remains inside the refrigerator, making the temperature inside shoot up. Defective fan blades prevent the condenser fan from working correctly.
Dirty Condenser Coils
Household dust and dirt could prevent the condenser fan from picking up enough airflow. This might be a reason why your refrigerator isn’t cooling well. You should clean the condenser coil once per and even more if you have a lot of dust and pet hair in your kitchen.
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This is a problem you have to fix yourself because if not attended to immediately, it can even damage other parts of the refrigerator, making it harder to repair. Clean it using a vacuum and a long brush.
Blocked Vents
If you have a fridge and freezer combination, the cold air issue could be coming from the vents that join them. The vents ensure the cold air flows freely from the freezer into the fridge. So, if it gets clogged with ice and other debris, the flow won’t happen, meaning your fridge won’t cool down.
Fortunately, you can easily fix this by turning off the refrigerator and letting the ice inside the clogged vent melt. Make sure you keep these vents open and clear to control internal temperature.
FAQs about Reasons Why My Refrigerator is Not Cooling
What is the first thing to check if your refrigerator stops working?
The first thing to check is the circuit’s breaker serving the fridge because there could be no electricity supplying the machine. If it is not tripped, check for any loose connections of power supply to the unit.
What are the signs of a bad refrigerator compressor?
The obvious sign is that your appliances will start making abnormal noise due to overheating and not providing proper cooling.
Final Thought about Reasons Why My Refrigerator is Not Cooling
Of course, a refrigerator that isn’t cooling is not good for you and your kitchen. The good side is that you can easily rectify these issues without purchasing a brand new fridge.
The post Reasons Why My Refrigerator is Not Cooling appeared first on Kitchen Infinity.
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