Refrigerator problem
Refrigerator Not Cooling
The compartment is warm but the appliance still has power and still makes noise.
What this usually means
A refrigerator that is not cooling has almost always stopped moving cold air rather than stopped making it. That distinction is the whole diagnosis. Cold is produced at one evaporator and distributed by a fan and a duct, so a fault anywhere along that path leaves a compressor running perfectly while the food gets warm. Only a minority of these calls turn out to be the sealed system.
Five observations that narrow it
Answer these before anyone visits. Each one removes a whole branch of the diagnosis, and they cost nothing.
Is the freezer still cold? A cold freezer with a warm fresh-food compartment is an airflow fault, not a cooling fault.
Can you hear the compressor running? A silent cabinet and a running cabinet point in opposite directions.
Is there frost on the back wall inside the freezer, or is it dry and clear?
Did this happen over a day or two, or overnight? A slow drift and a sudden loss are different faults.
Are the condenser coils or the front grille clogged, and has anything changed about where the unit stands?
Causes, cheapest first
In roughly the order a technician rules them out. The expensive answer is at the bottom because it is usually the last one true, not the first.
Blocked condenser or grille
lowestThe appliance rejects heat through a coil. When that coil is packed with dust or its air path is blocked, the compressor runs continuously and still loses ground. On a built-in this is the front grille; on a freestanding unit it is the coil underneath or behind.
Evaporator fan not running
lowCold is made in one place and blown to the other. A failed fan leaves the freezer cold and the fresh-food side warm, and it is usually audible as a cabinet that has gone quieter than it used to be.
More on built-in refrigerator repairDefrost system failure
low to moderateFrost that is never cleared builds over the evaporator until air can no longer pass through it. The unit cools less each day, which is why this one arrives as a gradual drift rather than a sudden failure.
Damper or air duct stuck
low to moderateOn side-by-side and some built-in layouts a damper meters cold air between the compartments. Stuck closed, it produces a perfectly cold freezer beside a warm refrigerator.
More on side-by-side refrigerator repairDoor not sealing
lowA door held open by a fraction loads the system with warm humid air continuously. It frosts the evaporator, which then blocks the airflow, which is why this often presents as a cooling fault rather than as a door fault.
See refrigerator door not sealingControl board or thermistor
moderateThe appliance cools to what it believes the temperature is. A sensor reading low tells the control there is nothing to do, and everything else in the system is then behaving correctly.
Compressor or sealed system
highestA refrigerant leak or a compressor that will not start is the expensive end of this list, and it is the last thing to conclude rather than the first. On a built-in it is still normally worth repairing; on an older freestanding unit it is where the repair-or-replace question becomes real.
Check these before you book
- Check the temperature settings; a setting changed by accident is common and costs nothing to rule out.
- Look at whether the freezer is still cold, and say so when you call. It narrows the visit considerably.
- Clear the front grille or the rear coils of dust and make sure nothing is pressed against the back of the unit.
- Check the door closes fully and that nothing inside is holding it open by a fraction.
- Note whether the interior light is on and whether the cabinet is making any noise at all.
Food safety
Food in a refrigerator above 40°F for more than two hours should be treated as unsafe. Move anything perishable to a cooler before worrying about the appliance, keep the doors shut, and do not refreeze food that has fully thawed.
What fixes it
The work behind the causes above, with what it costs relative to the rest.
Refrigerator Diagnostic Visit diagnostic
The visit that decides what the repair actually is, before any part is ordered.
Compressor and Sealed System Repair highest
The expensive end of the list, and the one where the type of refrigerator decides whether to do it at all.
Refrigerator Defrost System Repair low to moderate
The fault behind most slow, gradual losses of cooling — and behind most visible frost.
Evaporator and Condenser Fan Repair low
Two fans, two completely different failures — one stops the cold arriving, the other stops the heat leaving.
Refrigerator Control Board and Sensor Repair moderate
A refrigerator cools to what it believes the temperature is, and a sensor reading wrong is obeyed perfectly.
Refrigerator Maintenance and Condenser Cleaning lowest
The one visit that prevents more calls than any other, and the cheapest thing on this list.
Related problems
Fresh Food Section Warm, Freezer Cold
The single most diagnostic pattern on a refrigerator, and almost never the compressor.
Freezer Not Freezing
Soft ice cream and refreezing frost, or a cabinet that has gone entirely warm.
Refrigerator Running Constantly
The compressor never cycles off, and the cabinet may still be holding temperature.
Frost Building Up in the Refrigerator
Ice on the back wall, around the door, or over the whole freezer — and each location means something different.
Refrigerator Door Not Sealing
A gap of a few millimetres is enough to frost an evaporator and run a compressor continuously.
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