Refrigerator Not Cooling? Here's What's Usually Wrong

First, figure out which part is warm

• Freezer cold, fridge warm. The fridge's cold air usually comes from the freezer, so something is stopping it: a failed evaporator fan, an evaporator coil iced over by a defrost failure or a stuck air damper.
• Both warm, but it's running. Check the parts that shed heat — the condenser coils and fan — and look for frost in the freezer before suspecting the compressor.
• Nothing runs. No light either? Check the outlet, the breaker or GFCI, and the cord. Light on but silent for over an hour, longer than a normal defrost? Suspect the start relay, the control board or, on older models, a defrost timer stuck in defrost.

1. Dirty condenser coils

The condenser coils, behind the toe grille or on the back, release the heat pulled out of your food. When dust and pet hair mat them over, the fridge runs almost nonstop and still falls behind.

Signs: constant running, both compartments drifting warm, extra heat at the back and bottom. Fix: clean the coils (steps below). Coils clean and it still struggles? Check the condenser fan.

2. Evaporator fan not running

The evaporator fan, behind a panel in the freezer, blows air across the evaporator coil and through the vents into the fridge. When it stops, the freezer stays fairly cold but the fridge slowly warms.

Signs: little or no air from the vents, and sometimes a chirp or grind from the back of the freezer. That's usually a worn motor or blades hitting ice — and ice there means the defrost system needs a look too. Fix: a new fan motor, or clearing the ice and fixing its cause.

3. Defrost system failure

A frost-free refrigerator regularly heats its evaporator coil to melt off frost. Three parts run that cycle: the defrost heater, the defrost thermostat (a small bimetal switch on the coil) and a timer or control board. If any of them fails, frost builds until air can't get through.

Signs: frost or ice on the freezer's back wall, and cooling that fades over a week or two rather than failing overnight. The tell: after a full thaw (see below), it cools normally again, then slowly warms over days or weeks. That points to the defrost system, and the fault behind it still needs repairing.

A Samsung fridge that runs with its fan going but won't cool usually has this problem, not a failed compressor. Many Samsung models cool the fresh-food side with a separate coil, so the ice builds behind the fridge's back panel while the freezer looks normal. See our Samsung appliance repair page.

4. Condenser fan motor

Most refrigerators have a small fan beside the compressor that moves air across the condenser coils. If it stops, the compressor overheats and its overload shuts it off until the compressor cools down, so the fridge chills only in fits and starts.

Signs: both compartments warming and a fridge that keeps shutting off and restarting. Check: with it running, feel for warm air blowing out of the toe grille (on some models, the bottom back). Compressor humming but no airflow? The fan has likely stopped. Leave the back panel on — the blade and wiring are right behind it.

5. Door gasket or a door left ajar

A gasket that no longer seals lets warm, humid air in, so frost or condensation builds near the door and the fridge runs longer. A door held ajar by a drawer or tall bottle does the same within hours.

The dollar-bill test: close the door on a bill and pull it out. If it slides out with no drag, the gasket isn't sealing there. Check all the way around. A worn gasket is usually a straightforward part to replace, and sometimes the door only needs adjusting.

6. Thermistor or control board

On most newer refrigerators, the control board decides when to run the compressor and fans by reading thermistors — sensors whose resistance changes with temperature. A failing one gives a wrong reading, so the fridge may not cool or may cycle erratically.

Signs: temperatures that swing for no clear reason, food freezing on the fresh-food side or a sensor error code. We test thermistors with a meter against the manufacturer's resistance chart before blaming the board.

7. Compressor or start relay

On a conventional compressor, the start relay and overload clip onto its side. Listen at the back:

• A click, a short hum, another click, every few minutes. The compressor is trying to start and the overload keeps cutting it off. Often that's the relay or overload, a straightforward repair, but a compressor that can't start sounds the same, so we test before replacing anything.
• Running steadily, nothing getting cold. If the compressor hums, the fans turn, the coils are clean and a full thaw hasn't helped, the fault is most likely in the sealed system: a compressor that no longer pumps, a refrigerant leak or a restriction. That's the biggest repair a refrigerator can need.

We do compressor and sealed-system repairs, and if that's the problem you get the price before any work. Whether that repair is worth it depends on the fridge's age and type and how the repair price compares with a comparable new one — the questions behind choosing between repairing and replacing a refrigerator.

What you can safely check first

Unplug the fridge or switch off its breaker before you touch anything near the coils or behind a panel. Only the setting and fan checks need the power on.

• Check the setting. Make sure it isn't set too warm or switched off, or in a showroom or demo mode that runs the lights without cooling (your manual explains how to exit it).
• Clear the vents. Food packed against them blocks the cold air.
• Vacuum the coils gently with a brush attachment. If you pull the fridge out, mind the water line.
• Test the gaskets with a dollar bill.
• Listen for the evaporator fan in the freezer while the compressor is running. Many stop when the door opens, so hold the door switch in.
• Thaw it out to test for a defrost problem. Move the food to coolers with ice, unplug the fridge, lay towels down and prop the doors open for about 24 hours, so the ice hidden behind the panels melts too. Never chip at the ice with anything sharp — a punctured coil is a sealed-system repair.

Until it's cooling again, open the doors as little as possible. The USDA says a closed refrigerator keeps food safe for up to 4 hours, and perishable food that has been above 40°F for 2 hours or more should be thrown out.

If the ice maker quit too and the freezer is running warm, that's probably why. Still idle once the freezer is cold again? Then it has an ice maker fault of its own.

When to call PowerClean

Call us if it's still warm with clean coils and clear vents, if a thaw only helps for a while or if you hear the click-and-hum. Fans, defrost parts and relays are routine repairs, and our technicians carry the components that fail most often, so most repairs finish in one visit. We prioritize warm-fridge calls for same-day service whenever possible.

Every job starts with an $80 diagnostic: we find the fault and give you repair options and pricing before any work, and the $80 is credited toward the repair if you go ahead. We use OEM parts whenever they're available.

Call 801-648-8639 or request a visit online. For other fridge problems, see our refrigerator repair page, or our Samsung repair and LG repair pages.