In most cases, it is easy to understand that your fridge not cooling, while it is not so easy to determine the causes immediately. If the light does not turn on or the food stored is not cold, it is easy to understand that there is some problem in progress. The reasons why the refrigerator does not cool can be really many and each one of a different type.
These are simple problems related to cleaning or maintenance that can be solved completely independently. But how can you tell if there is always a need to call the technician or we can repair the damage by yourself, thus saving a lot of time and especially money? You must have to choose the right refrigerator for your home. Let’s find out together!
Fridge not cooling causes
Before you start thinking about the worst and the costs you will incur to repair the fridge or buy another one, I suggest you take a look at the power cord.
It may seem trivial, yet many times the reason why your fridge does not work as it should is simply that it is not powered.
Once you have ascertained that the power cord is well inserted, we advise you to check that the latter is not damaged: if you notice any cuts on the gasket, deformations or exposed metal wires, you may have found the cause of the malfunction. In this case, do not try to repair the cable yourself for any reason but immediately call a technician.
If from the point of view of the power it seems to you that there are no problems, then your refrigerator does not cool down for other types of reasons that we will find out together below.
Thermostat knob
Among the possible causes to take into consideration is the thermostat knob incorrectly adjusted. To check if the problem is precisely the thermostat, just set the minimum temperature: if acting in this way there is no kind of improvement, the thermostat must obviously be replaced. The latter is easy to replace and can be bought online with an expense that is truly accessible to all types of wallets.
Damaged seals
If, on the other hand, the door does not close properly, it can simply be a problem with damaged gaskets. In particular, we refer to the rubber that surrounds the fridge door: this is in fact the one that allows to isolate and prevent the dispersion of cold, maintaining low temperatures.
Also, it will be necessary to proceed with the replacement of the damaged piece without, fortunately, spending dizzying figures.
Doors open too frequently
If the refrigerator doors are opened continuously, the appliance will have difficulty keeping temperatures low.
Furthermore, if we fill the various compartments of the fridge too quickly and quickly, we risk not giving the fridge enough time to lower the temperature and do its job.
In this case, the right solution is easy to guess, that is to open the doors only when strictly necessary, do not insert hot food and never fill the fridge too much. We also remind you to place the foodstuffs detached at least 1 cm from the walls of the appliance in such a way as to allow them to function correctly.
Compressor
From the spherical shape and positioned at the rear of the appliance, the compressor may no longer be able to function properly.
Proceeding with the replacement of this component is however a rather delicate operation and for this reason, it is preferable to contact a specialized technician.
Refrigerant gas leakage
If the compressor works well, but the refrigerator does not cool down, then the problem may be the loss of refrigerant gas. In this case, it is necessary to repair the coil containing the gas through special welding that must be carried out by a specialized technician in the sector.
– It’s not a question of brand
Browsing on the internet, you can find among the various searches carried out by users questions about why refrigerators of brands such as Samsung, Ariston, Whirlpool or Indesit do not cool or otherwise present problems. As you can easily understand, in all these cases it is a question of brands for years, guarantee of quality products able to satisfy the needs of every type of customer.
Obviously, each refrigerator has different components and characteristics from the others. Otherwise there would be no competition and we would all have the same refrigerators. Defining problems based on a brand, however, is certainly not possible.
Except for specific problems, to be found in the construction phase of the same appliance, in fact, all refrigerators could not cool more optimally for each of the possible causes listed in the previous paragraph.
To say that some problems are therefore typical of a brand is not feasible: in some cases, it is a simple misfortune or a model that unfortunately did not come out as it should.
– Fridge no frost does not cool
Before defining the possible causes for which a no frost fridge does not cool, it is useful to remember how a fridge of this type works. Initially, the freezer is cooled and once it has reached the optimal temperature it starts to cool the fridge through one or more fans positioned on the back wall of the freezer.
It is therefore easy to understand how one of the possible causes of malfunctioning of a frost-free fridge could be due to an anomaly inside the freezer. In particular, we can find ourselves faced with a situation of ice packing which, by blocking the operation of the fan, prevents the cold from spreading in the cold room.
But what is this packing, or the creation and non-thawing of ice, due to?
Mainly we can find this problem in as many as three causes: the first there is no longer the necessary impulse that allows the resistance to activate. Secondly, the resistance no longer works, lastly instead the presence of a starter temperature probe.
Inside the freezer, in fact, there is a probe that has the task of marking the temperature, but if it does not work the motor does not detach and consequently, there is a greater formation of ice that cannot be easily disposed of. All these conditions then lead to blocking the fan, which no longer works due to the anomalous presence of ice.
In this case, it is advisable to switch off the power for at least 24 hours in order to allow the ice to melt. However, thanks to this simple operation you can manage to recover your fridge only for a limited period of time: if defects are present, in fact, they will return to manifest themselves in a short time.
If the problem is not due to the presence of possible packing, it is advisable to check if there are faults in the fan and replace them if necessary.
– Refrigerator does not cool while freezer yes
It can happen that the refrigerator does not cool while the freezer does. A situation that may seem abnormal, but which in reality is much more normal and more frequent than one might think. Although two elements of the same appliance are from an aesthetic point of view, it is important to see the refrigerator and freezer as two detached elements that work independently.
Fridge and freezer have two compressors, two cooling circuits, and two separate thermostats, even if the display that shows the temperature information is the same.
In this case, therefore, the reason why the refrigerator does not work as it should be easily found in one of the problems already highlighted, such as the thermostat or the power cable.
If there are two compressors there is probably a malfunction of what belongs to the refrigerator, while that of the freezer continues to work perfectly. If there is only one compressor, the problem may simply be the lack of gas.
How to fix a fridge not cooling
As you may have noticed, there are several reasons why a fridge does not cool and for this reason, finding the right solution is not easy at all. In most cases, it may be sufficient to clean or replace a gasket, while in others it will be necessary to replace other components such as the thermostat, the compressor or the electronic board.
In particular, referring to the latter, we advise you to remove the power supply to the house and then proceed to dismantle the electronic board and check that there are no signs of burns. If some components of the appliance do not work properly, this board is able to signal it through lights. If, on the other hand, you do not notice spies or burns, the card will most likely not work as it should and must be replaced.
Once you have verified the absence of problems with the gaskets, the thermostat, the compressor and the electronic board, you just need to check the resistance. The latter is positioned in the rear part of the fridge and is the direct component responsible for the defrosting which, if damaged, can cause the formation of excess ice and therefore prevent the fridge from maintaining low temperatures.
To check the resistance just use a tester or multimeter, an electronic device thanks to which it is possible to measure voltage, resistance and electric current.
Using this device is also very easy: just point one tester tip on the ground and the other on the resistance contact. If the tester marks zero then it means that the resistance works as it should, otherwise, instead, it is necessary to proceed with the replacement.
It is important to know that replacing the resistance is a delicate operation and for this reason, it is advisable to consult a technician. To make it even clearer how to fix a refrigerator that does not cool, we also recommend that you always consider the following causes and their solutions:
-If the fridge does not switch on, first check the socket and the main switch;
– If the refrigerator does not cool, check the thermostat, the air flow, the overheating and eventually replace the damaged parts;
-If the appliance does not cool sufficiently it can be the fault of the gaskets and in this case it is necessary to clean them and eventually replace them;
– If the fridge motor continues to run, check the condition of the gaskets and defrost the freezer as in the previous point;
– If there are any leaks, simply clean the water collection tray.
Conclusion
At this point, we have made a brief list of all the possible causes that can lead a fridge to not cool properly. As you may have noticed, in most cases these are problems that are easy to understand and to solve. The important thing, in fact, is to have patience and want to replace any defective parts.
Obviously, no appliance, and therefore no fridge, will last forever: but thanks to the appropriate precautions, cleaning and maintenance it is possible to keep an efficient fridge at home for as long as possible without having to necessarily replace it with a new one.
Furthermore, when the refrigerator does not cool down as it should, you are always afraid of having to shell out some staggering figures to repair it, only to fail shortly afterward because the operation of the appliance is compromised. As you may have understood, though, except in exceptional cases due for example to factory problems, this is not the case at all.
You don’t need to call the technician every time your fridge not cooling, but just check the causes and find the solution. If it is a problem of gaskets, of a compressor or of a thermostat, a few dollars are enough to get an efficient fridge back as well as when we bought it without necessarily asking for the help of the technician.
In case of more serious problems, such as resistance or power cord, instead, it is advisable to avoid DIY interventions, but contact a professional in the field. If saving is important, your safety and that of your loved ones are in fact much more important.
If you are not sure of the problem, avoid alternative solutions but ask an expert who can help you without making you necessarily spend mind-boggling figures.
