Why won't my refrigerator stay cold?

There could be several reasons that your refrigerator isn't staying the temperature that it's supposed to. Before you attempt a repair, try these simple fixes:

• Make sure the fridge is plugged in all the way. The light should come on when you open the door.

• Check the fridge thermostat. Make sure it hasn't been turned all the way down. If your thermostat isn't working, that's an easy part to replace.

• Make sure that the vents on the back of the freezer compartment aren't blocked by boxes of ice cream or other frozen goods-- the vents have to be clear for cold air to circulate.

• Vacuum the coils under or behind the fridge. If the coils are clogged, you'll get poor cooling.

• Check to make sure nothing is stuck under the condenser fan and that it spins freely. Be careful with your fingers, make sure the fridge is unplugged before attempting this or call a professional.

If you can hear the compressor running but the fridge isn't cooling, the problem is most likely either frost clogged evaporator coils or a broken fan. Evaporator fans make a noise when they start to go bad, you'll know its the fan if the noise gets louder when you open the freezer door. The evaporator fan and coils are behind a cover in the freezer compartment.

If you remove the cover inside the freezer and the coils have frozen over, take out everything, unplug it and let it that out for 24 hours. Keep a few towels around to soak up any water that leaks out. When all the frost melts away, plug the fridge back in. If it works, then your issue is going to be with the defrost timer, heater or thermostat. Replacing these parts isn't rocket science, but diagnosing the exact issue does take a professional.

Normally the refrigerator condenser fan and compressor, located near the floor on the back of most refrigerators, come on when the thermostat tells them to. If you don't hear the compressor running after the door has been left open, it could mean that the condenser fan is stuck or needs replacing.

Some of this stuff is best left to the pros, fill out a form or give us a call here.