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How To Fix A Refrigerator That Isn't Cooling

How to fix a refrigerator that won't cool properly?

It can be very annoying when your fridge isn't working properly, especially when your food can go off a lot quicker. No one wants to receive expensive electricity bills, or waste money chucking out food, or even worse, find mould growing in your fridge! So what can be done to fix a fridge that won't cool its contents properly?

Well, there can be multiple causes that all need different solutions.

Check the temperature

Firstly, it is important to check the temperature your fridge is set at, as surprisingly you may have it too high. The optimum temperature for your refrigerator is 4 °C, so make sure your fridge is set between 3-4 °C to keep your fridge fresh and working efficiently.

Check the seals

Your fridge's seals have the important job of keeping the cold air locked in tight. To check if your seals are broken, meaning your fridge won't cool, check when you close the door if the fridge light stays on. You will be able to see this down the edges of the seals as light will be able to pass through the gaps. If the light does in fact turn off, but you still think loose seals are to blame, a trick is to use an external light source like a torch. Place the light inside the fridge, then close the door. Again, if you can see the light source escaping from the fridge, then this means the seals are not shutting the door properly, and the cold air of your fridge is escaping through the door. The best solution is to replace the seals as they usually can not be fixed.

Fridge Freezers

If you have a fridge freezer where the fridge isn't cold enough, but the freezer compartment is at the appropriate temperature, it is good to check the regulator that directs cool air to the fridge.

Dust and debris

Make sure to clear the sides of your fridge of dust and debris with a hoover, possibly cleaning fans and components so that they can run efficiently. This may help your fridge to work less to reach the appropriate temperatures.

Is the fan working?

The fan's job is to direct cooled air to various parts for the fridge. When this malfunctions, obviously cold air isn't being distributed around the unit as it should, which means your fridge won't cool properly.

Fans can fail for several reasons

  • There could be ice stuck in the fan blades. To remedy this, defrost the refrigerator to see if the fan starts to run normally once the ice has melted.

  • The fan's motor could have blown, which means you will need to replace the component. Replacing a fan is quite simple, just be sure you know your type(model) number so that you order the correct part that is compatible with your fridge.

If changing the fan does not solve your issue, it may be something more complex. For instance, it could be the thawing mechanism. If there is a build up in ice, the refrigerator will defrost itself but this will reduce cooling. To check if this is the cause, you need to check for ice on the inside of your fridge. To try and solve this, turn your thermostat to 0 but leave the door open 24-48 hours to let your fridge completely defrost. When you turn the thermostat back on, if the cooling mechanisms still don't function, then this could be more a complex issue that a specialist might have to look into.

Let us know if these repair steps helped you on our Facebook, or send us an email if we missed anything on info@fiyo.co.uk.

If you need any help finding the part that’s right for your machine, then feel free to get in touch with us via the email above, our contact form here and our customer service team will try and help you find what you’re after. Make sure you know your type (model) number when searching for parts to see all parts compatible with your particular appliance.