Gloved hands adjusting a leveling foot at the base of a refrigerator standing half inside its cabinet opening.

Getting it in, and getting it right

Installation and setup
guides.

Clearances, leveling, panel alignment, the water line, and why a garage installation needs a unit rated for it.

(844) 681-4650

Mon–Sat, 8am–8pm

Three guides
Read before you book
Says where to stop

Book a visit

Three short steps, about a minute.

or call (844) 681-4650

Installation and setup,
guide by guide.

A good share of the service calls we see started on installation day. An opening cut too tight, a front grille partly hidden behind trim, a unit that was never leveled after the flooring went in, or a spare refrigerator carried out to a garage it was never rated for: none of these is a broken part, and none of them is cured by replacing one.

All 19 guides

A refrigerator set into a cabinet opening with a clear gap above it, a tape measure extended across the gap.

5-minute read

Clearances: the problem that starts before the appliance is switched on

A unit with no air path cannot be cleaned into working, and no repair will hold until the opening is right.

A hand turning a leveling leg at the front base of a refrigerator with a small wrench.

5-minute read

Leveling, and why most doors are meant to close by themselves

A refrigerator tilted very slightly back closes its own doors. One tilted forward frosts its evaporator within a week.

A second refrigerator standing against a painted wall in a clean, well-lit utility room with a concrete floor.

5-minute read

Garages, basements and porches: what a unit has to be rated for

A freezer in a cold garage can stop cycling and let its contents thaw while behaving exactly as designed.

Getting it in, and getting it right.

The guides in this section cover what to check once an appliance is in place, whether it arrived last week or has stood in the same spot for years. Each one ends with the point where a homeowner should stop, because moving a built-in, touching anti-tip brackets, the water supply and the electrical circuit are jobs for an installer, a plumber, an electrician or a technician.

They are most useful after a delivery, a remodel, a move, or when a refrigerator behaves differently with the seasons.

Not sure where to start?

The short answerClearances: the problem that starts before the appliance is switched on

Refrigerator clearance requirements depend on how the unit breathes: freestanding and counter-depth models need a few inches of air behind and above, while built-ins, columns and undercounter units can sit tight but need their front or toe-kick grille completely open.

The short answerLeveling, and why most doors are meant to close by themselves

Knowing how to level a refrigerator means setting it level side to side but slightly higher at the front, just enough that each door swings shut on its own from halfway open.

The short answerGarages, basements and porches: what a unit has to be rated for

A garage refrigerator must be rated for the room's temperature range, shown as a climate class or ambient range on the rating plate or in the manual.

When reading
is not enough.

If the checks in these guides did not settle it, the visit picks up from there, stop by stop.

What repairs cost

01Diagnose
02Quote before any work
03Parts
04Repair and check

The problems
these answer.

Each has a page of its own, with the causes in the order worth checking.

All 18 problems

Dust-matted condenser coils at the back of a refrigerator that has been pulled away from the wall.

Problem

Refrigerator Running Constantly

5 causes, cheapest first

A gloved hand holding a thermometer probe on the middle shelf of an open refrigerator compartment.

Food safety applies

Refrigerator Not Cooling

7 causes, cheapest first

A refrigerator pulled forward from its cabinet gap with the lower rear access panel removed, the condenser fan exposed.

Problem

Refrigerator Making a Loud Noise

5 causes, cheapest first

A hand running along the rubber gasket of an open refrigerator door where it has lifted away at a corner.

Problem

Refrigerator Door Not Sealing

5 causes, cheapest first

A family preparing a meal together in their kitchen — For the heart of your home.

Questions about
installation and setup.

My refrigerator was installed by the store. Should I still check it?

It is worth ten minutes. Delivery crews work to a schedule, and leveling, the air path and the door swing are the details most often skipped when an appliance is set in place quickly.

Can an installation problem look like a repair problem?

Often. Long run times, frost, warm compartments and doors that drift open can all come from the way the unit stands or breathes rather than from a failed component.

Which setup checks are safe to do myself?

Measuring the opening, checking the grille, leveling a freestanding unit with its front adjusters and reading the rating plate. Anything that involves sliding a heavy unit out, the water line or wiring is not.

The other
sections.

Split by what you are trying to find out rather than by which part of the appliance it concerns.

All guides

The rear wall of an open refrigerator compartment with its air vents, shelves half loaded in front of it.

Why it is doing that

Back to your everyday

Let’s get your refrigerator working again.

Three short steps online, or one call. Tell us what you are seeing and pick a window that works.

Schedule a repair Call (844) 681-4650

Installation and setup
guides.

Installation and setup,
guide by guide.

Clearances: the problem that starts before the appliance is switched on

Leveling, and why most doors are meant to close by themselves

Garages, basements and porches: what a unit has to be rated for

Getting it in, and getting it right.

The short answerClearances: the problem that starts before the appliance is switched on

The short answerLeveling, and why most doors are meant to close by themselves

The short answerGarages, basements and porches: what a unit has to be rated for

When reading
is not enough.