--- title: "Troubleshooting — Refrigerator Guides" description: "The checks that are safe to do on your own, and the point at which doing more stops being sensible." url: "https://refrigeratorrepair.center/guides/troubleshooting/" --- What you can check yourself # Troubleshooting guides. The checks that are safe to do on your own, and the point at which doing more stops being sensible. ## Troubleshooting, guide by guide. This section is for the owner who has noticed something wrong and wants to know what can be checked before anyone is booked. Every guide here stays on the outside of the machine: thermometers, door gaskets, the tilt of the cabinet, the grille, the vents inside the compartments, the settings menu and the label with the model number on it. None of it needs a tool you would have to buy. [All 19 guides](https://refrigeratorrepair.center/guides/) 5-minute read ### [Five observations that narrow a refrigerator problem down before anyone visits](https://refrigeratorrepair.center/guides/five-observations-before-you-call/) Is the freezer cold, is there frost, is it running, did it drift or drop, and has anything changed about where it stands. 5-minute read ### [The paper test, and four other checks that cost nothing](https://refrigeratorrepair.center/guides/the-paper-test-and-other-checks/) Door seal, level, grille, vents and settings. Each one removes a branch of the diagnosis before a technician is even booked. 5-minute read ### [Where the model number hides, and why nothing works without it](https://refrigeratorrepair.center/guides/find-your-model-number/) On a Kenmore the first three digits say who actually built the appliance. On everything else it decides which parts are carried. ## What you can check yourself. The checks are written across every kind of refrigerator we repair, from a freestanding French door unit to a built-in, a column pair or an undercounter drawer, because the same observation can point in different directions depending on how the appliance is put together. Where a type needs a different approach, the guide says so. Each guide also says where to stop. Mains wiring, the sealed system and lifting a built-in out of its opening are not places for experiments, and a clear note of what you saw is worth more to a technician than a panel that has already been taken apart. [Not sure where to start?](https://refrigeratorrepair.center/guides/#start-here) ### The short answer Five observations that narrow a refrigerator problem down before anyone visits A refrigerator troubleshooting checklist rests on five observations: whether the freezer holds near 0°F while the fresh-food side climbs past 40°F, where frost has formed, which sounds are missing (compressor, condenser fan, evaporator fan), whether the problem drifted or dropped suddenly, and what changed nearby. ### The short answer The paper test, and four other checks that cost nothing For the refrigerator door seal paper test, close the door on a strip of printer paper every six inches around the gasket, corners included, and pull: firm drag means a seal, no drag means a gap. ### The short answer Where the model number hides, and why nothing works without it The usual refrigerator model number location is a sticker inside the fresh-food compartment, high on a side wall or ceiling near the light, or low behind the crisper drawers. ## 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](https://refrigeratorrepair.center/cost/) 1. 01 Diagnose 2. 02 Quote before any work 3. 03 Parts 4. 04 Repair and check ## The problems these answer. Each has a page of its own, with the causes in the order worth checking. [All 18 problems](https://refrigeratorrepair.center/problems/) Food safety applies ### Refrigerator Not Cooling 7 causes, cheapest first Food safety applies ### Fresh Food Section Warm, Freezer Cold 5 causes, cheapest first Problem ### Frost Building Up in the Refrigerator 4 causes, cheapest first Problem ### Refrigerator Running Constantly 5 causes, cheapest first For the heart of your home. ## Questions about troubleshooting. ### Will doing these checks change what a visit involves? It usually shortens it. A technician who already knows the freezer is cold, the seal passes and the grille is clear can go straight to the parts that are left. ### Do I need to unplug the refrigerator for these checks? For most of them, no; several only work with the unit running. The guides say when power has to be off, such as before reaching toward a fan. ### Which guide should I start with? Start with the five observations. They sort the problem into a family, and the other two guides then tell you which checks are worth doing for that family. ## The other sections. Split by what you are trying to find out rather than by which part of the appliance it concerns. [All guides](https://refrigeratorrepair.center/guides/) Why it is doing that ### [Common problems](https://refrigeratorrepair.center/guides/common-problems/) - [Why refrigerators stop cooling, in order of likelihood](https://refrigeratorrepair.center/guides/why-refrigerators-stop-cooling/) - [Fridge warm, freezer cold — the most diagnostic pattern there is](https://refrigeratorrepair.center/guides/fridge-warm-freezer-cold-what-it-means/) - [A refrigerator that never stops running](https://refrigeratorrepair.center/guides/why-a-refrigerator-never-stops-running/) How not to need us ### [Maintenance and prevention](https://refrigeratorrepair.center/guides/maintenance-and-prevention/) - [The condenser, the grille, and the one job that prevents the most calls](https://refrigeratorrepair.center/guides/condenser-cleaning-and-why-it-matters/) - [Door seals, checked twice a year](https://refrigeratorrepair.center/guides/door-seals-checked-twice-a-year/) - [Keeping the defrost drain clear before it floods](https://refrigeratorrepair.center/guides/keeping-the-defrost-drain-clear/) Is this dangerous, and is the food still good ### [Safety and food](https://refrigeratorrepair.center/guides/safety-and-food/) - [What to do with the food when the refrigerator fails](https://refrigeratorrepair.center/guides/food-safety-when-a-refrigerator-fails/) - [The smells and sounds that mean unplug it now](https://refrigeratorrepair.center/guides/smells-and-sounds-that-mean-unplug-it/) - [After a power cut: read the alert before you clear it](https://refrigeratorrepair.center/guides/after-a-power-cut/) Which kind do you actually need ### [Choosing and comparing](https://refrigeratorrepair.center/guides/choosing-and-comparing/) - [Repair or replace: how the type of refrigerator decides it](https://refrigeratorrepair.center/guides/repair-or-replace-a-refrigerator/) - [Built-in, counter-depth or freestanding — the difference that lasts](https://refrigeratorrepair.center/guides/built-in-counter-depth-freestanding/) - [Column pairs: what two separate appliances actually buy you](https://refrigeratorrepair.center/guides/column-pairs-what-you-gain/) Getting it in, and getting it right ### [Installation and setup](https://refrigeratorrepair.center/guides/installation-and-setup/) - [Clearances: the problem that starts before the appliance is switched on](https://refrigeratorrepair.center/guides/clearances-and-ventilation/) - [Leveling, and why most doors are meant to close by themselves](https://refrigeratorrepair.center/guides/levelling-and-door-alignment/) - [Garages, basements and porches: what a unit has to be rated for](https://refrigeratorrepair.center/guides/garage-and-unconditioned-spaces/) Not sure which section? ### Start from your question The four questions most visits start with, each with the guide that answers it. 19 guides Where to start Where to start --- **[Read on the site: Troubleshooting — Refrigerator Guides](https://refrigeratorrepair.center/guides/troubleshooting/)** **[Book a visit with RefrigeratorRepair.center](https://refrigeratorrepair.center/schedule/)**