--- title: "Refrigerator Not Cooling: Causes and Fixes" description: "The compartment is warm but the appliance still has power and still makes noise." url: "https://refrigeratorrepair.center/problems/refrigerator-not-cooling/" --- # Refrigerator Not Cooling The compartment is warm but the appliance still has power and still makes noise. ## Food safety first The FDA says to discard perishable food that has been above 40°F for 2 hours or more. Move anything perishable to a cooler before worrying about the appliance, keep the doors shut, and do not refreeze food that has fully thawed. ## What it usually means. A refrigerator that is not cooling has almost always stopped moving cold air rather than stopped making it. That distinction is the whole diagnosis. Cold is produced at one evaporator and distributed by a fan and a duct, so a failure anywhere along that path leaves a compressor running perfectly while the food gets warm. Only a minority of these calls turn out to be the sealed system. The 7 causes, cheapest first Answer these first 01 Is the freezer still cold? A cold freezer with a warm fresh-food compartment is an airflow problem, not a cooling problem. 02 Can you hear the compressor running? A silent cabinet and a running cabinet point in opposite directions. 03 Is there frost on the back wall inside the freezer, or is it dry and clear? 04 Did this happen over a day or two, or overnight? A slow drift and a sudden loss are different problems. 05 Are the condenser coils or the front grille clogged, and has anything changed about where the unit stands? ## Check these before you book. Refrigerator not cooling: 5 checks, and none of them costs anything. 01 Check the temperature settings; a setting changed by accident is common and costs nothing to rule out. 02 Look at whether the freezer is still cold, and say so when you call. It narrows the visit considerably. 03 Clear the front grille or the rear coils of dust and make sure nothing is pressed against the back of the unit. ### Also worth checking - Check the door closes fully and that nothing inside is holding it open by a fraction. - Note whether the interior light is on and whether the cabinet is making any noise at all. ## The causes, cheapest first. 7 things refrigerator not cooling turns out to be, from blocked condenser or grille to compressor or sealed system. [The cost guide](https://refrigeratorrepair.center/cost/) 1. 01 lowest ### Blocked condenser or grille The appliance rejects heat through a coil. When that coil is packed with dust or its air path is blocked, the compressor runs continuously and still loses ground. On a built-in this is the front grille; on a freestanding unit it is the coil underneath or behind. [Fixed by maintenance](https://refrigeratorrepair.center/services/maintenance-and-condenser-cleaning/) 2. 02 low ### Evaporator fan not running Cold is made in one place and blown to the other. A failed fan leaves the freezer cold and the fresh-food side warm, and it is usually audible as a cabinet that has gone quieter than it used to be. [Fixed by fan and airflow repair](https://refrigeratorrepair.center/services/fan-and-airflow-repair/) [On a built-in refrigerator](https://refrigeratorrepair.center/types/built-in-refrigerator-repair/) 3. 03 low to moderate ### Defrost system failure Frost that is never cleared builds over the evaporator until air can no longer pass through it. The unit cools less each day, which is why this one arrives as a gradual drift rather than a sudden failure. [Fixed by defrost system repair](https://refrigeratorrepair.center/services/defrost-system-repair/) 4. 04 low to moderate ### Damper or air duct stuck On side-by-side and some built-in layouts a damper meters cold air between the compartments. Stuck closed, it produces a perfectly cold freezer beside a warm refrigerator. [Fixed by fan and airflow repair](https://refrigeratorrepair.center/services/fan-and-airflow-repair/) [On a side-by-side refrigerator](https://refrigeratorrepair.center/types/side-by-side-refrigerator-repair/) 5. 05 low ### Door not sealing A door held open by a fraction loads the system with warm humid air continuously. It frosts the evaporator, which then blocks the airflow, which is why this often presents as a cooling problem rather than as a door problem. [Fixed by door, gasket and alignment](https://refrigeratorrepair.center/services/door-gasket-and-alignment/) [See refrigerator door not sealing](https://refrigeratorrepair.center/problems/door-not-sealing/) 6. 06 moderate ### Control board or thermistor The appliance cools to what it believes the temperature is. A sensor reading low tells the control there is nothing to do, and everything else in the system is then behaving correctly. [Fixed by controls and sensors](https://refrigeratorrepair.center/services/controls-and-sensors/) 7. 07 highest ### Compressor or sealed system A refrigerant leak or a compressor that will not start is the expensive end of this list, and it is the last thing to conclude rather than the first. On a built-in it is still normally worth repairing; on an older freestanding unit it is where the repair-or-replace question becomes real. [Fixed by sealed system and compressor](https://refrigeratorrepair.center/services/sealed-system-and-compressor/) 8. What it costs ### Every repair on the site's cost scale, side by side Open the cost guide ## What else it could be. Most often confused with fresh food section warm, freezer cold, then freezer not freezing. [All problems](https://refrigeratorrepair.center/problems/) Codes that come with it - [`OF OF` Samsung · Mode, not a failure](https://refrigeratorrepair.center/error-codes/samsung-of-of/) - [`5E` Samsung · Sensor circuit](https://refrigeratorrepair.center/error-codes/samsung-5e/) - [`OF F` LG · Mode, not a failure](https://refrigeratorrepair.center/error-codes/lg-of-f/) - [`ER rS` LG · Sensor circuit](https://refrigeratorrepair.center/error-codes/lg-er-rs/) - [`PO` Whirlpool · Mode, not a failure](https://refrigeratorrepair.center/error-codes/whirlpool-po/) - [`PO` KitchenAid · Mode, not a failure](https://refrigeratorrepair.center/error-codes/kitchenaid-po/) [115 more codes, by make](https://refrigeratorrepair.center/error-codes/) Also related - [**Frost Building Up in the Refrigerator** 4 causes](https://refrigeratorrepair.center/problems/frost-buildup/) - [**Refrigerator Door Not Sealing** 5 causes](https://refrigeratorrepair.center/problems/door-not-sealing/) Food safety applies ### Fresh Food Section Warm, Freezer Cold 5 causes Food safety applies ### Freezer Not Freezing 6 causes ### Refrigerator Running Constantly 5 causes ## The makes it happens on. 31 makes on this site; refrigerator not cooling can show up on any of them. Each mark opens that make's own page. [All 31 brands](https://refrigeratorrepair.center/brands/) ## Refrigerator Not Cooling, where we come out. 9 metros, each with its own page. 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Is that connected? It can be. A surge can leave the control latched in an odd state or damage the compressor start components, and a compressor that tries to restart the instant power returns may trip its overload. Unplug the refrigerator for a few minutes and plug it back in; if the cabinet has not started cooling within a few hours, mention the outage when you book. ### How long can I wait before booking a visit? Not long. Put a thermometer in a glass of water in the middle of the fresh-food compartment; once it reads above 40°F, the two-hour limit on perishables has started. Book the same day and open the doors as little as possible in between. ### Will turning the thermostat all the way down help? No. The setting tells the control what temperature to aim for, not how hard to work, so a colder number cannot push air past a stopped fan or an iced coil. It can freeze the freezer contents harder and blur the pattern the technician needs to see, so leave the settings where they were and note them. ### Can I fix it myself? Cleaning the grille or coils and checking the door are owner jobs and worth doing first. Past that, the likely parts sit behind the freezer back panel or inside the sealed system, and finding the right one means measuring rather than swapping. A fan or defrost part bought on a guess often turns out to be the wrong one. --- **[Read on the site: Refrigerator Not Cooling: Causes and Fixes](https://refrigeratorrepair.center/problems/refrigerator-not-cooling/)** **[Book a visit with RefrigeratorRepair.center](https://refrigeratorrepair.center/schedule/)**