The refrigerator has some common reasons why it would stop cooling but first we need to look at how it works to cool your food and drinks. The refrigerator uses a compressor to pump refrigerant through two different arrangements of coils. The first is the condenser coils that are usually located on the bottom of the refrigerator or the back of it but always outside of the cooling chamber. The condenser coils are used to cool the condensed high heat gas pumped out of the compressor. The cooling fan is used to carry the heat that is dissipating from the coils away from the condenser coils. Over time these coils and maybe the fan too can become clogged with dust and dirt. Dirty coils can cause the unit to not cool properly, So cleaning these coils regularly is good practice with any refrigerator. You can use a coil brush or some other nifty cleaning gadget available that can easily reach under the refrigerator.
A common reason that could cause the fridge to not cool properly is a malfunctioning condenser cooling fan. If the cooling fan is not working to dissipate the heat from the condenser coils, then the unit will not work right, and temperature will rise in the fridge and freezer. The fan could fail mechanically or electrically. If the fan breaks or loses a blade it will not cool properly, and if the electric motor fails then it will not cool. To check if the fan is working correctly you will need to see if the fan is spinning and if the motor is receiving power but is not running then the motor has probably failed electrically.
Evaporative fan motor
Once the gas has been condensed and then cooled by the condenser coils it is pumped up to the evaporator coils located inside the fridge. There is a motor in here that blows air over the evaporator coils to cool the inside of the refrigerator and freezer. The evap coils are located in the freezer. If the evaporative fan motor fails, then the fridge won't get cold and parts of the freezer may not freeze. So, if the evap fan motor is getting power and it is not running it most likely has to be replaced as the motor has failed internally as the electrical parts have failed. Also, if the fan is unusually noisy or if the fan does not turn freely, you should replace the motor.
Another thing to check is if the start relay or capacitor is faulty. If this does not work, then it will fail to cycle the compressor properly or may not activate the compressor at all.
Evaporative Coils
A common cause of the refrigerator not cooling properly is having the evaporator coils frosted over. Have you ever seen a fridge that is all iced over on the inside? This will cause the air flow through the unit to suffer. Evap coils require periodic defrosting. Older models had to be thawed out manually, but modern models of refrigerators have mechanisms that do this automatically. They will do this through the operation of a defrost heater, thermostat, and control. If any one of these malfunctions, then you will have a problem with cooling inside the fridge.
A common reason that could cause the fridge to not cool properly is a malfunctioning condenser cooling fan. If the cooling fan is not working to dissipate the heat from the condenser coils, then the unit will not work right, and temperature will rise in the fridge and freezer. The fan could fail mechanically or electrically. If the fan breaks or loses a blade it will not cool properly, and if the electric motor fails then it will not cool. To check if the fan is working correctly you will need to see if the fan is spinning and if the motor is receiving power but is not running then the motor has probably failed electrically.
Evaporative fan motor
Once the gas has been condensed and then cooled by the condenser coils it is pumped up to the evaporator coils located inside the fridge. There is a motor in here that blows air over the evaporator coils to cool the inside of the refrigerator and freezer. The evap coils are located in the freezer. If the evaporative fan motor fails, then the fridge won't get cold and parts of the freezer may not freeze. So, if the evap fan motor is getting power and it is not running it most likely has to be replaced as the motor has failed internally as the electrical parts have failed. Also, if the fan is unusually noisy or if the fan does not turn freely, you should replace the motor.
Another thing to check is if the start relay or capacitor is faulty. If this does not work, then it will fail to cycle the compressor properly or may not activate the compressor at all.
Evaporative Coils
A common cause of the refrigerator not cooling properly is having the evaporator coils frosted over. Have you ever seen a fridge that is all iced over on the inside? This will cause the air flow through the unit to suffer. Evap coils require periodic defrosting. Older models had to be thawed out manually, but modern models of refrigerators have mechanisms that do this automatically. They will do this through the operation of a defrost heater, thermostat, and control. If any one of these malfunctions, then you will have a problem with cooling inside the fridge.