What to Do if a Fridge Not Cold Enough?

Since your fridge is made to keep food and beverages cold, we understand how frustrating it can be when the refrigerator is not cold enough. We have some tips to help it get back to running its best.

Although a refrigerator may seem pretty simple, it is a somewhat complex piece of machinery. It has several parts that can create issues if you suspect your refrigerator is not cooling enough or your fridge is too cold.

So if you see symptoms that your fridge is not cooling enough and require a diagnosis of the issue, here are some common problems and associated remedies that you may want to check out. 

Refrigerator not cold enough

The problems that may lead to a refrigerator that is not cool enough may be pretty simple and easy to manage on your own; however, some can be somewhat more complicated and require a professional. Here are a few things that may be stopping your refrigerator from getting cold enough.

Simple things you can check

Sometimes the most obvious answers are the correct ones. Things like:

• Is your refrigerator plugged into a suitable power source? 
• Has somebody turned the thermostat down?
• Is the door closing wholly and correctly?
• Are any of the interior vents being blocked by items, thus keeping air from circulating? 

These are all simple items that are often overlooked and can keep your refrigerator from maintaining a cold temperature.

It may be a bad fan or air damper.

Your refrigerator contains two fans that are a large part of the unit’s operation, and if they are not working, that can be a reason your fridge is not cold enough. The condenser fan cools items like the condenser coils and the compressor while they are operating.

When these items are operating, the condenser fan needs to operate to keep these critical items from overheating and ceasing to operate.

The evaporator fan is the fan that moves the air you feel when you open your refrigerator door. This fan pulls air across your evaporator coil, cooling the air down and then it moves air through the refrigerator. If this fan is not working, cold air will not get into your refrigerator. 

Another issue that may be causing problems is a faulty air damper. This item regulates the airflow between the freezer and the refrigerator. Your freezer may work adequately if it is not working correctly, but there may not be enough cold air getting into your refrigerator.

Issues with major components

The two vital parts of your refrigerator that we mentioned earlier that keep the air cold are your compressor. Your condenser coils and issues with these may mean your refrigerator is not getting cold enough.

Your refrigerator compressor does the job of pushing refrigerant vapour into the compressor coils located on the back of your refrigerator. This pushing action and its associated pressure create heat. This then forms a hot gas which will then cool down and absorb heat from the refrigerator.

If your fan is running, but the fridge is not getting cold, a faulty compressor may be the issue. 

Suppose your condenser coils are clogged and thus are inhibiting the flow of the hot gas we mentioned earlier. In that case, that will significantly restrict the ability of your refrigerator to maintain a cold temperature. 

How to make refrigerator colder

Once you think you may have identified the problem of why your refrigerator temperature is not cold enough, the next question you’re going to have is how you can solve it quickly and easily. Here are some simple tips to show you to hopefully get your refrigerator back to a frosty temperature in no time.

Give the simple steps a once over.

Please go through the simple steps we mentioned and make sure that they are appropriately corrected. Things like making sure the refrigerator is plugged in and that the thermostat is set correctly are pretty easy to fix. 

One item that is quite often overlooked when a fridge is not getting cold enough is a door that is not closing correctly. Without a proper seal, cold air is simply going to flow out the door. 

Another simple fix is making sure that vents are not blocked. People often put food items in front of vents in the back of the refrigerator, not knowing that these vents are vital to the air flowing throughout the unit, thus keeping the unit cold.

Replacing your air damper

A faulty air damper can keep cold air from moving into your refrigerator. If, after your inspection, you notice the air damper cannot close or open, it may be time to replace this part.

Since this unit is attached to both the refrigerator and the freezer, there will be parts you need to pay attention to in both areas. To start, you need to remove any screws holding the air damper in place. On the refrigerator side, be mindful of the thermostat sensor that will be around the damper.

On the freezer, side is mindful of the motor that needs to be unscrewed and moved into the freezer out of your way. Once you have done all that, you remove the old air damper and put the new one in its place, repeating the steps we mentioned in reverse order. 

Tackling somewhat bigger problems

Replacing the two fans can be something the handy do-it-yourself can accomplish on their own. The first step with both is to ensure that the fans can spin properly with no debris or objects stopping their operation. 

By far, the more straightforward fix is the condenser fan. Usually, with a faulty condenser fan, the fix is to replace the condenser fan motor.

To do this, you need to buy a new motor from any online source or an appliance store. From there, all you need to do is remove the mounting screws that hold the fan. Then it is as simple as swapping out the old motor for the new motor.

A fix of the evaporator fan is somewhat more complicated. This fix will involve removing the entire evaporator panel from the back of the refrigerator.

Once you have done that, you need to remove the fan and its mounting clip, plus the blade and the wire harness. You then install the new motor into the wire harness and put the motor in its housing.

Let the professionals at FIX Appliances CA help.

So are you wondering how to make the refrigerator colder, and this is all starting to sound like too much for you to tackle? That is precisely why the professionals at FIX Appliances CA are here to help. We:

• Have a long track record of experience
• Are an area leader in refrigerator maintenance
• Carry the top-quality parts to get the job done right
• Have a well-trained staff of professionals refrigerator technician ready to help
• Are available 8 am-9 pm, seven days a week

We know everything about all of the complicated parts that make up your refrigerator. We have the knowledge, experience, and top-quality parts to get the job done quickly and correctly.

So if your refrigerator is not getting as cold as you would like, give us a call or fill a form to get it back in proper working order right now.