How to Diagnose Refrigerator Problems

I need your advice on how to diagnose refrigerator problems.

If it is not running, first make sure it is plugged in. Next is checking the circuit breaker to make sure the fuse isn’t blown or that you don’t need to flip the breaker.

Every other appliance around it is running.

So that precludes the outlet wiring failing or shorting. How is the appliance running?

My freezer is as cool as a fridge and the fridge is a glorified pantry.

Make sure there is at least three inches between the condenser coils and the wall and several inches on either side of the fridge so that the heat it vents from the fridge can actually escape into the room.

My kids can hide around the fridge, so there’s plenty of space.

So clean the coils, since dirt and debris on them reduces their efficiency by insulating them.

I hardly even dust, so dusting the fridge has never been on my list.

So dust it and see how it works. And you may want to unplug it and plug it back in and see if it works.

Why on Earth would I try to fix a fridge by unplugging it?

If the compressor shuts off because it is overheating, letting it cool off could fix it at least until it overheats again. If it isn’t running right because the control board is erroring out, you’ve just rebooted it.

Or I could leave it off at the breaker long enough for the power in the unit to dissipate, instead of unplugging it from the wall.

If all that does not work, listen to the fridge. If it is way too silent, the fans or compressors aren’t working.

Either of those require a hardware repair, I mean, mechanical replacement.

There’s always the possibility that it is a wiring problem or control board problem.

If resetting it does not fix it, you have to replace the control board.

If you’re lucky, the problem is the starter relay or starting capacitor for the compressor; if the unit clicks or whirs but doesn’t engage the compressor when you turn down the thermostat, that’s the part to replace.

Which costs as much as a motherboard.

Not the relay, no. If the unit’s freezer is cold though, and the fridge isn’t, check to see if the problem is the air flow to the fridge.

My fridge may have a separate condenser for the fridge.

If it does not, shoving all the food in the back of the freezer could block the air flow to the fridge, or that flooded water that froze over the vent could be why the fridge isn’t cold enough.

It sounds weird to say I may have to thaw the freezer to get the fridge cold.