Fridge doesn't turn on or get cold

In my experience, the biggest culprit causing these symptoms is the defrost heater. This is a heating device that melts frost off the "evaporator coils" better known as the coils usually located inside the freezer area of the unit. These coils get very cold and warm air that is let inside when any door is open, will carry moisture with it that will accumulate like water on the outside of a cold glass in summer time, only it accumulates on the evaporator coils and turns to frost.

As your fridge cycles through its operating stages, one part of the cycle turns off the cooling and turns on a heating device of varying types to melt the frost and ice off of the evaporator coils so it can drip down and flow through a small hose through an opening in the bottom of the fridge and into a pan underneath the fridge where it evaporates back into the air again.

If the heating device never comes on, or becomes inoperative, the frost will slowly continue to collect on the evaporator coils until it becomes a solid block of ice. This now greatly reduces the ability of the evaporator fan to blow the cold air around the coils throughout the freezer and the rest of the fridge. The ice built up around the evaporator coils will still provide some cold, but will significantly prevent the fridge from operating properly.

Another cause may be the evaporator fan not operating correctly. If it doesn't blow air over the evaporator coils well enough, cold air will not get distributed through out the fridge. Cold air tends to "fall", so the bottom of the freezer will be the coldest. Generally, there is an adjustable hole in "side by side" units so that the amount of air coming through that hole can make the "meat crisper" colder. In fridges where the freezer is on the top, I've seen the evaporator coils (which often incorporate "fins" like those on a car radiator, turn into a solid block of ice.
Also check for dust collecting on the condenser coils on the outside of the fridge. These dissipate heat drawn from inside the fridge and take it outside the fridge. These are often located on the back of the fridge or underneath the fridge. Dust and fluff act as insulation and degrade their ability to work properly.

Obviously, to repair the fridge, you should relocate the contents of your unit until you can repair the fridge. Fixing your fridge will take at least a few hours even if you can get your hands on repair parts quickly. This will involve unplugging the unit and locating the items I've referred to. Either allow the accumulated ice to melt naturally or GENTLY speed up the process with a hair dryer or heat gun. Do not use any force removing the accumulated ice and frost, you could easily damage the coils and make things much worse than they already are. Even to the point of making the unit uneconomical to repair.

Without your posting a make, model, type of freezer/fridge arrangement or other details, it is difficult to assist you further. Part placement and component locations vary greatly in this appliance.

Ice in the path of air flow to fridge. The freezer also kkeps the fridge cold via a fan that blows the cold air from feezer to fridge.

Hi,

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this problem is usually caused by excessive ice build up on the evaporator coils.There also a chance that the evaporator fan in the freezer compartment is not working this is how your fridge gets cold.if there is ice build up on the evap coils there may be a problem with the defrost heater or timer.there is a door damper located in the rear of the fridge compartment that needs to be check for anything that may be obstructing the operation of the door.

Manufacturers suggest that it takes approximately 24 hours for the temperature to stabilize in both your freezer and fresh food compartments after being turned off for an extended period of time. Adjust temperature settings to the "half-way" mark for both freezer and fresh food compartments. Allow a period overnight and recheck the temperatures. Also check the condenser coil (usually located underneath the appliance). If clogged with dirt/lint, it needs to be cleaned (carefully) with a condenser coil brush (can be purchased at Home Depot or Lowe's). Prior to cleaning condenser coil, turn off appliance (there is a condenser fan motor and blade operating while on). Be careful not to damage copper tubing (refrigerant in tubing)!

5 reasons for fridge and/or freezer getting warm: 1- the evaporator coils are icing up and won?t let air circulate. 2- the evaporator fan is not working to circulate air. 3- there is no refrigerant in the system. 4- no power to fridge or compressor. 5- the condenser coils have no air circulation check under the fridge behind the vent. if it is too dusty or the fan isn?t working, it is not getting enough airflow to cool down. replace fan and/or vacuum out the dust. if there is no power to the fridge, the light will be off. if the compressor is not running, there is a defrost timer that cuts the power temporarily to the compressor to melt ice on the coils. it?s located under the fridge behind the bottom vent. If the timer is off and the compressor is not going, the compressor or the main board is bad and needs replacing. there is also a temperature sensor on the evaporator coils that tells the defrost coil to turn on and when to turn off. if the defrost timer is on but the coil is not heating up, replace the sensor. if it still won?t heat up, it?s the timer or the coil. the easiest way to tell if there is no refrigerant- the freezer wall is warm and the compressor is loud. if there is no refrigerant, it may be more cost effective to replace the fridge. if you feel no air coming from the freezer vent, the fan needs replacing. If you feel air moving in the freezer but not the fridge, the channel from freezer to fridge is blocked. if the freezer has air and the rear freezer wall has frost on it, the evaporator coils are iced up and need defrosting. causes: 1. low refrigerant 2. no fan 3. too much humid air in fridge/freezer due to door open or bad door seals 4. the condensate drain tube is clogged if the seal around the door is ripped or not completely sealing, or there is condensation at the bottom or the walls of the fridge, replace the seal(s). no air, no fan. Replace if the refrigerant is low, it just needs a top off. but you need to be certified by the epa to move refrigerant, so get a professional. defrost solutions: unplug the fridge. remove the wall of the freezer that is frosted/icing up. use a hair dryer to melt the ice. do not get too close. you will see a drain under the evaporator coil. make sure it is not blocked. the water should run freely to a condensate pan under the fridge that evaporates the condensation with the hot line from the compressor. once the coil is free of ice, frost, and water, replace the panel and repair any of the problems that caused the icing up. plug the fridge in and turn it on. If it frosts up within a week, there is still an issue that not been taken care of.

I had this exact problem with my 4 yr old Samsung RB1855SL refrigerator. BTW, the temperature display doesn’t display higher than 9C, even when its warmer inside. The fan wasn’t turning on to circulate the cold air, although the cooling coils were still cooling. There was no excess ice build-up. The freezer was working fine.

I thought perhaps the fan was toast or the temperature sensor. Then I noticed the interior fridge light was not turning off when closing the door (but the freezer light was). BINGO—thig light switch was the problem. A small piece on the inside of the fridge side of the switch was broken. When the door was closed, the broken switch didn’t let the fridge know that the door was in fact closed, causing the door alarm to keep beeping. This must shut the fan down in order to save energy when regularly opening the door.

DIY fix: I removed the switch (until I could get a replacement) which is located to the left of the lower door hinge (right hand side). Gently, with a flat nose screw driver, I pried it out.

The light no longer turned on when opening either door but that was a small price to pay compared to the incessant beeping and rotten food. The part can’t be very expensive and I can replace it myself. The local appliance repair shop will order it for me.

No expensive “internal brain” needed to be replaced or an expensive repairman needed to be called. Good luck!

It could be some many things, to save time let me give you this check list:

• Check the temperature setting
• Assure that there is enough room for air flow in the refrigerator or freezer
• Check for air flow restrictions in vents
• Test the temperature control
• Clean the condensor coils
• Check the door seals
• Test the door switch
• Test defrost heater
• Test defrost timer
• Test evaporator fan
• Check for a clogged drain tube
• Check for refrigerant leak

Do what you feel qualified to do.

If you found this helpful please Vote. Good Luck!

replace the cold control

You likely have a defrost cycle failure. The freezer's cooling coils need to be frosty and cold so the air that the fan pulls over them can cool the fridge section. If the defrost cycle fails, the coils freeze up to a block of ice and air flow suffers (fridge is about 55 degrees F). The freezer stays cold only because there's a block of ice in there now... sometimes that cold "sinks" to the bottom and only the food at the bottom stays frozen (and can even freeze food at the bottom of the fridge compartment while the rest is warm). To be sure, you'll need to take the rear interior panel off the freezer back wall and check the coils to see if they are frozen solid. If they are then there's a defrost cycle failure. If they are showing a nice white frosty pattern evenly all over the coils then that's normal and maybe the evap fan (right above the coils) is not blowing air up properly or is not working at all. That fan should run if the compressor is running, etc. the only time it doesn't run is during an actual defrost cycle. Once you find out what condition the coils are in it should be simple to direct you further on the problem.