The refrigerator is one electronic household appliance that places a prime part in the lifestyle of people. As with any electronic appliance, there are many possibilities that it may malfunction. In such situations, we must be ready to troubleshoot and sort the problem.
Even if it requires skilled support, at least we can find what the problem is. Identifying the root cause can solve a lot of time energy too. In this regard, we will see how we can troubleshoot and fix the issue mentioned below.
Refrigerator Not Cooling
Let us see some simple procedures to identify and fix the problem first.
- The foremost thing that you must check if the refrigerator has a proper power supply. The light inside the refrigerator must be ON. If not, please switch on the appliance so that it starts working.
- The second step that you can take is to check the thermostat. If the thermostat is turned too down accidentally, it may not allow the refrigerator to function.
- There are instances when the air circulation inside the fridge may cause a disturbance in cooling. Especially when it is blocked by any items that we keep in the fridge, so, check the vents at the back if it is covered by any ice cream boxes or other items. These vents need to be cleared for easy cold air circulation.
- Have you seen the vacuum coils behind the refrigerator” Ensure that it not clogged? It may also cause the fridge not to cool.
- A few refrigerator models come with condenser fan. If it is not rotating properly, it may also cause trouble. Clean the fan blades and switch on the fridge; it must start working correctly.
There are instances where the Condenser fan may not function. If that is the case, let us follow the below steps.
Problem with the Evaporator fan or coils
Many times this shall be the issue. When the evaporator fan is broken or not functioning, it may not offer the right cooling that the refrigerator requires. Also, the evaporator coils, if not for fans, may have a problem too. You may notice that the condenser functions, but the fridge does not cool at all. The main reasons shall be
- Frost Clogged Evaporator Coils
- Broken or Malfunctioning evaporator fan
You don’t have to buy a new kit unless it is broken. Let us see what can be done if anything other than ‘breakage’ is the case.
These evaporator fans or coils shall be present at the back of the fridge. You can access it by removing the cover that is at the back of the freezer. Once you remove it, you can easily see the coils get clogged with frost. The noise of the fan also gets louder.
Please switch off the fridge so that the coils and the fan gets thawed for a day or two. To avoid leakage of water, please keep some towels to avoid the mess. Once all the frost is melted away, connect the fridge back to the power supply. It must work now. If it works, then the trouble is with the defrost timer. At the same time, it can also be the trouble with defrost heater or defrost thermostat. If you find this the problem, please inform the professionals so that they will help replace it.
When it comes to the evaporator fan, please open the refrigerator front door and leave it for a while. If you do not hear the condenser sound then there is a problem with the fan, and that has to be replaced., On the other hand, the relay or the condenser could have gone bad too.
How to Replace the Evaporator Fan?
It is a 6 step process, and you can do it if you feel the problem is with the evaporator fan. Most of the cases are only this, and the condenser shall stay intact. Replacement of a condenser is a very rare case scenario, so let us see each step in detail.
Step 1: As the cover is at the back of the freezer box. Remove that to check if there is anything wrong with the evaporator fan. Most of the time, the screws that are present shall be covered with plastic plugs. Take that out and start to unscrew one by one.
Step 2: Once you remove the cover, you will find the fan. It may not be the case a lot of times. The fan shall have a cover for itself. So unscrew that too and out in place. Ensure that you keep the screws intact so that you can use it once you have fixed the problem. You must remove the cover to reach the fan.
Step 3: Switch on the refrigerator now and check if the fan is functioning. Before that, please check if the fan is broken. You can get to see it from a distance. If the fan is not functioning, attempt to remove that. Now, as you do, please unplug the fridge. Let the fan stop if it is rotating rather slowly also. The fan shall have screws that shall be mounted at the back. Remove it one by one and hold the fan as you do it. Once all the screws are removed, carefully remove it from the socket.
Step 4: You shall find the mounting bracket on the old fan. Please remove it from that. It is done as you are planning to replace the evaporator fan for your fridge. Take the new evaporator fan and attach the mounting bracket to it. Unplug all the wires from the old fan. Plug it to the new fan. Put the fan back to the same socket where you had removed the old one. Do not forget to replace the fan cover too.
There shall be a need to change the condenser fan if the problem is not with the evaporator fan. You must replace the condenser fan only when the fan does not function or if it is noisy. Else you need not worry.
Also Read: How To Clean and Care Your Refrigerator
Step 1: Please pull the refrigerator from the wall
Step 2: You will find a thin panel at the back that shall help you access the condenser
Step 3: Once you had removed the thin film, please switch on the refrigerator and check if the fan is ON. You must have the condenser coming ON too.
If neither of it happens then, you may have to replace the condenser. If you find the condenser is getting heated, then the trouble is with the fan. You must replace it.
You must unplug the refrigerator and replace the fan now.
Step 4: Replace the spare fan and check.if it is not working, then the trouble is with the fan but the relay.
Step 5: if the fan functions, then you must replace the fan appropriately.
Step 6: If the fan does not function, then the rewiring has to be done.
In either case, you may have to call the skilled professionals who can work on this to solve the problem.
Checking for the trouble and fixing it is an excellent way to save a lot of time. It does not take time to troubleshoot as well. All you have to do is, use professional support to sort this out.
Santosh Kumar is a Professional SEO and Blogger, With the help of this blog he is trying to share top 10 lists, facts, entertainment news from India and all around the world.