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Troubleshooting Common Refrigerator Problems

Good observation skills are the key to any appliance repair.  If you don’t know what’s wrong with your appliance, how can you expect to know what’s wrong with your appliance? Is the freezer cold enough, and just the fresh food compartment warming?  If there is a noise, is it coming from inside the freezer, behind the refrigerator, or somewhere else?  Is there ice forming anywhere out of the ordinary?  Take a moment to observe the symptoms you are experiencing, it will be well worth your time.

Note: the sealed system of a modern refrigerator / freezer cannot be repaired by anyone other that a licensed professional, and it is almost never cost effective to do so out of the manufacturers warranty period. 
Important: do not use an ice pick or anything else to remove ice, any cut or puncture in the sealed system tubing and you will be shopping for a new refrigerator!!  Use warm water in a turkey baster if you are in a hurry.

Select the problem that best describes your refrigerator's symptoms from the list below

-Freezer compartment is not cold enough.

-The freezer temperature is ok but the fresh food compartment of the refrigerator is warming up.

-There’s a lot of frost in the freezer or moisture in the fresh food compartment.

-I'm getting a large amount of frost in my ice dispenser shoot.

-There is a sheet of ice on the floor of my freezer compartment.

-I have water under my crispers or dripping into the refrigerator's fresh food compartment.

-There is a noise in my freezer.

-There is a noise coming from behind my refrigerator.

-The freezer and fresh food compartment is not as cold as it should be.

-My Icemaker is acting up.

-The freezer and fresh food compartment is not as cold as it should be.

-My Icemaker is acting up.

-Water is leaking onto my floor.

-The defrost cycle explained.

-Checking the compressor and start relay.

Freezer compartment is not cold enough.

Question: Feel the back wall of the freezer.  Is it cold?
Yes: Do you hear the evaporator fan running or feel air flowing from the rear vents in the freezer? If not you probably are having a problem with the evaporator fan.  If you do hear the fan and feel air flowing from the freezer vents, you will need to check your compressor.
No: You will need to pull the refrigerator away from the wall and check the compressor (usually located behind a cardboard or metal panel behind the refrigerator.)

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The freezer temperature is ok but the fresh food compartment of the refrigerator is warming up.

All of the cold generated by a refrigerator comes from the freezer compartment and flows into the fresh food compartment, so most likely you are having an air flow problem.  The fan located in the freezer compartment is called the evaporator fan.  It is responsible for moving the cool air from the freezer compartment into the fresh food compartment of the refrigerator through a controlled duct called the diffuser.  The diffuser is located at the back top center of the fresh food compartment.
Question: Do you hear the evaporator fan running or feel air flowing from the rear vents in the freezer?
Yes: Do you feel air passing through the diffuser into the fresh food compartment?  Sometimes the diffuser duct can become clogged with ice and not allow air to pass through. (This is most often caused by a door being left open for an extended period of time or a defrost problem)  In some rare cases a door inside the diffuser can break in the closed position and block airflow.

No: The evaporator fan will cycle on and off depending on temperature and the defrost cycle, so if you don’t hear anything wait for 20 min and check again.  If you still don’t hear anything or you hear a strange humming noise you probably need a new evaporator fan motor.

There’s a lot of frost in the freezer or moisture in the fresh food compartment.

The refrigerator / freezer should automatically go through a defrost cycle to control frost build up; however, if a door is left open for a long period of time a larger than average amount of moisture can enter the refrigerator / freezer and condense into water or frost. (High humidity can magnify this effect) You will also want to inspect the door seal for any tearing or debris that might allow air to leak in.
Tip: tilt the refrigerator / freezer back slightly by adjusting the front leveling legs so the doors will swing closed automatically with gravity.
In most cases storing your food elsewhere temporarily, unplugging the refrigeratorand allowing it to defrost will usually solve this problem, especially if you know the door was left open.  (Use caution with wood flooring, the larger than normal amount of ice will sometimes cause the drip pan to overflow onto the floor.)  If you notice the problem returning in about two weeks and you know thedoor was not left open you may have a problem withthe defrost cycle. 
Note: These symptoms may also cause your fresh food compartment to warm up if the air diffuser becomes blocked with ice.

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