How To Repair A Refrigerator That Won’t Cool or Freeze

Estimated reading time: 10 minutes

Learn how to troubleshoot common refrigerator problems and avoid unnecessary expenses. Get your fridge back up and running with these tips.

The refrigerator broke down, and I only wanted a glass of milk at 2 am. Sound familiar?

Refrigerator problems are common for everyone, whether you own a home or are a landlord, and with that comes extra costs to your budget unless you can solve the problem on your own.

Today, I want to share how I repaired our refrigerator, which would not cool or freeze.

It was shocking what I found.

All Refrigerators Need To Be Cleaned

We own an older Frigidaire refrigerator, about 12 years old, and it has been fabulous apart from this one problem.

The fridge came with the house when we purchased it in 2009. It is basic white and does not have any fancy gadgets.

The freezer for this model is on the bottom, which seems to be expected in many kitchens around Canada.

You may also have your freezer on the top or have side-by-side doors on your refrigerator where the freezer is right next to it.

No matter what your refrigerator looks like, they all do the same thing: keep the cool stuff cool and the cold stuff cold.

Waking Up To A Rumbling Freezer

Last week, I woke up in the middle of the night for a cold glass of milk and a snack while the family was sleeping.

Boy, I was surprised that the freezer wasn’t freezing and the refrigerator was not cooling.

It was just my luck, and I had to work in the morning.

I went into the garage to find any boxes and emptied the refrigerator into the boxes.

I also filled our large freezer in the basement with the freezer contents and anything safe to freeze.

Luckily, it was still freezing outside, and our garage nicely held on to that cold temp.

I feel for you if you are reading this and it’s summertime.

However, I won’t buy a second fridge just for emergency breakdowns or to fill with beer, pop, or extra food.

It’s not worth the extra hydro costs or headache unless we had a basement kitchen with a second refrigerator.

I left the freezer/refrigerator defrosted for the rest of the night to see if that would get it working.

After cleaning the puddle of water out of the bottom of the freezer in the morning, success was at hand.

Mrs. CBB monitored the fridge/freezer during the day, only to tell me nothing was happening.

As I was working, all I could do was hope for the best and wait until I got home to investigate the problem more.

Troubleshooting Broken Refrigerator

Without waking my wife and son, I troubleshoot common refrigerator problems, such as checking the temperature and internal airflow.

I also listened to make sure that the fan was running, and it was not, which prompted me to jump into action.

This had happened once before, and Mrs. CBB knew that something was going wrong with the refrigerator.

She said she had heard it making weird noises days prior.

The noise you will hear from a frozen refrigerator fan is that of a blade slicing through ice or skating on the ice.

We had no idea what the sound meant the first time it happened.

Troubleshooting a cool refrigerator and freezer was something I’ve done once before with our refrigerator, as it seems ice build-up is a common theme.

The entire refrigerator stops when the fan stops running because nothing is cooling or freezing.

The first time it happened, I had no idea what was going on, so the first thing I did was unplug it since it wasn’t doing what it was supposed to anyway.

Anytime you plan on a refrigerator disassembly like I knew I was facing, it’s essential to keep safety in mind, especially electricity.

I pulled the refrigerator out from the wall and cleaned the condenser coil at the back with the round brush attachment on our central vacuum, as it can build up with heavy dust.

Depending on your refrigerator model, you may or may not have to remove a fridge plate from the front of your condenser coil.

Refrigerator Maintenance

Cleaning the condenser coils will only take a minute or two, and once you are done, you can plug your refrigerator back in, and away you go.

I knew cleaning the condenser wouldn’t solve my problem, but it’s part of refrigerator maintenance that you will want to do every few months to ensure optimal airflow continues.

The condenser is a heat-exchanger, the cleaner the heat-exchanger the less restriction the fridge/freezer has to fight against therefore keeping electricity costs down.

Since I had already determined that the light was working inside of the refrigerator and that there was no airflow, once I put my hands on the inside vents, I knew I had a primary appliance repair service job on my hands.

Or did I?

DIY or Refrigerator Service Repair Technician

Calling in an appliance repair technician can be pricey, especially if it’s something simple a handy homeowner can fix on their own.

I’m one of those guys who likes to troubleshoot and read about why things break so I can learn how to fix them.

However, I know that there are times when calling in the professionals is necessary.

If I can’t find the problem or repair a problem to code or satisfaction, I will make that call, which is why having emergency savings handy is critical.

In some events, when a home appliance does break down,, whether it be your refrigerator or washer and dryer,, you may have to purchase them again.

This can get costly, whether new or used, and you aren’t promised that your appliance problems will be solved.

In other words, appliances are a significant headache for everyone.

Since we are renovating our house and we know we are putting in a brand-new kitchen, the last thing we wanted was to spend money on buying a new refrigerator.

Not knowing what your new kitchen will look like means what you buy may not even fit into the plan.

I often suggest buying appliances after a renovation but planning them into the renovation plan to know what will fit in the spaces.

How To Fix A Fridge With A Frozen Fan

I don’t know about the model type of refrigerator you are working with; however, I can run you through what I did that got our refrigerator up and running in about 10 minutes.

After work, I came straight home because I knew I had to deal with our refrigerator problem one way or the other, or my wife would send me to the deck for the night. Haha!

Our Frigidaire refrigerator was not cooling or freezing, so I pulled out the drawers and shelving, which needed to be cleaned anyway.

Funny, this happened on the first day of spring, which was timely for a cleaning.

Removing The Refrigerator Door

Next, I had to remove the refrigerator door to get into the bottom panel, which was a bit of a pain but relatively simple.

Once I had the panel off, the fan and the significant ice build-up surrounding it was exposed.

The refrigerator stopped because the fan could not move, so my chore was to get it running again.

Neither of us uses a hair dryer; however, we bought a cheap one for my mum when visiting us from the UK.

We’ve always kept it in the upstairs bathroom, not for hair drying but for everything else.

Mrs.CBB ran upstairs to bring me the hair dryer, and in about 10-15 minutes, I had the ice melted from the fan.

When I plugged it back in to see if it was working, I noticed that the fan blows the water back up the drain, meaning that it causes a dam effect.

I thought that was strange and wondered if the fan was backward.

Nope, that’s just how it goes, which seems odd as it will continue to have ice build-up.

That means I’ll need that hair dryer for years, or at least until this refrigerator kicks the bucket for good.

Instantly, we could feel the cool air coming again, so I put the refrigerator back together, and we cleaned it inside and out (including the dusty top) along with all the shelving.

I let it cool and freeze for about an hour before we put everything back inside so we could get on with our lives.

Refrigerator Repair Frozen Fan Recap

One tip I was given about a fan that was freezing up was to check air flow around the inside and outside of the refrigerator, ensuring no boxes are blocking any vents, and checking the door seal gaskets.

You close the door on a dollar bill and then try to pull it out.

You should feel resistance, which means the gasket is doing what it should.

If it pulls out instantly, you likely have another issue you must deal with.

Also, inspect the gasket for any cracks that might be causing warm air to leak into the freezer or refrigerator.

Don’t forget to adjust the temperature gauges inside your refrigerator for the fridge and freezer so you have optimal temps for each.

Ideally, you’ll want your refrigerator dial to be at 4 degrees or 40 F and your freezer dial at -18 degrees C or 0 F to ensure they are doing their jobs.

You can also use a freestanding internal thermometer if your refrigerator or freezer doesn’t show temperatures but dial numbers.

Check your refrigerator manual to see what the dial numbers mean for your model, as they can differ from fridge to fridge.

Typically, 9 is the coldest temperature setting, whereas 1 is the warmest.

DIY Refrigerator Recap To Remove Ice Buildup

1. Unplug
2. Remove contents
3. Troubleshoot
4. Repair
5. Put it all back together again
6. Enjoy a cold beer and a happy wife.

So, that’s our refrigerator repair adventure that saved us some money because we didn’t have to call a technician out to look at it.

If you’re unsure, I suggest you make that call or call someone you know who is handy.

A few minutes of your time may save your pocketbook some cash you can use for another rainy day.

Discussion: What types of refrigerator/freezer repairs have you done?

Leave me comments below, and I’ll respond.

Thanks for reading,

Mr. CBB

• How often do you go shopping for groceries?
• Cleaning out the refrigerator
• How to purchase the right home appliance the first time
• Easy Strawberry Ice Cream: No Machine Required!
• Mr.CBB’s Mum’s British Lemon Fridge Cake