More durable and reliable than the dishwasher or dryer, your refrigerator rarely complains. Whether loaded with food or almost empty, it keeps on chugging year after year. But as with any major household appliance, your fridge is more likely to experience interruptions in service as it nears retirement age. With that in mind, here are five familiar refrigerator repair problems.
1. Not Cold Enough
When your refrigerator fails to perform its primary duty, i.e., to keep things cold, everything inside it could spoil in a matter of hours.
Common Culprits
– Door seal is broken, allowing warm air to find its way inside the unit.
– Dirt, dust, and debris on the condenser coils may inhibit cooling and/or cause overheating.
– Thermostat is set too high; it should be between 38-40 degrees Fahrenheit.
– Fan is malfunctioning or defective, preventing cold air from moving through the vents.
– Compressor or capacitor is on the fritz, requiring attention from a repair professional.
2. Too Cold
When your unit is too cold, it will freeze the produce you simply want to keep cool.
Common Culprits
– Thermostat in freezer is set too high and must be lowered.
– A malfunctioning fan could be blowing frigid air through the freezer and into the fridge side of the unit. When this happens, the part may need to be replaced.
3. Too Noisy
A humming sound is all you should hear when your fridge is in perfect working order. Louder, unfamiliar sounds, on the other hand, are often signs of trouble.
Common Culprits
– Both the compressor and the fan in your fridge have spinning motors that must be properly lubricated to run without making much noise. If you hear high-pitched squeals, it may indicate a lack of lubrication on moving metal parts.
– If a screw is loose, a moving fan can cause a wide range of strange noises.
4. Leaking
Puddles of water by your refrigerator’s doors are not only messy, but they can also be dangerous.
Common Culprits
-If the lines to your water dispenser are broken or damaged, there’s a good chance they are responsible for any leaks. A complicated refrigerator repair issue, this must be handled by a professional.
– Located at the foot of your fridge, a cracked or damaged drain pan is one of the most common causes of a consistent water leak. Replacing the damaged part with a new one should solve the problem.
5. No Ice
If the ice maker merely rumbles when you press on the ice dispenser, repair may be required.
Common Culprits
– A loose hose connection in the back of the unit is preventing water from reaching the appliance.
– The feeler arm is stuck, preventing ice production.
– The heater, which is needed to keep ice cubes from freezing together, comes on every few minutes. But if it stays on too long, either because of malfunction or an improper setting, the ice maker will get too hot to make ice.
If you are experiencing any of the aforementioned issues, contact a refrigerator repair professional as soon as possible.