Refrigerator repair

Freezer cold, fresh food warm

Cold air is made in the freezer and pushed into the other section. If the freezer is at 0°F and the fridge is at 50°F, the evaporator fan or the damper between the two compartments is the usual cause. Frost packed over the coil blocks that same path. You can hear the fan only with the door closed, because the door switch stops it when you look. A shop confirms this with a thermometer in each section, not by guessing from the feel of a milk jug.

Both sections warm

Pull the toe grille or look behind the cabinet. Condenser coils caked with dust make the compressor run hot and cycle off on its overload. The condenser fan, if the model has one, should turn while the compressor runs. A compressor that is silent, with power at the outlet and the controls set to a normal temperature, often needs a start relay. A compressor that runs all day and still never cools can be low on refrigerant. That repair is a sealed-system job, and it is not a filter or a door gasket.

Ice maker

If the food is cold and the ice is missing or hollow, treat the ice maker as its own fault. The fill tube at the back of the freezer freezes shut, and the water inlet valve on the rear of the cabinet can stick. A shutoff valve under the sink that was closed during a repair will empty the ice bin while the fridge itself looks fine.

What to send

• Temperatures in the freezer and the fresh-food section after the doors have stayed shut for a few hours.
• Whether the compressor housing at the bottom is warm, hot, or stone cold.
• Brand and the model from the inside tag.
• Any puddle under the unit, and whether the drain pan is overflowing.

Related note: freezer cold, fridge warm.