Refrigerator repair · Tulsa, OK
The light comes on and the milk is warm. A fridge that runs but won’t cool is usually losing airflow somewhere, and a few things are worth checking first.
Before you call
Unplug the fridge before you pull it away from the wall. While you wait, keep milk, meat and medicine in a cooler with ice.
What usually causes it
These coils release the heat the fridge pulls out of your food. Matted with dust and pet hair, they can’t get rid of it, so the fridge runs all the time and still warms up. A hot Oklahoma summer, or a fridge in the garage, makes it worse.
Colby cleans the coils and makes sure the fan beside them is moving air.
The evaporator fan, usually behind the freezer’s back panel, pushes cold air into the fresh-food side. The condenser fan, down by the compressor, cools the coils. When either one stops, the fridge warms up even though it sounds like it’s running.
He checks that both fans spin freely and replaces a motor that’s seized or weak.
Every so often a heater melts the frost off the cooling coil. If the heater, the defrost thermostat, or the timer or board that runs them fails, frost packs the coil solid and air can’t get through. The fridge side usually warms up first.
He looks at the coil, tests the heater and the defrost thermostat, and checks the timer or board that starts each cycle.
These small parts help the compressor start. When one fails, you may hear a click from the back every few minutes, then silence, while the fridge slowly warms up.
He tests the relay and the overload, and makes sure the compressor itself is sound before replacing anything.
If the compressor runs and the fans move air but nothing gets cold, the trouble may be in the sealed system: a leak in the tubing, a blockage, or a compressor that has given out. It’s the biggest repair a fridge can need.
Colby does sealed-system work, and he’ll tell you plainly whether it makes sense for your fridge or whether a new one is the smarter buy.
Questions
AOn most fridges the cold air is made in the freezer and blown across to the fresh-food side. When only the fridge side warms, Colby looks first at the evaporator fan, frost on the coil, and the air damper that lets the cold through.
AGive it most of a day. A fridge that has been off or emptied can need up to 24 hours to settle, so one that’s still warm the next morning has a real problem.
AFood safety guidance says perishable food that has sat above 40°F for more than two hours should go. A fridge thermometer on the middle shelf tells you where you stand.
AYes. There’s a diagnostic fee for the visit, and if you have Colby do the repair, the diagnostic fee is waived.
AMost appointments are within 48 hours, many within 24, and often the same day. Call or text and Colby will give you the soonest time he has.
Rather type it out?
Tell us what's wrong and how to reach you. Colby will call or text you back.
