A warm refrigerator may have a serious mechanical failure.
The whole purpose of having a refrigerator is to keep your food cold. A warm refrigerator can be a sign of mechanical failure or simple maintenance issues. The compressor of the unit is the heart of the cooling system. It runs the fridge through a series of cycles that keeps the refrigerator cold without using excessive energy. Improper maintenance may cause the compressor or other parts in the system to fail. If the compressor itself has failed, you may wish to get a new fridge; often the cost of a new compressor is more than what the fridge is worth. Does this Spark an idea?
Instructions
1. Check the power cord of the refrigerator to ensure it is plugged in. Inspect the cord for damage.
2. Open the breaker box for your home and inspect the fuse for the kitchen. Flip the breaker to the on position if it is off.
3. Open the fridge to see if the light turns on. If it does, the fridge is receiving power. Check the temperature setting. Turn the knob to the coldest setting to check whether the compressor kicks in.
4. Pull out the fridge from the wall so there is a space of 3 inches between the wall and the compressor coils. Vacuum the compressor coils if they're dirty. Allow the unit time to cool, about an hour, before further troubleshooting.
5. Unplug the fridge for two hours. Plug it back in to see if it begins to cool. There is an issue causing the compressor to overheat if the unit turns on after the break. Keep in mind that it will take hours for you to notice a difference in the refrigerator's interior temperature, and 24 hours to reach a normal operating temperature.
6. Move food away from any of the air vents on the inside of the fridge and freezer to prevent blockages. Wait to see if the fridge cools down.
7. Inspect the seals of the doors for cracks or holes. Pull up on the seal to expose the screws holding it in place if the seal needs to be replaced. Loosen the nuts halfway and pull the seal off. Rub the new seal with petroleum jelly and place it on the fridge, pressing the tabs in first at the corners of the door and working your way to the middle.
8. Unplug the unit. Pry off the cover of the door switch with a putty knife. Pull the connectors off the switch. Set a multitester (a tool used to measure voltage) to the X1 setting. Touch one probe to each of the wire terminals on the switch. The tester should read zero when the button is out and infinity when pressed in. Replace the switch if necessary.
9. Remove everything from the freezer. Remove the screws holding the back cover in place to expose the evaporator fan. Remove the screws holding the fan in place. Set your multitester to X1. Set a probe on each terminal of the fan. It should read zero. Replace the fan if necessary.
Tags: screws holding, compressor coils, holding place, mechanical failure, probe each, read zero
