Your refrigerator is one of the most vital home appliances. When you encounter refrigerator problems, it can be stressful thinking of ways to fix them.
Refer to our guide below to help you solve common refrigerator problems that don’t require extensive repair or worse, a replacement.
Freezer Not Cold Enough
If you notice that your perishables are spoiling quickly, your freezer may not be as frosty as it ought to be. This problem is usually easy to solve, but first, you have to see where the problem is.
To do this, you have to check the back of the freezer and see if it’s cold. If it is cold, your problem is either because of the evaporator fan or the condenser coil.
The condenser coils are easily visible at the back of your fridge. It’s not going to work if it’s too dirty, and most of the time you will find this is the cause of the problem.
Clear the dust and cobwebs and clean the coils thoroughly, making sure to disconnect from the power supply first. A little bit of cleaning can usually make your freezer cool better.
If that doesn’t work, your evaporator fan can be the source. The evaporator fan is the one that circulates cold air around your refrigerator.
To see if it’s working, just listen to the sound behind your fridge and check if you can feel any airflow between the vents. Be patient, as vents aren’t always easy to diagnose this way if they’re a bit clogged or old.
If you can’t hear the motor running, sadly you may have to call in a professional to help repair or replace the motor.
Water Leakage
If your refrigerator has a leaking problem, you want to fix that right away before it causes water damage to other things.
Unfortunately, it can be a bit more tricky to fix it. Water leaking can be caused by a blocked defrost drain, clogged valve, or a frozen water supply.
To address these issues, you’ll want to check the back wall and see if there is debris blocking the defrost drain. This is usually found right above the slope from the floor to the back.
You can flush the drain from the inside with warm water, and use a turkey baster or a pipe cleaner to remove the debris. Clean your drain with hot water and soap and see if that fixes the problem.
If it doesn’t, check the drain hose at the back of the service panel and remove the clogged debris from the valve manually.
If that still doesn’t do the trick, you may have issues in the supply line. Disconnect from the power source and check the shut-off valve underneath your sink, behind the fridge, or underneath a basement crawl space.
Make sure this is closed, then inspect your plastic supply line and see if there are any breaks or tears. If there is, you may need to have it replaced.
Ice Buildup in the Freezer
If your problem is too much ice buildup inside your freezer, a bit of defrosting should do the trick. You can manually defrost by unplugging the refrigerator and keeping the door open for some time.
This process can take some time, and you may want to make sure you empty your freezer beforehand. Make sure to place towels around the freezer to prevent water from pooling around it.
More Resources
While common refrigerator problems can have easy fixes, some issues need a more professional hand. Hire refrigerator repair services to address issues to avoid endangering your family and spoiling your food.
You can also take a look at the best repair services available in Edmonton for more of your repair needs.
