My refrigerator stopped cooling. Is that an emergency?
It is the one appliance failure worth treating as urgent, because you are losing food by the hour. Before you call, check that the condenser coils are not choked with dust and that the vents inside the fridge are not blocked by food, since both can stop cooling without anything being broken.
A freezer that is cold while the fresh-food side is warm usually means air is not moving between the two, which is an evaporator fan or a defrost problem, not a dead compressor. That is normally a repair worth doing.
A refrigerator that is warm throughout and silent is a different kind of problem and can reach the sealed system. On a built-in Sub-Zero that repair is still usually worth it. On a ten-year-old freestanding unit it often is not.
Call the same day. We will tell you honestly whether it can wait until tomorrow.
Step by step
- Check that the appliance still has power and the interior light comes on.
- Listen for the compressor. Silence from an otherwise powered fridge points one way, a running compressor with warm air points another.
- Move food away from the vents at the back of the fresh-food compartment.
- Pull the fridge out and look at the condenser coils underneath or behind. If they are furred with dust, vacuum them.
- Move perishable food to a cooler now rather than waiting to see if it recovers.
Related service: Refrigerator repair
Ask us directly
If this is your appliance right now, the phone is faster than reading. The service call is $85 and it is credited toward the repair.
Other questions
- Why will you not give a repair price over the phone?
- Is the $85 service call credited toward the repair?
- Is it worth repairing an appliance, or should I just buy a new one?
- My dishwasher has standing water at the bottom. What should I do before the technician comes?
- There is water on the floor under my washer. What do I check first?