Refrigerator diagnosis starts below. But first…
Are you a “gearhead?”
I tried to write this guide to help everyone, even beginners, who wants to try to fix their own refrigerator.
But of course, not everybody has the same skill set. Some people are VERY mechanically-savvy, And some have very few mechanical skills and little knowledge.
So please let me ask you a couple of quick questions, to separate the novices from the “gearheads…”
Do you know basically how a refrigerator operates?
Do you know the function of a compressor, condenser, evaporator, compressor fan, evaporator fan, defrost timer, defrost heater, and Freon®?
If you do, then click below to start diagnosing.
If you don’t know these things, you really need to. I wrote a little loop that explains how the important parts of a refrigerator work together to make your ice cream cold. It’s only seven short sections of pretty easy reading, with some cool illustrations.
Do you know how to use a Multimeter to test voltage, continuity and resistance? You might need to. If you don’t, there are instruction links on pages where you need to know.
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Diagnosis / Troubleshooting
First, let me clarify…
When I talk about the REFRIGERATOR, I am talking about the whole thing…the big box that sits in your kitchen (or garage, or wherever) and makes things cold.
When I talk about the FRIDGE, I am talking about the compartment inside your refrigerator that is NOT your freezer. It keeps food cold, but not frozen.
What are your
refrigerator’s symptoms?
Your freezer and/or fridge are not cold, or not as cold as usual, or not cold at all.
Your freezer is cold, but the fridge seems to be not as cold as usual, or maybe even is warming up like an oven.
There is frost build-up on the back or bottom of the freezer compartment
There is water or ice pooling on the floor of the freezer on the floor in front of the refrigerator
There is water dripping from the ceiling or down the back wall of the of the fridge compartment
Strange Noises
Strange Odors
An unusual and interesting problem…Red glow in the freezer!
There is sweat or condensation on outside surfaces of the refrigerator
The mullions (door frames inside the door) feel warm
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