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Why is my fridge not cooling?

The single most useful fact: is the freezer still cold? Freezer-cold-fridge-warm is an air-distribution problem inside the machine. Both compartments warm is the cooling system itself. The two lists barely overlap.

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What it usually is

  1. Frost blocking the air path between compartments (freezer OK)

    Cold air is made at the freezer coil and blown to the fridge through a small channel. A failed defrost cycle grows a frost dam over the coil and vents — fridge warms while the freezer soldiers on.

  2. A dead evaporator fan (freezer OK)

    The fan that moves air across compartments fails audibly first — chirping or grinding from the freezer wall — then the fridge warms. Open-door silence where a fan should hum is the clue.

  3. Filthy condenser coils or a dead condenser fan (both warm)

    The coils under or behind the machine dump the heat; furred with dust they cannot, and the compressor runs hot, long and ineffectively. The most common both-compartments cause, and the most preventable.

  4. Compressor or sealed-system failure (both warm)

    A compressor clicking and refusing to run, or running constantly with feeble cooling on clean coils, is the machine’s core failing — the repair-vs-replace conversation.

What you can check yourself

Sort by the freezer question. Vacuum the condenser coils (grille off, breaker off) — do this regardless. Check vents inside for frost and food blocking airflow; a controlled 24-hour unplugged defrost with the doors open both tests and temporarily fixes a frost dam. Listen for the evaporator fan behind the freezer wall.

When it’s a job for a pro

Defrost components (heater, thermostat, control) and evaporator fans are standard repairs. Sealed-system work is specialist territory and on most fridges past ten years the quote answers the replace question for you.

Coil cleaning is $0 DIY; evaporator fan or defrost repairs typically run $200 to $400. Sealed-system repairs start around $400 and climb — get the age-adjusted advice before committing.

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