How your fridge keeps food cold
A refrigerator does not make cold. It moves heat out. A pump called the compressor pushes refrigerant (a cooling fluid) through coils. Fans blow air over those coils and into the food sections. A thermostat or control board tells everything when to run.
When one of those parts slows down or stops, the fridge warms up. Sometimes it happens all at once. More often it creeps up over a few days.
Common refrigerator problems we fix
- Fridge warm, freezer still cold. Often a stuck evaporator fan (the fan inside the freezer) or frost blocking the air path between the two sections.
- Both sections warm. Dirty condenser coils, a failed condenser fan, a bad start relay, or a compressor problem.
- Water on the floor or under the crisper drawers. Usually a clogged defrost drain or a leaking water line to the ice maker or dispenser.
- Frost or ice building up inside. A worn door gasket (the rubber seal) or a defrost part that has stopped working.
- Loud clicking, buzzing or rattling. A worn fan motor, a relay trying to start the compressor, or something touching a fan blade.
Safe checks before you call
You can rule out a few simple things first. If anything looks burnt or smells hot, stop and call us.
- Make sure the fridge is plugged in and the breaker has not tripped.
- Check that the temperature setting was not bumped. Some models also have a demo or "cooling off" mode that shows a code but does not cool.
- Close each door firmly and look for food or drawers keeping it open.
- Run your hand along the door seal. Gaps, tears or a loose seal let warm air in.
- Make sure vents inside the fridge and freezer are not blocked by food.
Please don't try to add refrigerant or open sealed parts. That work needs special tools and training.
What happens at the visit
We tell you the visit price on the phone before we come. At your home, we check temperatures, listen to the fans and compressor, and test the parts that control cooling and defrost. Then we explain what failed in plain words.
You get an upfront quote before any work starts. If you approve it, we do the repair, and our repairs come with a warranty. If the fix does not make sense for your fridge, we will say so.
Repair or replace?
A repair often makes sense when the problem is a fan, a gasket, a defrost part, a water valve or a control board. Those parts can bring a fridge back to normal.
Replacing may be smarter when the sealed system (the compressor and refrigerant lines) has failed on an older unit, or when the cabinet is rusting through. We give you honest guidance. The choice is always yours.
Heat, humidity and storms in Florida
Our humid air puts extra work on a fridge. Whirlpool notes that humid room air causes moisture to build, especially when the doors are opened often. A little sweating is normal in muggy weather. Heavy beads of water on the outside, though, can point to a poor gasket seal.
Hurricane season brings power outages. The USDA says a closed fridge keeps food cold for about 4 hours. A full freezer holds about 2 days, and a half-full one about 1 day.
Keep an appliance thermometer in both sections. Fridge food should stay at 40 °F or lower and the freezer at 0 °F or lower. UF/IFAS suggests surge protectors or unplugging items to protect them during storms. If your fridge acts strange after the power comes back, give us a call.
Brands we work on
We repair Samsung, LG, Whirlpool, GE, Frigidaire, Maytag, KitchenAid and Bosch refrigerators. We also service built-in units from Sub-Zero and Viking. You can read more on our Samsung and Sub-Zero pages.
Fridge repair near you
We come to homes within about 20 miles of Land O' Lakes. See local details for Land O' Lakes, Lutz and Odessa. If the problem is only the ice, see our ice maker repair page.