The Ultimate Guide to Repairing Your Refrigerator like a Pro!

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Is your fridge making noise or cooling less? Wondering how to repair a refrigerator? In our repair guide, we cover every solution in the box.

A refrigerator is one of the most important appliances in your household as it stores and keeps your food fresh and cool the entire day. It is used to keep various food items cold or frozen and works 24 hours a day without any step which is why we often take it for granted and don’t pay much attention to its care and maintenance.

However, gone are the days when the refrigerator could only be repaired by a learned technician, nowadays anyone can learn how to repair their refrigerator if they know the root cause of the issue. There are many refrigerator problems that are quite simple and common and owners can easily troubleshoot them with the help of a few tools.

After troubleshooting the issue, the owner can also go ahead and fix it by replacing the damaged parts of their refrigerator and this guide will help you in doing exactly that. Here are a few common causes of refrigerator breakdown and methods to overcome it.

Common Problems in a Refrigerator

There are a few common problems in a refrigerator which are easy to troubleshoot and can be fixed if you find the exact root cause of those problems.

Leaking Refrigerator

One of the most common problems faced by refrigerator owners is a leaking refrigerator which can be identified by the water pooling on your floor. If you open your refrigerator then you would notice water pooling inside the fridge too which is a sure shot sign of leakage. This could be caused due to a few reasons like your door gasket is not fit properly or the defrost drain is clogged. It could also be because your drain pan is damaged but fixing these issues are easy so you don’t have to worry about it too much.

Refrigerator being noisy

Another common complaint made by refrigerator users is that their fridge makes too much noise when it is on. We all know that a refrigerator is likely to make soft noises like electrical hissing or ice clattering but if you notice a loud buzzing, whirring, or vibrating sound then this means that something is wrong with your refrigerator.

Usually, this happens because your refrigerator isn’t leveled properly because there is too much friction between the floor and the fridge bottom. Your fridge might also be making the buzzing noise because of the ice maker or the evaporator fan. Once you have determined the cause of your refrigerator’s noise, it is easy to fix the issue yourself or with the help of a technician.

Freezer is Not Cold enough

Is your fridge not cooling your food items anymore? Are your food products spoiling faster than they should? If yes, then it might be because your fridge is not properly cooling from inside. There could be several reasons behind this issue like incorrect fridge temperature settings, dirty condenser coils, loose door gaskets, and so on. So make sure that you identify the cause of this refrigerator problem and fix it quickly if you want to enjoy some fresh and cold food items.

Fridge is Too Cold

Although your refrigerator not being able to cool items is bad but cooling too much is equally bad. You should first take a look at the thermostat and adjust it but if you still face the issue then you might need to look at the refrigerator damper or you might need to replace your damaged/faulty thermostat.

How Do I Fix My Refrigerator

Once you have determined the issue with your refrigerator and figured out the cause of that issue, you can try to fix it so that your refrigerator starts working properly again. We have discussed below a few of the repairing tips for each of the above-mentioned problems so that you can enjoy a working refrigerator at home in no time at all.

If your refrigerator has water pooled on the floor then it means that you have a leaky refrigerator. Thankfully, fixing a leaky refrigerator isn’t a hard task and you can solve this problem by trying these simple fixes:

Check your Door Gasket

The first thing to check is your door gasket’s seal. If you have a damaged seal in your refrigerator then your door will allow warm air to enter the fridge and cool air to go out due to which the temperature of your fridge will increase and your fridge will have to work hard to maintain a cool atmosphere.

Due to this extra work, your cooling coils will get covered with the condensed build up which will ultimately result in dripping and water puddles. So check your rubber door gasket and if you see any build of the seal then scrub it hard with warm water. You can also apply a thin layer of petroleum jelly to the gasket to create a seal but if your seal is still damaged then you might need to get it replaced but in case your entire gasket needs changing check out the video guide below.

 

Take a look at the Drain Pan

The drain pipe carries the water to your drain pan where it is stored to avoid the water pooling inside the fridge but sometimes the pan can become old and cracked and end up leaking water on your floor. You can check your drain pan by removing the fridge’s kick pan and then following the drain line to your drain pan.

If your drain pan has some holes or cracks then you can simply get a new replacement pan for your kitchen and your leaky refrigerator problem will be resolved.

Check Out the Defrost Drain

Another common reason for a leaky refrigerator is a clogged defrost drain. A defrost drain is used to move the condensation out of your fridge and into the drain and sometimes the drain might get filled with buildup ice and debris, which can result in a water puddle at the bottom of your fridge.

To resolve this issue, you can simply pour warm water in your drain to flush out the blockage and can also use a baking soda and water solution to clear the build up inside the drain line.

 

Contact a Technician

If none of the above repair methods work then the problem is inside your refrigerator and the leakage can damage your refrigerator fan, motors, etc. so better to call a technician to fix your refrigerator.

How Do I Reduce the Refrigerator’s Noise?

As we have mentioned above that a noisy refrigerator might have many different reasons but if you know what is the issue then you can easily fix your refrigerator’s noisy behavior. Here are a few steps that you can follow to fix your refrigerator’s sound:

Check your refrigerator’s leveling

All the refrigerators have leveling legs which are used to keep the fridge in a fixed position but as years pass the fridge needs to be leveled again. You can use a wrench to turn the fridge’s leveling legs and ensure that it is turned at such an angle that the fridge door gets automatically closed when it is opened halfway.

Use a soundproof mat to place your refrigerator

There is another effective way to stop the refrigerator making a lot of sounds and that is by placing a soundproof mat right underneath your refrigerator. The mat will reduce the vibration of the fridge and is effective in situations when people below you complain about the refrigerator noise.

Adjust the refrigerator’s icemaker

A lot of times the refrigerator also makes a buzzing sound because the water is turned off so the ice maker is unable to make any ice. You can stop this by turning off the icemaker or turning on the water supply for the ice maker. Also, make sure that the water supply line is connected to the fridge and is not leaking.

Get your evaporator fan replaced

Sometimes the refrigerator makes a lot of noise because the evaporator fan’s rubber grommets are damaged and end up rattling with each other. However, you can simply replace the damaged grommets with fresh, new grommets that can be bought online. Start with unplugging your unit and then emptying your refrigerator of all the items and the shelves.

Then use a screwdriver to open the access door found at the back of the freezer and remove it. The evaporator fan distributes the air from the coils to maintain an even cool temperature and can be replaced now so that your refrigerator stops making the rattling noise.

Learn to troubleshoot the Evaporator Fan

 

How Do I Fix the Refrigerator’s Cooling

If you have trouble with your refrigerator’s cooling abilities and want to fix it yourself then just follow these steps:

Adjust the Refrigerator’s Temperature

One of the simplest and easiest ways to fix your refrigerator’s temperature is by adjusting the temperature setting. Sometimes thermostat is adjusted to a higher temperature which might not allow your refrigerator to cool so just lower the thermostat.

Check the Door Gasket

A lot of times a loose seal is the reason for the refrigerator not cooling properly but this can be fixed by cleaning the door gasket’s seal or by applying a thin layer of petroleum jelly on it. If it still doesn’t work then just replace the damaged seals.

Look for Blockage

Sometimes a few food items could be blocking the flow of the cool air in your refrigerator so just try moving those items away from the back.

Wash the Condenser Coils

Dirty condenser coils are one of the most common reasons why your refrigerator is not cooling your food items properly. If there is build up on your condenser coil then your unit’s cooling ability is severely damaged. If you have pets or a lot of people who use the refrigerator then you should clean the condenser coils every few months. To do this, you would first need to move the refrigerator away from the wall and then unplug it.

Then remove the grille and use a household vacuum cleaner with a long thin attachment to clean beneath. Vacuum gently around the coils and don’t be too vigorous with is as you might risk snapping the coil. Condenser coils are expensive and need a professional to install them, so be really careful when cleaning them. Below’s an easy peasy way to clean those dirty mucky condenser coils.

 

Fill your Refrigerator

One thing to remember is that refrigerators that are low on food items often don’t cool as well as a refrigerator which is filled with food items. So try filling your refrigerator and your freezer with more food items so that your fridge’s cooling starts working properly.

Why is My Refrigerator over-cooling?

If your refrigerator is providing too much cooling then you can take the following steps to get this issue fixed:

Check the refrigerator’s damper

Sometimes the refrigerator’s damper gets stuck in place due to which cold air continually passes into the fridge compartment and can cause excess cooling. You can adjust the damper with the help of the thermostat and can adjust the cooling.

Replace the Refrigerator’s Thermostat

However, if your thermostat is broken then you might need to replace it before you can adjust your refrigerator’s cooling. It is quite easy to replace the damaged thermostat, you can easily find a new replacement online.

For replacing the thermostat, you would first need to unplug your refrigerator and then open your fridge’s cooling compartment. With the help of a Phillips head screwdriver, you can remove the cooling compartment’s cover and also remove the plastic control assembly cover.

Then lift the cover gently as it will be attached with wires to the fridge and you will find the thermostat beneath it. Take a picture of the wire connections so that you can replicate it later on and pull out the wires straight and remove the tube. Install your new thermostat and connect the wires back to the fridge, attach the capillary tube and reassemble the covers. You will now be able to adjust the temperature of your fridge with the help of the new thermostat.

Replacing the thermostat like a pro