How to repair a refrigerator

Published On: September 5, 20145 Comments on How to repair a refrigeratorTags: Last Updated: February 13, 20241.6 min read

Refrigerator is an integral part of every home and problems with the refrigerator need urgent response. The last thing you want is a pile of smelly things which spoiled because you didn’t know how to fix the problem. Professionals are often too expensive and you have to wait for them too. All the refrigerators have similar parts because the system of cooling is the same. In this article we will point out the most common problems which lead to refrigerator malfunction. Most of them you will be able to detect and repair yourself after reading the article and watching the video.

The most common problems are dirty condenser coils (they have to be cleaned every six months), faulty evaporator fan motor (refrigerators usually have one evaporator fan motor but some bigger model have two or three motors), faulty condenser fan motor (this is the motor on the back side of the refrigerator), faulty start relay (it powers up the compressor), faulty temperature control thermostat (if everything is running but the refrigerator is not cold enough it is probably the thermostat), faulty start capacitor (it gives boost to the compressor), faulty thermistor (it monitors the air temperature), faulty temperature control board (not so common but it happens), defective compressor (not common but expensive, check everything else first) and defective main control board (that almost never happens but it may be due to the manufacturer error).

In the video below you can see where all the parts are located, what they look like and how to fix most common problems when your refrigerator is not working.

Required tools: 1. Waterproof utility gloves; 2. Screwdriver; 3. Screwdriver tester and 4. Electrical multimeter

In the video below we’ll show you how to easily fix the refrigerator that is not cooling properly.

Video source: applianceassistant

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Leave A Comment

  1. Jim Handy man July 6, 2022 at 7:55 pm

    I truly appreciate your hardworking on this blog. Really thank you! Awesome.

  2. asappliances August 9, 2021 at 1:17 pm

    Awesome information! Such a wonderful reference! Thanks for all the hard work you have obviously put into this!

  3. handyman Dima December 15, 2016 at 4:01 pm

    In my humble opinion a lousy initial installation is also a reason worthy of consideration. While water freezing where it’s not supposed to, I would still highly advice a proper maintenance check whenever your refrigerator has its first set of repairs. Just a penny here.

  4. Handyman Tips March 3, 2015 at 11:32 am

    Hi, Bobby!

    It is hard to tell what is the problem with your water dispenser from what you described but we will list the usual suspects for you to check!
    1. you said that you changed the water filter so that probably isn’t the issue
    2. check the water supply line to the fridge and check is the valve opened completely
    3. frozen water tank (that is a common problem) – if it is frozen then lower the settings for meat freezer; you can also try filling the fresh foof section if it is empty
    4. frozen supply hose in the fridge (that is most common issue) – the reasons may be the same as with the water tank and another suspect is the cracked or slightly opened ice dispenser inside the fridge which can also cause the water line to freeze!

    Try to inspect every of listed reasons and let us know if you found the problem! We hope that the answer helped you!

  5. bobby March 2, 2015 at 5:23 pm

    How do you fix the waterline? My fridge stopped dispensing water, but the ice maker still works. A couple of times I unplugged the fridge for about 3 to 4 hours and the water started working again for a few days then stops. I even replaced the water filter, but still no go.

    Thanks,
    Bobby