Why the refrigerator does not freeze: frequent malfunctions and solutions

It is always unpleasant when expensive equipment fails, especially as important as a refrigerator. Since this promises a lot of inconvenience, as well as financial losses.

Nevertheless, when the refrigerator does not freeze, then its owner should not indulge in sadness, because not in all cases such a phenomenon as a breakdown is difficult. In addition, often repairs can be performed by yourself, and quickly, which facilitates the situation.

Let's look at the main types of refrigerator breakdowns and how to fix them together.

The main types of malfunctions

Since all refrigerators have breakdowns typical, they have characteristic features. Therefore, not always, but in some cases, any person will be able to diagnose independently and promptly.

All that is needed is to know the main features of the faults. This will make it possible to make the most correct decision about what to do in the current situation: to carry out repairs on your own or to call a specialist and pay him money.

Even the main types of breakdowns in the refrigerator are many, but they are all typical, that is, they have characteristic features, which simplifies the task of detecting and eliminating them.

Faults can conditionally be divided into the following:

• simple - that is, they are easily solvable, even by the owner himself;
• complex - in this case, everything will end with the repair of the product by a specialist, who will have to be called without fail;
• hopeless - they are rare, but usually turn around buying a new unit.

Each of these categories includes a number of reasons, the ability to identify which contributes to the identification of damage, the adoption of appropriate measures and even its prevention. And this helps the owner to save time and money.

Category # 1 - Simple Damage Types

Minor troubles include a whole group of faults. If any of them is detected, then the user will be almost guaranteed to restore the working capacity of the refrigeration unit independently.

And in many situations it will take a matter of minutes. And this means that a person does not have to rack their brains on where to put the stored products, take other actions related to the breakdown.

When the owner reveals that the device does not freeze badly or does not produce cold at all, it is first necessary to inspect it in order to identify signs of damage

Symptoms of easily resolved problems are:

1. Inadequate cooling of products, and in some cases their spoilage.
2. The refrigerator refuses to freeze without visible signs of damage.
3. The fan does not work.
4. Constantly on compressor.
5. Wrong temperature setting.
6. The indicator does not light up, indicating the set mode.
7. Incorrect location.

Closure density of his door. If the product is not able to cool the products to the required temperature, then the owner should pay attention to the tightness of the closure of his door.

It often happens that the handle of a pan, third-party objects adhering to the seal, body, or something else interferes with covering it completely. As a result, the unit is not able to freeze, cool stored products.

All of the above indicates that after a careful examination, any person will be able to cope with the problem immediately after determining the cause that led to the abnormal work.

Seal wear. Often there is a more complex variety of this problem, which is the wear of the seal. But in this situation, getting out of the situation is quite simple.

Why do you need to measure the door around the perimeter and buy in the nearest hardware store the right gum. Even if it is non-specialized, the user can still quickly solve the problem, and then do a search suitable sealant.

Often, the causes of breakdowns are simple, which allows the owner to fix them on their own. For example, the photo shows the replacement of a worn seal

Skew door. In addition, when the refrigerator is not able to freeze or cool food, you need to pay attention to the position of the door. During operation, it often under the influence of its own weight or load changes its original position.

As a result, a skew of the door is created, which becomes unable to seal the interior of the refrigerator. This often happens with ordinary doors.

The solution is adjustment, which for most people will not cause difficulties. Even if there are no skills, desires and tools to do everything yourself, then calling the wizard to restore working capacity will cost a penny.

Temperature mode. In addition, a person needs to check the established temperature regime.

And you need to check and enable / disable special programs, which include quick freezing, defrosting. All this significantly affects the performance of any refrigerator.

What to do in such cases will tell the instructions attached to each unit. If it is lost, then the official Internet resource of the manufacturer or his representative will help, where everything is laid out.

To replace a worn seal, just buy a new set of such a consumable. The task is further simplified by the fact that the side that will be adjacent to the door is treated with special adhesive material

Temperature controller breakdown. When the indicator does not light at all, then a person should inspect the wire, plugs, their contacts, as well as the outlet to which the listed elements are connected. If there is no external damage, then check the voltage.

If there is no special equipment in the network, you can turn on any electrical appliance that indicates what is wrong: a power outlet, other elements of the electrical circuit, or the refrigerator itself.When everything is normal, then this may well indicate temperature controller breakdown.

When inspecting the refrigerator, you should always pay attention to the signals displayed by the display, warning lights. Since they often suggest the causes of the malfunction

Fan. When there are no signs of breakdown and the temperature inside the unit is insufficient, the fan should be checked for proper operation.

This device is designed to ensure the distribution of cold masses throughout the refrigerator. And when it does not work, then problems with freezing and cooling products will be unambiguous.

But this does not indicate a breakdown. Since the fan is often covered with a layer of ice and just freezes. This problem can be identified by the absence of characteristic noise that accompanies the operation of any fan.

You can fix the problem by regular defrosting, the duration of which should not be less than 10 hours.

This is guaranteed to allow the structural element to become operational again. If such a procedure did not help, then it can be considered failed.

It is necessary to identify a malfunction at its first signs. Since ignoring them will only aggravate the situation. For example, this happened with the engine, which is shown in the photo. It overheated due to lack of air for cooling, but the owners did not pay attention to it and as a result the unit burned down

Location of the refrigerator.The user should pay attention to the installation location of his refrigerator.

Its location under direct sunlight, next to any devices that emit heat, or just next to walls, furniture is considered unsuccessful and it is better for a person to eliminate such a defect.

Because all of the above leads to overheating and other consequences. To avoid this, you have to move the refrigerator at least 10 cm away from any other device, wall, and it also needs to be protected from the sun, especially summer.

If you ignore all of the above, then even in the absence of any external manifestations, the household appliance will have to withstand a large load, which leads to premature wear of its components.

Bad smell inside the chambers does not indicate a breakdown. The user should be aware of this fact.

This is the result of the vital activity of a large number of bacteria, and an outbreak of their reproduction usually occurs when the refrigerator is defrosted or simply not used. In this case, you can solve the problem with detergents.

The best ways to get rid of bad smell in the refrigerator can be found in this stuff.

The photo shows traces of coked oil. This was caused by overheating of the electric motor, which is a frequent cause of breakdown. And it can often be prevented

During the performance of any work, the owner of the refrigeration unit must observe safety measures and act on the principle of “do no harm”. That is, if there is no certainty, then it is better to invite a specialist, otherwise the situation can be aggravated.

Category # 2 - Complex Fault Options

If the user complied with the recommendations set forth in the previous paragraph, and it was not possible to find out why the refrigerator used by him does not freeze, then you will have to call the wizard.

Since the causes of failure are more complex and they are identified and eliminated only with special knowledge, skills and the necessary tools.

Their signs may be:

1. Long pauses in the operation of the electric motor at an insufficiently low temperature.
2. Incorrect operation of the temperature sensor.
3. Overheating of the electric motor.
4. Freon leak.
5. Abnormal compressor operation.
6. The unit does not work at all.
7. Broken heater. This applies only to No Frost units.

Thermal sensor failure. It often happens that the refrigerator, when properly selected, does not sufficiently freeze food. And the electric motor works in the usual mode, that is, with long pauses.

This situation indicates the transmission of incorrect signals by the temperature sensor to the control system. Sometimes it may be that the engine turns on and after a short time stops working.

Such cases indicate a breakdown of the temperature sensor, which should be replaced, and operability should be checked. Any master will be able to cope well with such work, and if desired, the user himself.

A frozen fan is a common cause of abnormal operation of the refrigerator. All that is needed to fix the malfunction is defrosting the unit. Even if it turns out that the fan is burned out, then most men will cope with the replacement

Overheating and breakdown of the electric motor. One of the common causes of poor-quality freezing of products is overheating of the electric motor.

In the described situation, it turns on normally and works for some time, even for a long time, but the cycle time is still not enough to perform the functions in full.

The reason for the shutdowns is that the protection system forcibly stops the operation of the electric motor, so the desired temperature is not maintained.

In this case, the owner needs to check whether there is free air access to the back wall, move the refrigerator itself no less than 10 cm from any surface - walls, furniture, other appliances.

If these manipulations did not help, then you will have to call a wizard who will perform the diagnosis. But if there are signs of overheating, you must be prepared to replace the electric motor.

And if the refrigerator is far from new, then to replace it, which will be the best solution.

The signal lamp together with the indicator of the selected mode may indicate that the program of work is selected by the user incorrectly. Therefore, you should check whether the button that activates defrosting, quick freezing

Overheating should not be confused with the short operating cycles of the refrigerator. In such cases, the electric motor turns on for a short 10-15 seconds.

After which a stop occurs, while freezing, in contrast to the previous case, is not performed at all. This feature indicates an unambiguous serious damage to the engine or compressor.

Failure of the same structural elements is indicated by unsuccessful attempts by the control system to turn on the unit. In this case, the owner can hear clicks of different volumes, beyond which the business does not move.

In addition, malfunctions of the control module, start-up relay, have the same symptoms. In all such situations, repairs are carried out by replacing the failed element.

Refrigerant leak and clogged cooling system - A common reason for the refrigerator to lose its functionality. If this happened, then freezing will be performed poorly, and with significant damage to the cooling system is not performed at all.

This may be indicated by the formation of ice on the back of the refrigerator. In addition, this also happens with a clogged cooling system, since the plugs do not allow freon to circulate.

Which of the two reasons prevents the refrigeration unit from fully functioning can only be called by the called master.

Modern refrigerators are controlled by electronics, so often failures occur. To eliminate such a malfunction, blackout helps, the duration of which should be from 15 minutes, and preferably not less than a few hours. If this does not work, then the master must deal with the consequences

But it is obvious that the leak is caused by leakage due to wear of the circuit elements along which the freon circulates, its mechanical damage.

For example, you can break something, trying to clean the inner surface of the refrigerator or freezer from any pollution, ice.

In most cases, this problem is eliminated by restoring the tightness of the circuit and Freon injection, which in some cases the master will be able to do on the spot.

In case of clogging, most often, the fault is the wrong actions of the owner, who saved on preventive maintenance or did not even know about their necessity.

A freon leak can be detected by the characteristic hiss and the formation of a large amount of foam, which can be found on the back of the refrigerator

Control module. When the unit refuses to turn on, this may indicate a malfunction of the control module.

But the diagnosis is better to start by checking the correct connection, the wiring, plugs. And often the cause of the problem can be oxidized contacts.

A blinking red light indicates the malfunction of the control module, and sometimes a corresponding sound signal. In this case, it is better to turn off the refrigeration unit for a while, and then turn it on again.

You can try to reduce the amount of food in the freezer and wait a few hours, since the indicated signals may indicate that the refrigerator has an impossible task.

But still you need to understand that in many cases you will have to call a specialist and change the control module.

TEN. All No Frost refrigerators are equipped with heaters, the failure of which will lead to freezing of the cooling radiator, followed by freezing of the fan.

Therefore, work in normal mode is not possible. The cause of the malfunction is always eliminated by replacing the heating elements.

Category # 3 - Hopeless Types of Problems

It is almost always possible to repair any household appliances. Since spare parts for all modern and not very models are in sufficient quantities.

But sometimes common sense indicates that it is better to buy a new unit than to spend money on expensive repairs.

Damage to the freon is caused by damage like the one shown in the photo. This is most often the result of improper use of the refrigerator by the owner

For example, this happens if the refrigerator is already 7-10 years old, and the elimination of the breakdown promises significant costs. The fact is that the indicated period is the average duration of operation of this type of equipment.

Therefore, the owner does not need to pay a quarter of the cost to replace a broken engine and wait several weeks for the delivery of the desired structural element. Since a new incident may follow.

Owner breakdown procedure

Violations of the operating rules, factory defects, early wear of one or several structural elements can lead to some malfunctions.

But since they are usually typical and some of them are easily identifiable, any person can do the same as the master. That is, to identify the cause, decide what to do next, and sometimes eliminate the defect.

Therefore, do not rush to call the master or think prematurely about what to do with frozen, perishable foods. First of all, you need to try to identify the problem yourself - it’s cheaper and faster.

The list of problems is impressive, but you should start the search with the simplest ones, and then move on to the more complex ones.

To do this, you need to perform an external inspection of the refrigerator. In its course, it should be checked whether the doors were closed, whether they ensure tightness, the state of the seal.

The photo shows the seemingly minor damage that the dishes caused, but immediately behind the panel there are tubes through which freon circulates. As a result, one careless movement led to the complete failure of the refrigerator

Next, you need to find out whether the operating mode is selected correctly, for which they use the instructions attached to the unit. And also you need to make sure the absence or presence of warning lights.

Then check the integrity of the structure, the absence of mechanical damage, the condition of the wiring, plugs, whether contacts are oxidized. Without fail, they find out if there is air access to the engine, measure the distance to the nearest surface.

If there is frost in the No Frost refrigerator, and at the same time it cannot freeze food, this means that the heating elements have malfunctioned, and then the fan has frozen

If the external inspection did not allow to identify the cause of poor-quality freezing of products, then the owner should pay attention to the sounds made by the engine with the compressor, the duration of the duty cycle, absence or presence of vibration.

A freon leak can be identified by the characteristic hissing sounds or the presence of a “snow cap” on the back surface of the unit.

When the cause of the problem is not found, you should de-energize your refrigerator for at least 10 hours.

Further, the unit is reconnected to the network, after which, during the observation, they reveal whether the signs of abnormal work have disappeared or continue to appear. By de-energizing, a number of problems are often “cured”, including electronics failures, fan freezing.

If during all these manipulations the user has not found out why he does not freeze or cool the equipment used, then only then you should call the wizard, who will continue to search for the reasons.

Conclusions and useful video on the topic

The video will help you understand how to identify and fix the thermostat breakdown yourself:

The following material will help to understand how to check the operability of the electric motor, the relay working with it in pair, as well as the intricacies of the thermostat adjustment:

The way in which the damage to the tubes intended for the circulation of freon can be eliminated is described in the last video:

Modern refrigerators are quite reliable units, but breakdowns still happen periodically. To reduce their likelihood, the owner must operate the equipment in accordance with the instructions.

And if nevertheless signs of abnormal work are revealed, then you should try to find out the reasons yourself. Since in many cases this will help to save money and prevent inconvenience caused by equipment breakdown.

If you had to deal with the repair of the refrigerator, please tell other visitors to the site what kind of breakdown you had to fix and how you managed to cope with the problem. Write your comments, share your experience, ask questions about the topic of the article - the communication block is located below.