Fridge problems
Fridge Not Cooling? Here Is What Is Usually Wrong
A fridge that hums away but will not keep the milk cold is the most common problem we are called to in Harare. It is also the most misdiagnosed. Most of these fridges do not need gas. They need the right fault found. Harare Fridge Repairs comes to your home, finds the real cause and repairs it, 24 hours a day.
- Frost free fridges: iced evaporator, failed fan or defrost system
- Older fridges: thermostat, relay or door gasket
- Gas leaks and weak compressors confirmed with gauges, not guessed
- Repaired at your address, anywhere in Harare
- Fridges and freezers only, nothing else
- Mobile across Harare, no need to transport the unit
- Open 24 hours, 7 days a week
- Price agreed before any work starts
Why is my fridge not cooling?
When a fridge stops cooling the symptom is the same whatever the cause: the compressor may be running, the light works, but the temperature inside creeps up. What has actually failed depends a great deal on the kind of fridge. A frost free fridge with a fan fails differently from an old manual defrost fridge, and a fridge that went warm overnight has a different fault from one that has been getting slowly worse for a month.
In Harare the most frequent cause on frost free fridges is an evaporator buried in ice because the defrost heater, timer, sensor or bimetal has failed. The fan is still trying to blow, but there is no air path, so the freezer may still feel cold while the fridge section is warm. On older fridges the usual causes are a thermostat that has stopped calling for cooling, a start relay that is not letting the compressor run, or a gasket so tired that warm air pours in faster than the fridge can cool it.
A genuine refrigerant leak or a compressor that has stopped pumping is the cause in a minority of cases, and both are confirmed with gauges and a clamp meter before any work is recommended. That is the difference between a repair that lasts and a regas that fails in three weeks.
Common causes of a fridge not cooling
These are the faults behind this symptom, roughly in the order we find them in Harare.
- 1
Evaporator iced over
The defrost heater, timer, sensor or bimetal has failed on a frost free fridge. Ice blocks the airflow, the fridge section warms while the freezer stays cold.
- 2
Evaporator fan failed
No fan, no cold air moving from the freezer to the fridge. Often noisy before it stops, and the noise may stop when the door opens.
- 3
Thermostat or sensor fault
The control is not telling the compressor to run, or is reading the wrong temperature. Common after power surges on electronic fridges.
- 4
Start relay or overload
The compressor hums and clicks but never starts. Relays and overloads wear out quickly with Harare's load shedding restarts.
- 5
Door gasket or alignment
A hardened, torn or misaligned gasket lets warm air in constantly. The fridge runs all day and never catches up.
- 6
Blocked condenser
Dust on the condenser coils behind or under the fridge stops it shedding heat, so it cools poorly and the compressor overheats.
- 7
Refrigerant leak
Cooling fades over weeks, the compressor runs hot and non stop, and only a patch of the evaporator frosts. Needs leak repair, vacuum and recharge.
- 8
Compressor not pumping
The compressor runs quietly but no longer builds pressure. Confirmed with gauges; no amount of gas will help.
Quick checks before you call
None of these need tools, and the answers help us arrive with the right parts.
- Is the fridge plugged in firmly, the wall switch on, and the earth leakage not tripped? Try another appliance in the socket.
- Is the thermostat dial set to a sensible position, not turned to off or minimum by accident?
- Can you hear the compressor running, or a hum and click every minute?
- Is there a thick sheet of ice on the back wall of the freezer section?
- Is the fridge pushed hard against the wall with no space for air behind it?
- Does the door close flat, and does a strip of paper pull out easily when closed in the gasket?
Please do not
Things that make it worse
Do not pay for regassing until a technician has measured the pressures and confirmed a leak.
Do not chip ice off the evaporator with a knife or screwdriver. A pierced evaporator is an expensive repair.
Do not keep restarting a fridge that trips the power; switch it off and call.
How we fix it
The services that deal with this problem, each explained on its own page.
FAQ
Fridge not cooling: your questions answered
My fridge is not cooling but the freezer works. What is wrong?+
On a frost free fridge this is almost always an iced evaporator from a failed defrost system, or a failed fan or damper. The freezer is where the cold is made, so it stays cold while nothing reaches the fridge. It is repairable on site and does not need gas.
Does a fridge that is not cooling need regassing?+
Usually not. Regassing only helps if there is a leak, and a leak is the cause in a minority of cases. We measure pressures and temperatures before recommending it, and if there is a leak we repair it first so the gas stays in.
How quickly can you fix a fridge that is not cooling?+
We work 24 hours a day across Harare and most of these faults are repaired in one visit from parts on the vehicle. Call with your suburb and we will give you an arrival time.
Is my food safe while I wait?+
Keep the door closed and the food will stay cooler for longer. Meat and dairy that have been above 5 degrees for several hours should be treated with caution. A full freezer holds its temperature for many hours if left shut.
Fridge not cooling? We can be there today.
Call 0782 886 252 or WhatsApp a photo of the fault with your suburb. Harare Fridge Repairs attends homes and businesses across Harare, 24 hours a day.