3 Reasons Why Your Refrigerator Is Not Maintaining a Sufficient Temperature

Have you noticed you’re constantly throwing away food that has gone bad earlier than you anticipated? If your answer is yes, you may want to question whether your refrigerator is maintaining a cool enough temperature. Listed below are three common reasons why the temperature in your appliance is continuously fluctuating and forcing you to waste food and money.

Door Seal

The rubber piece that seals your refrigerator’s door plays an important role in keeping warm air from entering your appliance. If the seal is not airtight, your appliance may fail at sustaining a proper temperature. Running a simple test can tell you whether or not your refrigerator is adequately sealed. Close the refrigerator’s door while holding a piece of paper in between the seal and the appliance. Once the door is closed, try to pull the piece of paper out. Feeling tension when you tug on the paper, means the seal is working. However, before reaching any conclusions, you must perform the test around the entire door. If there are any areas where there is a lack of tension, try cleaning the spot and then retest the area. When cleaning does not work it is best to replace the rubber piece to ensure your refrigerator is able to maintain a steady temperature.

Door Switch

The door switch on your refrigerator tells the light in your appliance when to turn on and off, and in some refrigerators it’s also a signal for the evaporator fan to resume operating. When the switch is faulty, it will not activate either of these functions. In cases where the switch only controls the refrigerator’s light, a failure to turn off the bulb can cause the temperature in your appliance to rise. When the evaporator fan is regulated by a defective door switch, it can become inactive, resulting in your appliance’s inability to circulate cool air. Before calling a refrigerator appliance repair company, make sure the appliance’s door is correctly aligned, if the alignment is not the problem, the door switch will need to be replaced.

Inadequate Airflow

When your appliance refuses to stay cold, restricted airflow is a likely culprit. The cold air entering your refrigerator is dispensed through vents located between the refrigerator and freezer. These vents may become obstructed, due to ice build-up or other forms of debris. A common mistake that reduces your appliance’s airflow is over packing it with food, fortunately this is an easy fix. Simply removing a few objects and waiting to see if the temperature in your refrigerator cools down will tell you whether the problem is solved.

If over packing is not the issue, you will need to inspect the vents for further obstructions. An accumulation of ice on and around the vents can cause a clog, melting the ice should clear the vents and allow the air to circulate properly. In cases where neither of these actions resolves the malfunction, it may be time to call your local appliance repair company.

If your refrigerator continues to malfunction, please contact us today, and we’ll send one of our trusted technicians to diagnose and repair your appliance.