Your fridge suddenly stopped cooling? It could be a power issue, dirty coils, a failed compressor, or a broken defrost system. Learn the top 5 causes and what to do next to fix it or decide whether to replace it.
Fridge Not Working? Common Causes and How to Fix It
When your fridge not working, a household appliance designed to keep food cold and fresh by maintaining a low internal temperature. Also known as a refrigerator, it’s one of the most relied-on devices in your home—until it stops cooling. Suddenly, your milk warms up, veggies go slimy, and you’re staring at a silent, humming box that’s doing nothing but eating electricity.
A refrigerator, a cooling appliance that uses a refrigerant and compressor to remove heat from its interior. doesn’t just break randomly. It gives signs. If the inside is warm but the light still turns on, the issue isn’t power—it’s cooling. A refrigerator repair, the process of diagnosing and fixing mechanical or electrical faults in a refrigerator to restore cooling function. often starts with checking the simplest things: Is the door seal cracked? Is the condenser coil covered in dust? Is the thermostat turned up too high? These aren’t just guesses—they’re the top three reasons most fridges stop working properly.
Some problems are easy to spot. If you hear a loud click and then silence, the compressor might be dead. If frost builds up on the back wall, the defrost timer or heater could be broken. If water pools under the fridge, it’s likely a clogged drain tube, not a leaky tank. You don’t need a degree to check these. A vacuum, a flashlight, and ten minutes can save you a service call. But if you’ve tried the basics and it’s still not cold, you’re probably looking at a faulty evaporator fan, a failing start relay, or a refrigerant leak—each needing a trained technician.
Age matters too. Most fridges last 10 to 15 years. If yours is older and the repair cost hits half the price of a new one, it’s not a repair—it’s a band-aid. New models use less power, cool faster, and come with better warranties. But if your fridge is under 8 years old and just acting up, fixing it often makes sense. Local experts in South Shields see this every week: a fridge that’s been neglected, then suddenly fails. They fix it fast—often the same day—without overcharging.
What you’ll find below are real, step-by-step guides from people who’ve been there. From how to test the thermostat with a multimeter to what that strange buzzing noise actually means, these posts cut through the noise. No fluff. No theory. Just what works when your fridge isn’t working—and what to do next.