Help My Fridge Runs Too Long or Constantly

Your fridge is a beacon of hard work, whatever else is happening your fridge is constantly running in the background isn’t it? Well actually it might not be a fridge whether it’s a single standing model or part of a fridge-freezer unit isn’t designed to run constantly.

But most people can’t tell when a fridge isn’t running, now of course if your fridge isn’t running for too long you’ll start to notice problems. But the very opposite is also true if your fridge is running constantly then problems can start to develop.

But unlike a fridge that won’t run at all finding the cause of this problem and fixing it is a lot more complex and difficult. That’s why it’s recommended you call in a professional repairman if you suspect your fridge has been running for too long.

A professional and experienced engineer will be able to do a more thorough check and deal with any more difficult and complex repairs. But we can still help you by showing you what some of the most common causes of this problem are and once you know the cause it will make any repair jobs a much quicker process.

Fan Motors

The most likely culprit for this problem is the fan motors in your fridge, it could be the condenser motor fan, the evaporator motor fan or in some cases both of them. The condenser fan expels heat while the evaporator fan circulates cool air around the fridge.

Both are essential for the smooth running of a fridge, but both can suffer faults, the fans can get damaged or something could be blocking them but in the majority of cases, it will be a problem with the fan’s motors.

This requires expert hands to check because a live-voltage test will usually be needed to test the motors. If the motors are the issue then they will need to be replaced, once that’s done your fridge should run normally again.

The Sealed System

The sealed system is the name given to a collection of components including the evaporator, condenser, compressor and any connective wiring/ tubing. This system can be affected by a number of different faults including cooling and heating issues or damaged wiring.

To check your fridge’s sealed system a professional Repair Aid fridge technicians will be required to do a service check of the machine. Depending on the nature of the fault the issue could be relatively easy to fix or it could be very time-consuming.

The Defrost Heater

A lot of the common issues that can cause a fridge to run for too long can be traced back to a defrosting issue. The defrost heater, for example, is a common cause for this problem, this will usually be due to a wiring issue or an issue with a faulty timer.

A professional repairman or technician will be able to check the wiring to see if your defrost heater is properly connected. If it is then the heater may simply be defective and need replacing or the problem could be because of the defrost timer.

The Defrost Timer

Like the defrost heater the defrost timer is another component that is usually to blame if your fridge is running for too long. The defrost timer as its name suggests starts the defrost cycle in your fridge but they can fall victim to a variety of different technical problems.

What makes this issue slightly more difficult to fix is the variety of defrost timer systems. General speaking these timers can be separated into two groups (although there is a lot of different types in those two groups) older machines will usually have a mechanical timer while more advanced machines will usually have an electronic one.

Whatever type of timer you have in your fridge will dictate how the repairman/ technician goes about diagnosing the fault and fixing the issue. The defrost timer controls and is connected to a lot of other areas of your fridge so it needs to repaired as quickly as possible.

Door Seals

Damaged door seals on a fridge are a relatively common sight, especially in older fridges. However, if the damage is overly serious then it can cause a lot of problems and can even make your fridge run too much.

Damaged seals can create an excess of moisture that will build-up and cause your fridge to not seal properly, this problem is particularly common on fridge-freezer combo units. Thankfully it’s a relatively simple problem to fix and repair as door seals can usually be replaced or if the damage is only minor it may be possible to repair them.