Help My Fridge Is Too Cold

A fridge is a useful appliance that I personally think no household can do without, but a fridge is not a freezer. All too often people confuse these two admittedly similar appliances and the end result is guaranteed to be a bit messy.

Fridges and freezers do similar jobs, but they are very different and while they can often be joined together in fridge-freezer combo units it’s important that anyone with one knows when to spot that their fridge is getting too cold.

We’ve talked previously about the dangers of a fridge that’s too warm but that’s a problem that is usually very easy to spot. Whereas spotting a fridge that is too cold becomes a more difficult challenge after all a fridge is supposed to be cold isn’t it?

But like I said cool isn’t the same as cold, so if your fridge starts to feel more like your freezer then you have a problem. Like always I’d recommend calling in an experienced fridge repair engineer, but we can still help you identify the problem and if it’s easy to fix then you be able to handle it on your own.

But if you want to be safe calling in an experienced repairman is always going to be a good idea. So, let’s see what could be causing your fridge to act more like a freezer shall we?

Temperature Sensors/ Thermistors

More modern fridges and fridge-freezers will often feature electric controls and as such the vast majority of them will also feature either a temperature sensor or thermistor. These are slightly different devices but they both carry out the same job, they work with the control boards of your fridge to help it turn on the compressor and fan circuits.

You’re beginning to see why they are so important, aren’t you? If either the thermistor or sensor in your fridge is damaged or defective, then it will usually send incorrect information to your control boards. This will often result in colder temperatures for your fridge but due to the complexity of the problem, you’ll need to call an expert in.

If you have a very advanced fridge then you may see an error code displayed on your fridge, but this is a feature exclusive to only very high-end appliances. Thankfully in the majority of cases a professional will be able to carry our tests quickly and repairing or replacing these components is usually a simple process.

Freeze Controls

In fridge-freezer combo units you can sometimes experience problems with the freeze controls, this controls how each area of the appliance is cooled. It can easily maintain the temperature in one section while making the other too hot or too cold. So, if you have a fridge-freezer and are experiencing problems with your fridge then this could be the problem.

So, what do you need to do to fix it? Sometimes it can be as simple as turning a dial but more often than not it will usually be an issue with the controls themselves. They may have become defective or there could be a wiring issue. For problems like that you’ll need to call in a professional repairman, so they can test the freeze controls for you.

The Circulation Fan

The trusty spinning of the circulation fan is a sound we all know well but even if you still hear it spinning there still could be a problem with it. Your fridge’s circulation fan is what helps circulate cool air in the fridge and if it doesn’t work properly then you can be sure of problems down the line.

A fridge that suddenly gets a lot colder is just one of the potential problems but it’s also one of the most common. So, if you have a fridge that is suddenly getting a lot colder then you should check the fan.

This can be very dangerous and complicated so call in a professional engineer to handle these checks for you. If the fan is damaged or defective, then it will usually be best to get it replaced as repairs may not last long. This issue is more common in older fridges, but it can still happen on newer models as well.

So, that’s a look at some of the most common causes of a fridge suddenly getting too cold. It might not be a common issue, but it can happen and it’s not always an easy problem to solve. Many people probably don’t even realise for a while that their fridge is too cold, but once you do you need to act fast.