8 Reasons Why the Fridge Is Not Cold but the Freezer Is

We’ve all been faced with the unpleasant surprise of opening up a warm fridge. If your fridge is not cold but the freezer is, there are a few possible culprits—several of which are easy to identify yourself. 

While the simplest solution is an overstuffed refrigerator, it’s more likely that your condenser coils just need cleaning. But if neither of these easy DIY solutions works, you could be looking at some faulty parts, such as a broken thermistor or evaporator fan. Let’s take a closer look at these potential issues and how to fix them.

1. Overstuffing

Imagine this: You're planning a big family celebration, and you've filled the fridge to its capacity. With so little room left, you have to squeeze single lemons into the tiniest gap between the champagne and the cheeseboard. When you go back to try to slide something out of the jam-packed food jigsaw puzzle, nothing's quite as cold as normal. Sound familiar? That's overstuffing.

By excessively filling your fridge, you block the flow of air needed to keep the fridge's internal temperature adequately cold. Thankfully, it’s not a sign your refrigerator is dying and is an easy fix that doesn't require professional help—unless you cause your fridge to work overtime and end up damaging a component in the process.

2. Thermostat Is Set Too High

If your refrigerator is warm but your freezer is cold, your refrigerator thermostat may be set too high. To keep food safe to eat, your refrigerator should be set at or below 40 degrees Fahrenheit, with the ideal temperature range between 35 and 38 degrees. 

With so many newer refrigerators having temperature control on the outside, it’s very possible that the temperature was accidentally changed. Checking the fridge’s temperature is an important first step in diagnosing why the fridge is not cold but the freezer is, and can ultimately save you time and money.  

3. Dirty Condenser Coils

Dirty condenser coils are a very common issue why your freezer works but the fridge is warm.

The condenser coils are directly responsible for the movement of warm air out of your fridge and cool air into it, and they can malfunction or stop working entirely if they get dirty. Unfortunately, this is a common issue because the coils are located on the back of the fridge right near the ground, so dust, dirt, and pet hair can accumulate on them and cause issues. Not sure how to clean refrigerator condenser coils? All you need to do is pull the fridge out from the wall and vacuum and clean the coils to see if that fixes your issue.

4. Failing Thermistor

Another common reason for your freezer working but fridge not cooling is a faulty thermistor. The thermistor monitors the internal refrigerator temperature of your refrigerator and any fluctuations that occur. When it detects the interior is below the preset temperature, it signals the compressor to activate and start cooling.

If the thermistor isn't working, the appliance has no way to monitor its own temperature, so the evaporator coils and fan may never switch on. If your food is warm and you rarely or never hear the compressor or fan working, try decreasing the temperature setting by two degrees. Within a few minutes, the thermistor should tell the compressor to start cooling. If it doesn't, you most likely have a faulty thermistor, which a local handyman can replace.

5. Broken Damper Control Assembly

The damper control assembly controls how much cold air passes from the freezer into the fridge. If this unit is blocked or damaged, it cannot efficiently pass enough air to the fridge to keep it adequately cool.  When there's a problem with the damper control assembly, air doesn't move properly between the freezer and the refrigerator, and you could end up with a cold freezer and a warm fridge.

You can check the damper control assembly by manually examining it. 

1. Make sure you don’t have food blocking it. 

2. Turn the fan on by decreasing the temperature on the thermistor. 

3. Cover the interior light switch so the fridge thinks the door is closed.

You should feel air coming out of the damper vents. If you don't, check the damper control door and make sure it opens and closes freely. Sometimes the door ices over, or little bits of insulation get stuck in there. If you've done all this and there's still no air coming through, it's likely your damper control assembly is faulty and needs replacement. 

6. Faulty Evaporator Fan

The evaporator fan pulls cold air into the evaporator coils, which is then distributed through the fridge and freezer. If the fan isn't working, this doesn't happen efficiently. The most common problem with the fan is its motor. 

A faulty evaporator fan motor is a more severe issue and is often the result of inefficiencies or faults in other parts of the appliance. In these circumstances, the evaporator fan motor has to work harder to compensate, increasing the likelihood of breakdown and shortening its life span.

Testing the evaporator fan is best left to a professional since it requires several complex steps. If you have to replace it, it'll cost between $100 to $150 to install, which is significantly less expensive than replacing your refrigerator. 

7. Defrost System Failure

The evaporator coils are where the air goes to cool down. If the coils are covered in frost, the air can't pass through efficiently and won't get adequately cool, resulting in a freezer working but the fridge not cooling. 

There are several reasons your evaporator coils could ice up. The most common is that the defrost heater assembly isn't working. If the heater is in good condition, the defrost thermostat could be faulty, so it doesn't signal to the heater when to engage. 

The culprit could also be the defrost timer, which controls the heating and cooling cycles. In the first part of the cycle, the timer supplies power to the cooling element. Then during the second part of the cycle, it switches to give power to the heating element. If the timer isn't advancing properly or gets stuck in cooling mode, the coils quickly ice over. Since the defrost system is a complicated piece of equipment, you should leave repairs and fridge maintenance to a professional for the best results.

8. Temperature Control Board

The temperature control board is located at the back of the fridge, adjacent to the compressor. It monitors temperature sensors, powers the compressor and fan motors that make the fridge cold and is in charge of the defrost cycle. If the board malfunctions, your fridge won’t be able to cool to the correct temperature. 

Test other fridge parts and components before assuming that the control board is failing. If you still can’t pinpoint the issue, you may need to hire a pro to diagnose the problem and replace your control board. Unfortunately, the control board is often the most expensive component to replace, so unless your fridge is newer, replacing your fridge rather than repairing it might make more sense.

Repairing a Fridge Yourself vs. Hiring a Pro

In many cases, you can troubleshoot the issue you’re having with your refrigerator not cooling and potentially save yourself a diagnostic fee. Repairing these issues, though, is more complicated and requires help from a refrigerator repair service near you. Professional fridge repairs cost around $250 on average.

If you find that the problem is dirty condenser coils or simply an overstuffed fridge, you should be able to handle the fix yourself. However, you should defer to a pro for anything more complicated, including damaged internal components or kinked refrigerant lines. More extensive repairs can quickly go wrong for inexperienced DIYers, and you could end up spending thousands on a new fridge rather than hundreds on a repair if you damage your appliance in the process.