I can't afford a new fridge right now, and I probably won't be able to for a while. But the fact that the freezer is still working gives me some hope that whatever went wrong is simple enough to fix on my own. Are there any repositories on the internet where I might find a guide or a checklist on diagnosing the problem?
EDIT: Thanks so much for all of the help. Unplugging the it and letting it defrost for a couple of hours actually did the trick. It's now getting cool again.
Some refrigerators function by having the chilled air tumble down from the freezer compartment into the main compartment, so simply leaving it unplugged for a night to let it thaw will open up that passageway (and dump a lot if water if there is a lot of ice build up, so put it outside or put down a lot of towels.)
If it’s not just frost blocking cold air from moving around, it’s likely worth it to clean the radiator on the back of the fridge with a stiff brush.
Frankly, if it does have any frost built up in the freezer, it’s absolutely worth letting it thaw for at least one night. And since most fridge only have one compressor (in my experience with exclusively very cheap units), chances are your fridge still works fine.
Some refrigerators function by having the chilled air tumble down from the freezer compartment into the main compartment
My freezer is below the fridge, does that advice still apply?
And yeah, next I'm going to check if any of the internals are covered in dust and or ice. Hopefully that's what's wrong with it.
For what it’s worth I was going through the same thing as you and unplugging for around 30 hours did the trick. If your freezer feeds the cold air into the fridge then try to make sure there’s not stuff right up against the venting area in the freezer
Thanks very much for the advice. After letting it defrost for just a few hours the fridge is now getting cool again.
Are any foods in the fridge blocking the air vent? I've had this problem before.
I don't think so, but I've moved stuff around just in case. It's not packed very full.
As other peeps have mentioned. basically all fridges only make the freezer cold and then cold air from the freezer is used to cool the fridge. If your freezer is good the fridge still works there's just a problem with moving the air around.
Op mentioned bottom freezer so there might be a little fan somewhere to move air up, but most likely failure is just ice buildup or something blocking the cold air from moving.
so there might be a little fan
Is this the only thing in the fridge that might make noise? I hear something going on inside that I imagine might be the fan.
Move it out enough to see the back. Older ones will often have the schematic glued to the back or in a pouch and if your lucky there might be a ladder logic diagram or brief explanation of operating flow chart. Either one makes trouble shooting a lot easier. Also searching the brand/part #/model on one of the appliance part sites usually gives and exploded view and will tell you if there is separate compressor units and fans( high end), one compressor and two fans or just one compressor and fan like the top freezer models. Decent fridge thermometer helps I got a good one specifically for fridge/freezer made by Taylor . Proper fridge temp is supposed to be about 40F.
Youtube! After 10-20 hours and several failed attempts, with $20-50 worth of tools and supplies, you'll have a working fridge. Probably.
