{
  "title": "Fridge Stopped Cooling — Who Do I Call?",
  "description": "Fridge not cooling? Call an appliance repair tech, not a plumber or HVAC. Four free checks to run first, the food-safety clock, and repair-vs-replace math.",
  "category": "appliance",
  "vertical": "appliance",
  "tldr": "Call an appliance repair technician — not a plumber or an HVAC company — but run four free checks first: condenser coils clogged, inside vents blocked, door seal not closing, thermostat knocked off setting. Keep the doors shut meanwhile. Once food has been above 40 °F for more than two hours, the FDA says throw it out.",
  "who_to_call": [
    {
      "who": "Appliance repair technician",
      "when": "The unit runs but won't get cold, or won't run at all, and your four checks came back clean",
      "not_for": "The fridge is over about 12 years old and the quote is for a compressor or sealed system — price a replacement first"
    },
    {
      "who": "The manufacturer's service line",
      "when": "The unit is under warranty, or it's a sealed-system fault on a fridge under 5 years old — sealed systems often carry a longer warranty than the rest of the appliance",
      "not_for": "It's out of warranty; an independent technician is usually faster and cheaper"
    },
    {
      "who": "Your home warranty provider",
      "when": "You have a policy — call them before you book anyone, or they may refuse the claim",
      "not_for": "No policy; skip straight to an independent technician"
    },
    {
      "who": "An electrician",
      "when": "The outlet is dead, the breaker trips repeatedly, or nothing else on that circuit works",
      "not_for": "The fridge has power, lights work, and it just isn't cooling"
    },
    {
      "who": "Nobody — do this yourself",
      "when": "Dirty condenser coils, a blocked vent, a torn or dirty door gasket, or a temperature dial that got bumped. These are the four most common causes and all are free to check",
      "not_for": null
    },
    {
      "who": "A plumber",
      "when": "Only for the water supply on the wall side of the shut-off valve — the pipe, the valve, or a leaking saddle valve. Not for cooling",
      "not_for": "The fridge isn't getting cold — that's appliance repair, and a plumber will decline it"
    },
    {
      "who": "An HVAC company",
      "when": "Neither. A fridge is a sealed refrigeration appliance; the trade you want is appliance repair",
      "not_for": null
    }
  ],
  "body_markdown": "## Before you call anyone\n\nTwo things at once: **stop opening the doors**, and run these four checks. A meaningful share of \"my fridge died\" calls end with a technician charging a service call to vacuum some dust.\n\n1. **Condenser coils.** Unplug the unit, pull it out or open the bottom grille, and look at the black coil grid. If it's furred with dust or pet hair, that's very likely your answer. Vacuum it, plug back in, and give it a few hours.\n2. **Interior vents.** On most fridges, cold air is manufactured in the freezer and ducted into the fridge compartment. If a box of leftovers is jammed against that vent, or it has iced over, the fridge goes warm while the freezer stays fine. Clear it.\n3. **Door seal.** Close the door on a dollar bill. If it slides out with no resistance, the gasket isn't sealing. Check the whole perimeter. A dirty gasket often just needs warm soapy water; a torn one needs replacing.\n4. **Temperature setting.** Dials get knocked during cleaning, and a defrost or \"power saver\" mode can get switched on by accident. Confirm it's set where you think it is.\n\nAlso confirm the obvious: the light comes on, the outlet is live, and the breaker hasn't tripped.\n\n## The food safety clock, in numbers\n\nKeep the doors closed. Every opening costs you time.\n\nThe FDA's threshold is **40 °F**, and the rule is straightforward: *\"If the fridge is still at or below 40 °F, or the food has been above 40 °F for only 2 hours or less, it should be safe to eat.\"*\n\nFor the freezer: *\"Frozen food that still has ice crystals or is at 40 °F or below can be safely refrozen or cooked.\"*\n\nAnd the sentence that decides most of these situations: *\"If you're unsure how long the temperature has been at or above 40 °F, don't take a chance. Throw the food out.\"*\n\nDo not use smell as your test. The FDA is explicit that food can make you very sick even when it doesn't look, smell, or taste spoiled — because the bacteria that cause illness are not the ones that cause spoilage.\n\nPractically: put a thermometer inside now so you know where you stand, move meat, dairy, and leftovers to a cooler with ice, and let condiments, hard cheeses, and unopened shelf-stable items take their chances.\n\n## Who to call, and who not to\n\nThe trade is **appliance repair**. Not a plumber, not an HVAC company, not a general handyman — a sealed refrigeration circuit needs EPA-certified refrigerant handling and appliance-specific parts.\n\nThree exceptions worth checking before you book:\n\n- **Under manufacturer warranty?** Call them. Sealed-system components often carry a longer warranty than the rest of the appliance, sometimes five or ten years, even when the general warranty expired.\n- **Home warranty policy?** Call the policy first. Most require you to use their contractor, and calling your own voids the claim.\n- **Dead outlet or tripping breaker?** That's an electrician, not an appliance tech.\n\nBefore you book, do the thirty-second version of that last one: **plug a lamp into the fridge's outlet.** Dead means look for a tripped GFCI or breaker, and if a reset doesn't hold, you want an electrician. Live means the fault is the appliance. Kitchen fridges plugged into GFCI-protected circuits nuisance-trip more often than people expect, and an appliance technician will charge you a full diagnostic to tell you the socket is dead.\n\nExpect a **diagnostic service call of $70 to $120**, per Fixr, usually credited against the repair if you go ahead.\n\n## When the trades bounce you between each other\n\nThere is a specific loop people fall into with fridges: you call a plumber who tells you to call an appliance tech, then call an appliance tech who tells you to call a plumber. Neither of them is being difficult. A refrigerator sits on the boundary between two trades — the same trap that has people [calling a plumber for a dishwasher or an electrician for a dryer](/appliance/dishwasher-or-dryer-repair/) when the answer is an appliance tech — and \"my fridge is broken\" or \"my fridge is leaking\" does not say which side of the boundary you are on.\n\nThe boundary is the **water shut-off valve** — the one in the wall behind the fridge, or under the adjacent sink:\n\n- **Wall side of that valve** — the supply pipe, the valve itself, a leaking or corroded saddle valve tapped into a copper line, water pooling at the wall rather than under the appliance → **plumber.**\n- **The quarter-inch line running from the valve to the fridge** → grey area, and in practice most appliance technicians will replace it as part of the job. Mention it when you book.\n- **Fridge side of the connection** — the inlet valve, the water filter housing, the ice maker, the drain pan, a blocked defrost drain leaking onto the floor → **appliance repair.**\n- **The outlet, the breaker, the GFCI** → **electrician.**\n- **Cooling itself** — compressor, evaporator, fans, sealed system, control board → **appliance repair, always.** No plumber or HVAC company will touch it, and you should not want them to.\n\nThis is the single most-quoted version of the site's founding complaint, and it repeats across trades — water heaters, dead animals, foundation cracks, roof-adjacent electrical. [Every trade says it's not their job](/home/nobody-will-take-the-job/) collects the rest of them, with the script that ends each loop.\n\nThe fix for the loop is to describe the physical location and let them route themselves. \"The fridge is warm, the freezer is fine, and I can't hear a fan running\" gets an appliance technician who accepts the job. \"Water is coming from the copper line at the shut-off valve in the wall, before it reaches the fridge\" gets a plumber who accepts the job. The same problem described as \"my fridge has a fault\" gets you a phone call telling you to try someone else.\n\n## Sanity-checking the quote\n\nTwo things are worth pushing back on.\n\n**\"It needs a refrigerant recharge.\"** A sealed system does not consume refrigerant. If it is low, there is a leak, and topping it up without repairing the leak buys you months, not years. Ask where the leak was found and how it was sealed. Fixr prices a refrigerant leak repair at **$200 to $300** and a full sealed system repair at **$800 to $1,200** — a suspiciously cheap \"top-up\" is usually the first of two visits you pay for.\n\n**A quote with no named part.** Ask for the failed component written on the invoice, ask whether the diagnostic fee is credited against the repair, and ask for the part number if a major component is involved. Then hold it against the ranges above. Fixr's typical refrigerator repair is **$350 to $500 with a national average of $400**, and the full range runs **as low as $60 or as expensive as $1,200**. A number above that range on a standard freestanding fridge needs a specific reason, and the reason should already be on the invoice.\n\nAnd check the warranty before you pay anything out of pocket. Sealed-system components frequently carry five or ten years of coverage even after the general warranty has expired, which turns an $800 to $1,200 job into a service call.\n\nThe same test applies to any emergency quote: honest ranges for [twelve common emergencies](/home/is-this-quote-a-scam/), and [five minutes of license and insurance checks](/home/vet-a-contractor/) on whoever is holding the invoice.\n\n## Repair or replace, honestly\n\nFixr's numbers make this easy to reason about. A replacement refrigerator averages **$1,000 to $3,000**. Against that:\n\n**Repair, almost always.** Condenser coil work at $60 to $100. Fans at $120 to $200. A \"running too warm\" fault at $50 to $250. Door gaskets and thermostats. These are cheap relative to any replacement and don't depend much on the unit's age.\n\n**Think hard.** A compressor or control board at **$500 to $1,000**. Under about eight years old, repair. Past twelve, you're spending a third to half of a new fridge on a machine whose other components are the same age.\n\n**Usually replace.** A sealed system repair at **$800 to $1,200** on an older unit. Refrigerant leaks are also often not the only problem in a fridge that old.\n\nTwo adjustments to that logic. If you have a built-in, counter-depth, or panel-ready fridge, replacement is far above the $1,000–$3,000 average and repair stays worthwhile much longer. And if the fridge is out of warranty but under a few years old, a repair record can be worth having before you argue with a manufacturer.\n\n## After it's fixed\n\nVacuum the condenser coils twice a year. Leave a few inches of clearance behind the unit. Don't pack the interior so tightly that air can't circulate — the FDA's advice to avoid overpacking is about cooling performance, not just tidiness. And leave that thermometer inside. Next time, you'll know within a second whether the food is a question or an answer.",
  "costs": [
    {
      "item": "Refrigerator repair (typical)",
      "range": "$350–$500, national average $400",
      "source": "Fixr",
      "source_url": "https://www.fixr.com/costs/refrigerator-repair"
    },
    {
      "item": "Full range, simple to severe",
      "range": "as low as $60 or as expensive as $1,200",
      "source": "Fixr",
      "source_url": "https://www.fixr.com/costs/refrigerator-repair"
    },
    {
      "item": "Diagnostic service call",
      "range": "$70–$120",
      "source": "Fixr",
      "source_url": "https://www.fixr.com/costs/refrigerator-repair"
    },
    {
      "item": "'Fridge too warm' repairs",
      "range": "$50–$250",
      "source": "Fixr",
      "source_url": "https://www.fixr.com/costs/refrigerator-repair"
    },
    {
      "item": "Condenser coil work",
      "range": "$60–$100",
      "source": "Fixr",
      "source_url": "https://www.fixr.com/costs/refrigerator-repair"
    },
    {
      "item": "Fan replacement (condenser or evaporator)",
      "range": "$120–$200",
      "source": "Fixr",
      "source_url": "https://www.fixr.com/costs/refrigerator-repair"
    },
    {
      "item": "Refrigerant (Freon) leak",
      "range": "$200–$300",
      "source": "Fixr",
      "source_url": "https://www.fixr.com/costs/refrigerator-repair"
    },
    {
      "item": "Compressor replacement",
      "range": "$500–$1,000",
      "source": "Fixr",
      "source_url": "https://www.fixr.com/costs/refrigerator-repair"
    },
    {
      "item": "Control board",
      "range": "$500–$1,000",
      "source": "Fixr",
      "source_url": "https://www.fixr.com/costs/refrigerator-repair"
    },
    {
      "item": "Sealed system repair",
      "range": "$800–$1,200",
      "source": "Fixr",
      "source_url": "https://www.fixr.com/costs/refrigerator-repair"
    },
    {
      "item": "Emergency / same-day labor rate",
      "range": "$110–$300 per hour",
      "source": "Fixr",
      "source_url": "https://www.fixr.com/costs/refrigerator-repair"
    },
    {
      "item": "Replacing the refrigerator",
      "range": "$1,000–$3,000 average",
      "source": "Fixr",
      "source_url": "https://www.fixr.com/costs/refrigerator-repair"
    }
  ],
  "faq": [
    {
      "q": "How long is my food actually safe?",
      "a": "The FDA gives you a clean rule: 'If the fridge is still at or below 40 °F, or the food has been above 40 °F for only 2 hours or less, it should be safe to eat.' For the freezer: 'Frozen food that still has ice crystals or is at 40 °F or below can be safely refrozen or cooked.' And the part people ignore — 'If you're unsure how long the temperature has been at or above 40 °F, don't take a chance. Throw the food out.' Judge by thermometer, not by smell. The FDA notes food can make you very sick even when it doesn't look, smell, or taste spoiled."
    },
    {
      "q": "What temperature should it be at?",
      "a": "The FDA is specific: keep the refrigerator 'at 40 °F or below; the freezer should be at 0 °F.' Most fridge dials show numbers, not degrees, so a cheap standalone appliance thermometer is worth buying. It also gives you the reading you need to make the discard decision if this happens again."
    },
    {
      "q": "The freezer is fine but the fridge is warm. What is that?",
      "a": "Almost always airflow, not refrigeration. On most modern fridges, cold air is made in the freezer and blown into the fridge compartment through a vent. If the evaporator fan has failed or the vent is packed with food or iced over, the freezer stays cold and the fridge doesn't. Clear the vent, and if that doesn't do it, a fan is a modest repair — Fixr puts fan replacement at $120 to $200."
    },
    {
      "q": "How do I clean the condenser coils?",
      "a": "Unplug the fridge. Pull it out or open the toe-kick grille at the bottom front. The coils are the black grid, usually underneath or at the back. Vacuum them and the surrounding area with a brush attachment, plus the condenser fan blades if you can reach them. Dust and pet hair insulate the coils so heat can't escape, which is the single most common reason a fridge stops cooling properly. It costs nothing and takes fifteen minutes."
    },
    {
      "q": "Repair or replace?",
      "a": "Do the arithmetic against Fixr's numbers. A new fridge averages $1,000 to $3,000. A compressor or control board runs $500 to $1,000, and a sealed system repair $800 to $1,200. On a unit over roughly ten to twelve years old, those repairs put you at a substantial fraction of a new appliance with no warranty and no reset on the remaining life. On a fridge under about eight years old — especially a built-in or counter-depth model where replacement is far above the average — repair usually wins. Small stuff (fans, thermostats, coils, door gaskets) is worth repairing at almost any age."
    },
    {
      "q": "Should I pay for same-day service?",
      "a": "Occasionally. Fixr lists emergency service at $110 to $300 per hour against a standard service call of $70 to $120. If you can move the perishables to a neighbor's freezer or a cooler with ice, standard scheduling is the better deal. If you can't, and the fridge is full, the surcharge can be cheaper than the groceries."
    },
    {
      "q": "The plumber told me to call an appliance tech and the appliance tech told me to call a plumber. Who's right?",
      "a": "Whichever one owns the specific component, and you can settle it by pointing at where the problem physically is. The shut-off valve in the wall or under the sink, the pipe feeding it, and any old saddle valve are plumbing. The quarter-inch line from that valve to the fridge is a grey area most appliance techs will handle. Everything from the fridge's inlet valve inward — filter housing, ice maker, drain pan, defrost drain — is appliance repair. The outlet and breaker are an electrician. The reason the loop happens is that 'my fridge is leaking' or 'my fridge is broken' does not tell either trade which side of the valve you mean. Describe the location instead of the symptom and the bouncing stops."
    },
    {
      "q": "The tech wants to recharge the refrigerant. Is that a fix?",
      "a": "Not on its own. A refrigerator's sealed system does not consume refrigerant — if it is low, there is a leak, and a recharge without finding and repairing that leak will fail again, usually within months. Ask where the leak was located and how it was repaired. Fixr prices a refrigerant leak repair at $200 to $300 and a full sealed system repair at $800 to $1,200; a cheap 'top-up' that skips the leak is the version you pay for twice."
    },
    {
      "q": "How do I check whether it's the fridge or the outlet?",
      "a": "Plug a lamp or a phone charger into the same outlet. Dead outlet means look for a tripped GFCI or breaker, and if resetting does not hold, that is an electrician. Live outlet with a silent fridge means the appliance. This takes thirty seconds and saves you a diagnostic fee for being told the socket is dead."
    }
  ],
  "sources": [
    {
      "label": "Fixr: Refrigerator repair cost",
      "url": "https://www.fixr.com/costs/refrigerator-repair",
      "accessed": "2026-08-09"
    },
    {
      "label": "FDA: Refrigerator Thermometers — Cold Facts about Food Safety",
      "url": "https://www.fda.gov/food/buy-store-serve-safe-food/refrigerator-thermometers-cold-facts-about-food-safety",
      "accessed": "2026-08-09"
    }
  ],
  "updated": "2026-08-24",
  "url": "https://whodoicallfor.com/appliance/fridge-not-cooling/",
  "json_url": "https://whodoicallfor.com/appliance/fridge-not-cooling.json",
  "recommended_call": null
}