A fridge that lives outdoors has a harder job
An indoor fridge sits in a 70 degree room. An outdoor fridge may sit in 100 degree air with sun on the door. It has to move far more heat to hold the same cold. Every weak part shows up sooner.
That is why we treat outdoor units as their own trade. The checks are the same, but the limits are tighter. Our Alfresco service page has the brand background.
The Alfresco models we see
Current Alfresco fridges come 24 or 28 inches wide. You can get one door or two drawers. They are stainless inside and out. The shelves roll out, and the door has a lock.
Alfresco also makes an under-grill fridge. It slides into the island below the grill. One side has a door and a shelf. The other side has two drawers with food pans for raw meat and marinade. Older single door units could be turned into a kegerator with a tap kit.
Warm cabinet, compressor running
This is the top call in July. The compressor hums, but the drinks are warm. Work through the air path first.
- The vent is at the front and bottom. Leaves, mulch and spider webs pack into it.
- Behind the vent is the condenser coil. Grease smoke from the grill sticks to it and holds dust.
- The condenser fan pulls air over that coil. If it seizes, heat builds and cooling stops.
- Inside, the evaporator fan blows air through cold fins. If it quits, the fins ice up and the shelves stay warm.
Cleaning the coil and testing both fans solves most warm fridge calls. When it does not, we check the digital control, the sensor and the variable speed compressor.
Iced coils and display faults
These fridges defrost on their own. A timer or the control pauses cooling so frost can melt. If you open the door a lot on a humid Houston night, frost can outrun the defrost. The fins turn into a block of ice.
A torn door gasket does the same thing with no help from you. So does a drawer left open an inch. We thaw the coil, find the air leak and fix it. If the melt water drain is blocked, we clear that too.
The control has a lighted display. Sun and rain are hard on it. A blank display with a running fridge is a display fault. A blank display with a dead fridge is a power fault. Check the outlet first, because patio outlets trip often.
If the number on the display does not match a thermometer, the sensor has drifted. We replace it and set the control again. Most models run from 33 to 50 degrees. The under-grill model goes colder.
Under-grill units need extra care
This fridge sits right below the fire. It is built for that spot, and it breathes out the front. Still, grease can drip down the island face and into the vent. Check the vent each time you clean the grill. If the drawers feel warm after a long cook, give the unit an hour. If they are still warm the next morning, book a visit.
Our fee, hours and techs
An Alfresco fridge call can be set as early as 6 AM. The last Alfresco slot ends near 9 PM, and the website takes bookings. We get to most jobs the same day. A home diagnostic on an Alfresco fridge runs $79. Say yes to the fridge repair and the $79 goes away. The Alfresco quote is fixed, labor and parts counted in, and it comes before the work.
Our company is family owned and independent. An Alfresco fridge tech from A+ holds a license, carries insurance and has a clean background check. Fan motors, relays and gasket stock ride on the truck. Repairs include a 30-day repair warranty.
When a new unit makes more sense
Fans, gaskets, sensors and controls are worth doing on any age of unit. A failed compressor on an old fridge is a closer call, and we will give you both numbers.
See Alfresco grill repair for the cooking side. Our refrigerator repair page covers indoor models. We repair Alfresco outdoor fridges in Washington D.C. and Northern Virginia. We fix Alfresco fridges in Los Angeles, Houston and Chicago as well. In cold states, ask us how to shut the unit down for winter so the water lines and pans do not freeze.