A Frigidaire Refrigerator Not Cooling With an Iced-Over Coil in Chicago

A Frigidaire That Ran but Would Not Cool in Chicago

A homeowner in Chicago called A+ Appliance Repair and Maintenance about a Frigidaire refrigerator that had stopped cooling. When our technician got into it, the evaporator coil, the coil that produces the cold, was frosted and iced over. That ice is both the symptom you can see and the reason the refrigerator was not cooling.

How an iced coil stops the cooling

A refrigerator makes its cold at the evaporator coil, hidden behind a panel in the freezer, and a fan blows air across that cold coil to circulate the cold through the compartments. For that to work, air has to be able to flow across the coil. When the coil ices over, that airflow is choked off. The refrigerator keeps running, the compressor keeps working, but the cold can no longer circulate past the wall of ice, so the compartments warm up. That is why a refrigerator with an iced-over coil runs constantly yet will not get cold, exactly the situation this customer had.

The coil ices up because of the defrost system. Frost naturally forms on the cold coil, and the refrigerator is supposed to periodically melt it away with a defrost cycle. When something in that process is not keeping up, the frost builds into ice, blocks the airflow, and the refrigerator loses its cooling. So the iced coil is the immediate cause of the warm refrigerator, and clearing it, along with addressing why it built up, is what restores the cooling.

The repair

Our technician cleared the iced-up evaporator coil and restored the airflow, addressing the frost and ice that had been blocking the cold from circulating. Clearing the coil fully is the key step, because until the ice is gone, the airflow stays blocked and the refrigerator stays warm. With the coil clear and airflow restored, cold could once again circulate through the refrigerator. Our technician confirmed the refrigerator was cooling again and the airflow was restored, verifying the result rather than assuming clearing the coil alone had fully resolved it. On a not-cooling refrigerator, confirming it actually gets and holds cold is the measure of a completed repair.

Why prompt attention matters

A refrigerator that has stopped cooling is one of the more urgent appliance problems, because the food inside is at risk the whole time it is warm. An iced-over coil will not clear itself, the refrigerator will keep running and keep failing to cool, so it needs to be addressed. Catching it and clearing the coil restores the cooling and protects the contents.

What a homeowner can watch for

A few signs point to this kind of problem. A refrigerator that is running constantly but not getting cold, a freezer that seems to hold while the refrigerator warms, or, if you look behind the rear inside panel of the freezer, a coil caked in frost and ice, all point toward an iced-over evaporator and an airflow problem. Keeping the refrigerator from being overpacked so air can circulate helps, and keeping the condenser coils clean reduces the overall strain on the cooling system. If your refrigerator is running but not cooling, it is worth a prompt call before the food is lost.

About A+ Appliance Repair and Maintenance

We service Frigidaire, Whirlpool, LG, Samsung, GE, and every other major refrigerator brand throughout Chicago and the surrounding communities. Our technicians are certified and carry common parts, so a cooling repair can usually be diagnosed and completed in a single visit.

We quote the price upfront before any work begins, we waive the service call fee when you move forward with the repair, and every completed repair is backed by our full repair warranty. If your refrigerator is running but not cooling, call sooner rather than later, and we can find the cause and get it cold again.