Kenmore Refrigerator Not Cooling

Try unplugging the plug from the outlet, counting to ten and then plugging it back in. I have to do this all the time with my refrigerator.

Amazing! Just unplugged for a few seconds and when I plugged it back in, the refrigerator section started running. Will see how long it lasts. Waiting for Spring until the new Samsung T9000 counter depth arrives on the market. Hopefully this will work till then even if I occasionally have to pull it out to reset. Thanks!

the bottom freezer is working the refrigerator is not working

Well that's not the answer.replaced thermostat.

Try unplugging it from the wall for about ten seconds and plugging it back in. This happens to me all the time. But on mine the freezer stops as well.

If you don't know your way around fridges, I would call in a professional. Have you looked at your manual just in case it's an easy fix?

Your fridge has dual temperature controls. The top should be around 41-45 degrees. Perhaps it got bumped? Check it first. It's like calling a tow truck to find your car just wasn't in park.

I have a Kenmore Elite model #59673509201
I noticed the same thing. My fridge has the dual doors. If you have the dual doors. Make sure they are being closed properly. I called a repairman out. He checked it. His diagnoses was the Adaptive Defrost Control board. I was waiting for his return with the parts. But he never returned. So I researched online. SEARS Parts direct gave me a huge help. I research their listing and youtube. They both lead to that. And the Sears website has it broken down. Since on a budget I shopped the parts on Amazon. one repairman suggest that if you replace the ADC to replace the temperature control thermostat. the parts are on order next day. Crossing my fingers.

Does your refrigerator compartment have a long white cable clipped to the underside of the freezer compartment?

If yes, check to make sure that you haven't blocked or dislodged it from its connection points-this is basically your thermostat and works to regulate the fridge compartment temp.

If that doesn't solve it (or you don't have a model with the cable thermostat), it's possible water seeped somewhere it shouldn't and shorted the temp controls to the fridge compartment-you may need to call in a repairman.

However. I replaced the lower thermostat on two older models and got a whole month more life each for my $100USD+ spent. Sigh.

So depending on the age of your fridge, it may be time to replace it. The problem you describe is usually the way a refrigerator warns it's in the process of dying on you. I had the two wheezers give up the ghost and this was how both gave the hint they were packing it in.

So finally both times I gave up and bought new-basic but frost-free, and as far as I know, both are still going strong 10 and 20+ years later (both appliances left when houses sold). But it was an 'ouchie' both times-it was money spent on replacements I really could have used elsewhere. Majour appliances never die at a convenient time, darn it!

It depends on how old your refrigerator is. My 14year old fridge had the same problem and it was an easy fix by a repairman. apparently the older types have two compressors at the back.

The "fridge" compressor had got low on the "gas"(or whatever it is that's in the compressor) needed for it to work but the "freezer" compressor was fine. the guy just topped up the compressor and it works fine. and it wasn't expensive to fix, just took a few minutes. just make sure that you have a trustworthy repairman who is honest.

Make sure that you have the temperature controls set at exactly 1/2 way point. Too high on one or the other, causes the freezer to work very hard and the fridge not to cool as well as it should. I found out that when ours quit working and after calling a repairman, spending $$$ he was the one who told me the problem and how to fix it. Too many people want one or the other a lot colder than it needs to be and they end up replacing it because it doesn't "work" when all it needed was the controls put back the way they should be.

It really could be anything and, unless you were an appliance repairperson, I see no recourse other than hiring someone to check it for you.

there are many websites and videos that can instruct you how to diagnose and fix any appliance. If you have the time, tools, and patience, you could actually manage to fix it yourself. http://www.appl  -cold-enough.php

"Start out with the easy stuff first...make sure the lights go out when you close the door(s), make sure the doors are closing properly and the gaskets are closing fully and not torn. Check to make sure the evaporator fan in the freezer is working, this fan blows the cold air around. If the fan is not working, possible bad fan motor - check for power to the fan motor and also check the fan switches around the door openings, ( if your fridge has these switches, not all do )."

Before you call someone adjust the cold settings in both the refrigerator and freezer parts. If that doesn't work it could be the compressor, which is expensive.

Check Craigslist in your area for a refrigerator repairman.

The refrigerator portion of my Kenmore bottom freezer unit, model #59672234200 is not cooling. What could be the problem and is it costly to repair?

It is very difficult to answer your question without more information as there can be many reasons your fridge does not cool. Most problems will require a service company to resolve as you will not have the knowledge or be able to resolve on your own.

I am a great believer in repairpersons whenever possible, but a fridge that doesn't cool at all might be major problems. You should probably consult someone, but in my experience fridges work nearly forever until they die. Then you buy a new one.

Our super dooper, hoity toity french door, bottom freezer unit did the same thing...(our old fridge has been running for almost 40 years). We were told to turn it off for about 6 hours (don't open if you can help it) and then back on. We have done this twice now. It works. Then read where if you keep turning up the 'cold' setting it freezes something up inside. So I keep it right in the middle temp and have had no problems for quite a while now. Nothing is like it used to be in quality now-a-days! Good luck!

Older types of refrigerators need to have top ups of gas (sorry I don't know what type) in the compressor tank. Could you try filling it up?

My husband fixed our fridge three times by typing in make/model # and the problem into google and youtube. There was tons of information and how-to videos! Good luck.

Years ago you could rent a freezer unit in a warehouse. I don't know if you still can, but probably. People rented them after hunting and fishing trips when they had a lot of meat to freeze. Otherwise, surely a couple of neighbors could let you have a little room in their freezers and refrigerators temporarily.

An appliance repairman told me that it is not good to set the thermostat on the coldest setting, since the coils can overwork, and collect ice. Start at mid-level; the frig/freezer will cool without ice-buildup. You might unplug the appliance for a few hours, then re-set at a lower temp.

You can contact Kenmore directly by phone for help in identifying the problem:
Retail Customer Care
1-800-549-4505

The Sears tech replaced the board so contact Sears to answer your questions.

I have found that sometimes things don't work properly if they are shut off for long periods of time. Goodness knows why that is, but that seems to be the case. My renter refused to use the dishwasher in our mobile home, and when she moved out, the thing wouldn't work any more. However, it seems strange to me that both appliances don't work. Could it be the outlets rather than the appliances? Is there some sort of shut off -- breaker or electrical switch that could be shut off? Do the outlets work for something else, like a lamp? Is there some sort of on/off switch in the appliances that you may have forgotten to turn on or a thermostat that you need to turn up (or down, depending on your point of view). For example, in my fridge there is a temp control from 0 to 9; if it is set at 0, the fridge doesn't actually cool down. Explore some of these possibilities, and if nothing works, I'd phone a repairperson.

I doubt it. I do not know if refrigerators are economical to repair. When mine quit running, I bought a new one. Usually they run forever.

Could you be low on freon? My husband said that if the fridge is low on freon, it might not work.

I had the same problem and despite the fridge freezer being frost free, it was completely clogged with ice inside. It took four days to defrost but now works fine. Engineer said even if frost free, you should defrost them completely every 6 months or so. Hope this helps!

I had the same problem after laying new tile. When the guys moved the fridge back, a tile lifted and was stuck under the fridge keeping the fan from moving. Mine actually got hot.

I had a 'fridge do that to me (a GE) and I had a repairman in who said the thermostat was bad. It cost me $75USD in 2008 to replace.

The fridge ran for about another year and then started having the same problem again. I wasn't happy. The condenser kept cycling but the fridge got warmer. And warmer. And warmer.

I called the GE 800 phone number and talked to a living breathing repairman. The news wasn't good:

Apparently when a thermostat wears out the condenser should be replaced at the same time (wish the repairman had mentioned that little bit of info in '08!).

Considering the cost of replacing the condenser, it worked out to be a better decision to replace the old wheezer (it was about ten years old at the time) for a new more energy efficient model.

I just went through that with mine, and after calling and talking to a repairman who couldn't make it out to where we are located. He suggested checking the temperature controls. The freezer unit should never, ever be set more than 1/2 way point on the controls. If it is set higher then the fridge spends all the time trying to bring down the temp of the freezer, leaving no cold air for the fridge. He suggested raising the temp to at least the 1/2 way point or "warmer" to allow the fridge to cool down properly. Don't know if it will work for yours, but it saved us from having to buy a new fridge.

I had a Kenmore refrigerator given to me and the ice froze. So I was using a blow dryer, but I left it on too long and it started to melt the plastic. Now my fridge will not cool or freeze completely. What did I do to it? How do I fix it?

By jeepchic78

Answers:

Refrigerator Doesn't Stay Cold

When we moved into our house the previous owners had left the fridge, I noticed that it didn't seem to keep stuff cold and the door was actually warm. I pulled out the fridge to clean behind it and it was pretty bad so when I pushed it back in place I removed the grill on the bottom and found the inside caked with clumps of cat hair from their cat! I vacuumed this all out and the fridge ran fine after that. So if you have pets it might be the problem, but you should clean under there every 6 months or so anyway to get all the dust out. Hope this helps. (09/25/2009)

By dwutz

I haven't sent a tip in a long time. Here is one that may help. If your refrigerator is not cooling as it should, the defrosting mechanism in the freezer may have gone out and the defroster coils are iced up. If you don't have money to run out and buy a new refrigerator, here is what you can do.

Two years ago, we paid about $200.00 to get the defroster in our freezer replaced. Well, lo and behold, it went out again last week. Since my husband and I watched the repairman and my husband helped him, we know what to do. First, unplug the refrigerator. Remove all the shelves from the freezer. Take the panel from the inside back of the freezer.

You will need a screwdriver and/or wrench of the right size to undo the screws. Plug the drain hole in the bottom of the freezer to keep water from dripping through to the floor. You will see an ice buildup on coils at the inside back of the freezer. Get plenty of old towels. Put one in the bottom of the freezer and change it when it becomes soaked. Melt the ice with a hairdryer.

Use common sense and don't get any water on the hair dryer or let the floor get wet. It may take two people to do this; one to use the hairdryer and the other to handle the wet towels. When you get the ice melted, put the panel back in and it will run fine until it ices up again; we let ours go a week before we thawed it again. Don't forget to plug it back in.

If you decide to get a repairman, it will save his time (and your money) if you have it ice-free when he comes. I may get a less-than-year-old Energy Star refrigerator from my friend in June and it seems silly to spend the money on getting the more than ten-year-old fridge repaired. So, we are going to do this once a week until then.

By Aunt Sharon from Whitewright, TX

Answers:

Refrigerator Doesn't Stay Cold

One thing that helps is to vacuum out the coils in the bottom of the fridg, they are under the bottom. Use a vacuum with a small crevice tool and get one of those long brushes, so you can get all the way to the back. You will be amazed at the amount of dirt and accumulated dust. This should be done about every 6 months. This allows the motor to cool better and not overheat the motor. You could end up damaging a lot of parts by not doing this. (05/15/2009)

By c t

We have a spare refrigerator in our basement that is used regularly since our kitchen refrigerator is small. I am having problems with the one in the basement. I have both refrigerator and freezer controls turned to the coldest settings. The freezer is fine but the refrigerator is under the recommended temperature for a refrigerator.

I am only using it for a short time for fresh veggies, fruit, and some beverages. My husband is quite handy at fixing, but can't diagnose the problem. Honestly, I think he just wants to get rid of the refrigerator. I want it keep it because I know we really do need it. He is not the one trying to figure out how to keep our foods cold every day so it doesn't really matter to him. I think if we did get rid of it then he would understand.

Could someone suggest a web site to use or have an answer to what may be wrong with the refrigerator? My sister thinks she has the solution. This has something to do with the electrical connection. She seems to think that there is too much electrical usage on the one line and the refrigerator needs more "juice" to run properly. We rent the house so we really don't have much control with this.

On the one electrical line we have our washer, an upright freezer, and some lights and other things along with this refrigerator. I don't quite know if this could be true. I forgot to mention that during the winter months, the refrigerator runs cold but I still have it set on the coldest setting. So basically when the outside temperature is cold, I can use the refrigerator safely. Our basement is more of a cellar and doesn't have any heat other than the heater when it runs.

By Mkymlp from USA

Answers:

Refrigerator Doesn't Stay Cold

Electricity is not the problem, you only have one plug and unless it is very unusual, only one compressor so I would look to the temperature control. It is also possible that the air opening where the cold air comes out is somehow blocked.

If you have to keep both parts on the coldest setting, it is time to replace. What you save in energy will more than make up for the price of a used unit. Our local appliance stores sell good, used appliances for $50 or less rather than have to recycle them. My friend bought a like new washer for $10 and it works great. (04/25/2009)

By zoodad

Refrigerator Doesn't Stay Cold

Do you clean behind and under the fridge? Dust may have accumulated on the coils. How old is your fridge? It may be time to get a new one. (04/25/2009)

By OliveOyl

Refrigerator Doesn't Stay Cold

I would suggest checking to see if it needs freon or a similar type gas. Sometimes just being a little low can upset the way it will cool. (05/03/2009)

By lostinthe