Double-door fridge not cooling at the bottom: why and what to do

A double-door fridge with a warm bottom section and a cold top, or a warm fridge side with a working freezer side, is a very common call. People assume the whole fridge has failed, but the fact that part of it is still cold tells us something useful. The compressor is probably running. The cold is simply not reaching the warm part.

How cold air gets around a frost-free fridge

Most double-door, side-by-side and French door fridges are frost-free. They make their cold in the freezer, at a coil called the evaporator, and a small fan pushes that cold air through ducts into the fridge section. A damper controls how much goes where. If any part of that chain fails, one section stays cold and the other warms up.

The usual causes

1. The evaporator is iced over

The evaporator is melted clear of frost on a regular cycle by a defrost heater, a timer or board and a sensor. When one of those parts fails, ice builds up and blocks the airflow. The freezer, which sits next to the coil, may still feel cold. The fridge starves.

2. The evaporator fan has failed

If the fan stops, the cold air stays where it is made. You may have noticed a rattle or squeal before it stopped. A failed fan motor is a common repair and is usually worth doing.

3. The air damper or sensor is stuck

A damper controls the cold air going into the fridge section. If it sticks shut, the fridge never gets any. A temperature sensor that reads wrongly can have the same effect.

4. The vents are blocked

Food packed against the vents, or a container stuck to the air duct, blocks the cold air. Move items away from the vents and give the fridge an hour to settle.

5. The door seal is leaking

A perished seal lets warm air in at the bottom, where the door meets the cabinet, and the lower section runs warm. Close the door on a sheet of paper. If it slides out, the seal is not doing its job.

What to check first

• Check the temperature setting has not been changed.
• Clear the vents so air can circulate.
• Look at the back wall of the freezer for a layer of ice.
• Listen for the fan inside the freezer. Silence where there used to be a soft whoosh is a clue.
• Test the door seals with a sheet of paper.

What not to do

Do not chip ice with a knife or use a heat gun. The pipes in the back wall are thin and a puncture ends the life of the fridge. Defrost by switching off and leaving the doors open with towels on the floor, then call us if the ice returns.

What it costs

Call-out fees start from R250 and depend on your area. A fan, a sensor or a defrost part usually falls in our minor repair range of R350 to R950. Major repairs start from R1,250. We diagnose first, so you know the fault and the cost before we start.

We repair side-by-side, French door and double-door fridges of every brand across Durban. Call us with the make, the model and what you are seeing.