Fridge Not Cold Enough
Is your fridge not cold enough? Five common causes, from the temperature setting to a failed thermistor, in order of difficulty, and how to fix each one.
First published . We’re updating this page.
By Alice Truong
Published 2-minute read

Is your fridge not cold enough? This can be caused my many different problems. Check out the 5 most common problems and their solutions below. They are all relatively cheap and don’t require too much experience with fridge repairs in order to do them. We will give you the problems in increasing order of difficulty.
Why is My Fridge Not Cold Enough?
1. Incorrect temperature in the fridge.
Make sure that the fridge is set to the correct temperature which is between 35-38F. Depending on your particular fridge model, you can either access the controls from the outside or the inside.
2. Condenser Coils are Dirty.
Clean the condenser coils in the back. If they are dirty, it can not properly cool down and your fridge will not be cold enough.

Photo credit: Juan de Vojníkov - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0
3. Evaporator Fan is not working.
If the evaporator fan fails, the refrigerator can not circulate the cold air around. If it fails, you might need to replace it. Check out this handy guide below to find out how to replace your evaporator fan. This is for a Whirlpool refrigerator, but the main ideas are the same for all refrigerator brands.
If you replace the fan, be careful to find the correct part for your particular fridge’s model number.
4. Condenser Fan is not working.
If the fan fails, the condenser can not properly cool down. This means that the refrigerator can not effectively take away the hot air from the fridge. If it fails, you might need to replace it. This is also for a Whirlpool refrigerator, but the main ideas are the same for all refrigerator brands.
If you replace the fan, be careful to find the correct part for your particular fridge’s model number.
5. Thermistor is not working.
If the thermistor fails, the refrigerator can not monitor its temperature. If this happens the fridge might either continue cooling or stop cooling. If it fails, you might need to replace it.
Fridge not cold enough still? Then you should call a repairman to take a closer look.
Parts and tools
Check your refrigerator’s model number before ordering; the right part depends on it.
- Evaporator fan motor GE part numberWR60X10141
- Evaporator fan motor Whirlpool part numberW10189703
- Evaporator fan motor kit Frigidaire part number5303918549
- Condenser fan motor GE part numberWR84X10055
- Condenser fan motor Whirlpool part numberW10124096