One of the most frustrating things that can happen is opening your refrigerator to find warm milk in the morning. And without that morning coffee, starting the day can be daunting.

When your refrigerator is not cooling anymore, it can feel like an emergency and you might panic immediately, maybe even start checking what happened.

Whether you’re dealing with a sudden breakdown or a loss of cooling power, knowing these issues can help you decide whether to call for appliance repair or try fixing the problem yourself.

To give you an idea, here are some common reasons why your refrigerator might not be cooling properly.

1. Dirty Condenser Coils

One of the most common reasons for a refrigerator not cooling is dirty condenser coils. Depending on the type of fridge you have, the coils might be located at the back or underneath your fridge. These are probably responsible for releasing heat from the refrigerant.

As the years pass, the dust and grim can collect on the coils. When the coils get all dirty, it can make it difficult for them to release heat properly. That is why your fridge has to work harder and harder, which can lead to can lead to insufficient cooling.

Unless you have some experience with appliance repairs, you should call in the professionals. They will come and clean the coils properly. They can also check the fridge to make sure that overworking didn’t cause any damages.

2. Faulty Evaporator Fan

One of the most important parts of your fridge is the evaporator fan. The fan is important because it circulates the air in your fridge evenly. If the fan stops working or it’s not working properly, the air won’t be distributed evenly and the fridge will have warm spots and poor cooling.

You might even notice strange noises coming from your refrigerator or frost buildup on the evaporator coils if the fan is faulty.

If you think the evaporator fan is not working properly, then you should call an appliance repair professional to come in and take a look.

3. Blocked Air Vents

Another possible issue that could be possible is the air vents are blocked.

The air vents in your refrigerator allow cold air to flow between the freezer and the fridge compartments. If these vents are blocked by food items or ice buildup, the air circulation is compromised.

You can call in professionals to take a look at the air vents. If you are handy yourself, you can check the vents yourself. If there is something blocking them, you can just rearrange things.

4. Malfunctioning Compressor

If you have seen any appliance that has a cooling system, it will undoubtedly have a compressor with it. The entire role of a compress is to compress the refrigerant and circulate it through the coils to provide the cooling effect.

If your refrigerator’s compressor isn’t working properly, your refrigerator won’t cool at all. If your compressor is faulty, you might hear some strange noises, your fridge might overheat, and there definitely won’t be any cooling.

Since the compressor is an important part of your fridge, replacing it is complicated and expensive. For this, you should hire a refrigerator repair professional. But before they replace anything, they can assess the situation properly and check if the compressor needs to be replaced or if there’s another underlying issue.