There’s nothing worse than opening your Viking refrigerator only to find that none of your food, produce, or beverages are cold.
In fact, when this happens, it often means that you’ll be throwing a lot of spoiled food into the trash, which might as well be you throwing your money away! So instead of wasting time and wondering how to fix your problem, it’s important to get to work right away to diagnose and repair what’s causing the problem in the first place.
Below, we’ll be taking a look at how to troubleshoot and fix your Viking refrigerator when it just doesn’t seem to want to cooperate with you.
Especially in older homes, it’s not unusual to experience a tripped breaker or a blown fuse when you have too many large appliances plugged into the same circuit.
Large appliances use a significant amount of electricity, which means that your oven/cooktop, fridge/freezer, and microwave should usually each be plugged into their own circuit breakers. If not, you’ll likely trip the breaker every time you turn your oven on or whenever the refrigerator starts running a cooling cycle.
To rule this out, start by locating your home’s main electrical panel, and looking for any breakers that have been tripped.
If you find one, try turning it back on and then checking your fridge.
If you continue to experience this issue, you may have something wrong with the internal components of the appliance, or you may need to try plugging it into a different outlet so as not to overload the circuit.
On the other hand, if you’re dealing with a fridge that doesn’t seem to cool down properly, you might have a faulty door switch.
The door switch tells the unit’s control panel that the door is closed and that it’s safe to run through a cooling cycle. When the door is open, however, the control panel likely won’t allow the unit to cycle and cool down.
Try inspecting your unit’s door switch for any visible signs of damage.
You can also try opening the door, and pressing the switch manually to see if it turns off the unit’s interior lights.
If it doesn, it’s usually a good sign that the switch is in good working order.
Any make or model of refrigerator will have condenser coils located either at the back or underneath the appliance.
These coils allow the unit’s compressor pump to circulate refrigerant, which helps in the cooling process.
However, when your unit’s condenser coils are dirty and covered in dust, dirt or debris, they may have trouble displacing heat, causing the unit to work doubly hard to try and cool things down inside.
Therefore, we recommend cleaning your condenser coils at least once or twice per year to ensure that your refrigerator is working at its optimal capacity.
To clean your condenser coils, simply use a vacuum to remove as much dust and dirt as possible, and then finish it off by wiping everything down with a rag and some soapy water.
Then, plug the unit back in and check to see if you’ve resolved the issue.
Your unit’s thermostat is the component that allows you to set the interior’s temperature. It also communicates with the unit’s main control board to tell it when to cycle and when to rest.
Therefore, when this component fails to function properly, you might run into any number of issues, including a refrigerator that doesn’t cool down the way it should.
While replacing a thermostat is relatively easy and inexpensive, diagnosing whether or not your thermostat is causing the problem is best left to a trained appliance repair technician who can easily and safely get the job done.
Any refrigerator will have a door seal designed to keep cold air inside and warm air outside.
However, over time, your unit’s door seal may begin to harden and wear out, which will prevent it from forming a proper seal.
Therefore, it’s a good idea to occasionally inspect your unit’s door seal for any visible signs of cracks, rips, tears, or missing sections. If you notice an issue with the door seal, you’ll need to replace it.
The good news is, however, that door gaskets are very inexpensive and easy to replace, even on your own, without calling in a professional repair tech.
Just make sure that you purchase the correct gasket for your specific make and model of refrigerator.
There’s nothing worse than throwing spoiled food away because your refrigerator quit working right after your last grocery order. And in many cases, it’s going to be tricky trying to figure out why your beloved appliance quit working in the first place.
Thankfully, Viking Appliance Pros is only a quick call away!
We’re proud to say that we service and repair virtually all makes and models of major appliances, including refrigerators, freezers, ice makers, ovens, stoves, microwaves, and more!
Got a faulty appliance and don’t know where to start? Contact us today!
