It is so common for a refrigerator to be cold, but if your refrigerator is it too cold, it should be thoroughly examined. Refrigerator is designed to cool down the food and freezer is in charge of icing them up. So if the food is freezing in the fridge compartment, it means something is wrong with your refrigerator and it should be repaired.
There are various reasons for this problem but here we are going to explain five main reasons for refrigerator being too cold and the ways to solve this problem.
Tip: if you have studied the article about "refrigerator main components and their functions", you can more easily follow us in this one.
Warning: unplug your refrigerator before starting any repair or troubleshooting process to avoid electric shock.
Faulty damper makes the refrigerator too cold
Damper or diffuser controls the flow of air from the freezer to the refrigerator. It is usually found in the top of the fridge or on the back panel near the top. It is a mechanical component and if it is damaged, too much cold air enters the fridge compartment and lowers its temperature.
Tip: the normal temperature for the refrigerator compartment is between 1 to 4°C in different refrigerators.
In order to examine the damper and fix your refrigerator for being too cold, follow the instructions below:
- Unplug the refrigerator and find the damper.
- If a temperature sensory bulb is attached to your damper, make sure it is not faulty.
- If the damper is stuck in open or closed position or the knob is not moving freely, replace it to fix the problem with your refrigerator being too cold.
Note: be careful when inspecting the damper for not damaging its plastic and styrofoam housing.
Faulty thermistor can make the refrigerator too cold
The thermistor senses the temperature changes in the refrigerator and sends a signal to the control board about the temperature change. So the board automatically adjusts the damper. If the thermistor fails, the wrong signal is sent to the board and the refrigerator won't stay at your adjusted temperature. So the refrigerator gets too cold and the food starts freezing.
Use a multimeter to examine the thermistor function and follow us:
Tip: in the article about "most needed tools in refrigerator repair", you can learn about the multimeter and its function.
- As we warned before, first unplug the refrigerator since it's an electrical component.
- Thermistor is an encased capsule with two wires. It is attached to the control board and is located near the air inlet. Remove it from the refrigerator.
- Place the thermistor in ice water for 5 minutes to bring its temperature to 0°C.
- Adjust the multimeter on ohmmetre and place its probes on thermistor terminals. The reading should be around 16300 ohms.
- If the multimeter reading is more or less than 5% from this value, replace the thermistor.
Tip: in new modern refrigerators, the thermistor failure is shown with an error code. So, it's easier to find a solution for that.
Note: the thermistor malfunction will also lead to evaporator coils covered with ice.
Faulty control board makes the refrigerator too cold
The control board is in fact the brain of the refrigerator and collects sensory inputs from numerous sensors in the refrigerator or the freezer to adjust the function of compressor, fans, defrost system, etc, in order to control the cooling capacity of the refrigerator. Follow the instructions below to examine whether the control board is failing or not.
- Unplug the refrigerator as usual.
- The control board is inside a control box next to the compressor on the back of the refrigerator or inside it on a side wall or the ceiling. Remove it from the refrigerator.
- Look for any damaged or burnt connections.
- If the board is faulty, you have no choice other than replacing it to fix the problem with your refrigerator being too cold.
Faulty thermostat a reason for refrigerator being too cold
The thermostat controls the cooling process by monitoring the temperature and then switching the compressor on and off. When it senses that it's cold enough inside the refrigerator, it turns off the compressor and if it senses too much heat, it switches the compressor on and begins the cooling process again.
Tip: thermostat is also called the refrigerator or freezer control.
If the thermostat is faulty, the compressor may work longer than normal and makes the refrigerator too cold.
- Unplug the refrigerator just like any other repair operation.
- Locate the thermostat using the owner's manualmanual. It is usually attached to the back wall of the fridge where the evaporator is mounted on the wall or behind it.
- Remove the thermostat from the refrigerator and set it on the warmest setting. Adjust the multimeter on ohmmetre and put the probes on thermostat terminals. The reading should be infinity.
- Now set the thermostat on a colder setting. The reading should change to 0.
- If none of them happened, you should replace the thermostat.
The factors we explained here, are some main reasons for refrigerator being too cold. You can learn more about refrigeration installation, service, troubleshooting and repair by watching refrigerator training course in HelloTechnic website and start your job as a professional repairman.
