Refrigerators have many components that can be difficult to troubleshoot and repair. In fact, in a recent survey, 27 percent of CR members who discarded their fridges cited high repair costs as the reason. But you can save money by trying these DIY fixes before calling an appliance repair professional.
First, make sure the refrigerator is turned on and plugged in; then check that the circuit breaker or fuse isn’t tripped. Also, try plugging in another electrical appliance to see if it works; if not, you’ll need to call a professional to fix the problem.
A loud fridge can be a sign of a defective evaporator fan motor or a condenser fan, both of which are easy to replace. Often, the cause of a noisy fan is dust clogging it; simply suck up the debris with a vacuum cleaner. You can also shim the magnetic catch with cardboard to reposition it and make sure the door gasket is tight.
If your fridge light stays on, it could be that a switch or bulb is out. Depress the small push button on the switch, and if that doesn’t work, your light fixture may need to be replaced (see Repair: Replace Inlet Valve).
Look for metal or cardboard access panels in the back of the fridge to find the evaporator fan. The fan is often fastened with spring-steel pressure clips, bolts or screws, and it may be held by a plastic retainer strip. Remove the screws, remove the fan, and install a new one. Before installing, discharge the capacitor with a 20,000-ohm, 2-watt resistor. refrigerator repair