Why My Freezer Still Works but the Refrigerator is Warm?

When you expect your refrigerator to break – you expect it to fully break. You expect it to all be warm and silent. However, often what you can get is a freezer that is buzzing away and optimally cold, but a fresh food section that is practically balmy. Why does this happen?

What some owners fail to realize is how a refrigerator works. It doesn’t manufacturer cool air for the fresh food section on its own. In fact, the cool air in your fresh food section actually comes from the freezer. Your appliance makes cold air to pump into your freezer, and then a portion of that is then sent to the fresh food section until it reaches the proper temperature.

This knowledge can actually help you pinpoint potential problems in your refrigerator when the freezer still works perfectly, but the fresh food section is warm. When this happens, you will want to check the following.

• Temperature Setting – It sounds so obvious, but your temperature setting in the fresh food section actually can be set to where the unit feels pretty warm. Usually, this is reserved for lengthy vacations to save energy, but it can be triggered accidentally.
• Fan – This is your most likely culprit. If the fan has failed or is stuck, it may not be getting enough air to your fresh food section. You will want to check for obstructions and listen to see if it is running.
• Blockages – You will want to make sure there are no leftovers or packages blocking the vent in both the freezer and the fresh food section. If you keep either tightly packed, then there is a decent chance that something is blocking airflow sufficiently enough to affect performance. There is a fine line between too packed and packed to increase energy efficiency.