Most Common Refrigerator problems and repairs
Every year our company service between 3500 and 4000 different appliances from refrigerators to garbage disposals and based on that data, we want to share with you: “The most commonly reported problem/issue with refrigerators. We want separate refrigerators by brand, but of course certain brands of refrigerators are leaders in specific issues.
Most common refrigerator problems in the past year:
First place, about 25% of each issue: No ice or water is coming out from the dispenser door
Second place, about 17% of each issue: Icemaker won’t make/produce any ice or produce too slow
Third place, about 15% of each issue: fridge is leaking water (from different spots: from the back, from the water line, leaking inside etc.)
Fourth place, about 12% of each issue: Ice buildup on the back of the refrigerator
Fifth place, about 10% of each issue: Fridge is not cooling, not keeping food cold, not cold enough
Sixth place, about 7% of each issue: Control board or panel is not working/flashing (usually after power storm)
Seventh place, about 5% of each issue: no power comes to refrigerator(outlet), door gaskets are torn/worn, a drain is clogged, a compressor is not running(dead)
Eighth place, about 5% combined all other issues: bulb in the fridge is not working, broken shelf, handle on the fridge is broken, dents on the door (can you replace/fix it?) etc.
What the most common parts that breaks on refrigerators?
1)Icemaker, water valve, water line these parts are responsible for production of your ice cubes. If any of these parts are bad, you won’t have ice. If no water coming it could water valve, water filter or filter housing. If the ice won’t dispense then it could be also dispenser board, auger motor and few other parts.
2)Evaporator fan motor, thermostat, thermistor, defrost board, control board and few more. These parts are responsible for keeping your fridge at the certain temperature. If the temperature is fluctuating it could be thermistor, thermostat or main board. If the fridge is not cooling enough it could be an evaporator fan motor since it moves air over coil. (Most common issue that customer can hear a noise coming from the fan)
3)Compressor, start system(relay), inverter board.(Refrigerator problems ) The replacement of start system/inverter board is not too expensive but will keep your fridge running. On other hand, replacement of compressor is the most expensive job since it would require removing and recharging with new refrigerant, soldering in the new compressor and in some cases takes up 2-3 hours of labor. That’s why many people when it comes to that just buy a new fridge.
We always recommend going by the following guide: If the price of the repair is more than half of the price of new appliance, then just replace the unit. Unless you have a situation that you cannot find an exact size or color due to your kitchen features.
