No doubt one of the best inventions of modern times is the refrigerator. It makes it easier for us to store food until we prepare it. And hey, it’s great for having cold drinks at the ready too.
Magic Chef refrigerators are popular for good reason. They’re compact, making them ideal for dorm rooms or for secondary fridges in the garage or on your back porch for easy access to drinks and snacks.
They’re well-thought-out with design, giving plenty of space and storage compartments. Plus, they have some of the best moisture retention performances on the market.
So, when you open your Magic Chef refrigerator door and find it’s not cooling, you will naturally be frustrated and annoyed.
In order to figure out why your Magic Chef refrigerator isn’t cooling, you’ll have to take a closer look. The problem could be something very simple that you’ll fix in no time. Here’s how to find out!
Why is my Magic Chef Refrigerator not cooling?
One of the most common reasons your Magic Chef refrigerator isn’t cooling likely has to do with the condenser fan motor. It needs to be functioning properly or else the refrigerator cannot cool. You’ll need to check the fan motor blade for any obstructions and try turning that blade by hand to see if it moves.
There are a number of other things you should check too when it comes to solving the mystery as to why your Magic Chef refrigerator isn’t cooling. Here’s what to look for!
– Dirty condenser coils
Underneath your refrigerator, you’ll find the condenser coils. These put out heat when the refrigerant passes through them. When these are dirty, they won’t send out heat effectively.
The more debris built up, the harder that refrigerator has to work to cool down. Dirty coils will make it difficult for the fridge to keep its proper temperature.
The good news is that if your condenser coils are dirty, all you need to do is clean them and that should solve your problem.
– Problems with the condenser fan motor
The condenser fan motors is responsible for drawing in air through the condenser coils running it over the compressor. If this fan motor isn’t running properly, then you can expect your refrigerator won’t cool down.
Find the condenser fan and check the blade for anything that could be getting in the way. If you see nothing is there, try turning that blade by hand.
It should spin freely, but if it doesn’t, that’s likely the cause of your refrigeration problems. You’ll need to replace the condenser fan motor.
But what if there are no obstructions and you can turn that blade freely? It’s best to get a multimeter. You can use this to test for continuity in the fan motor. If there is no continuity, this part needs to be replaced.
– Check the evaporator fan motor
There are lots of working parts on your refrigerator. One of them is the evaporator fan motor. This part is responsible for drawing in air over those evaporator cooling coils and moving it through the refrigerator and freezer.
Larger refrigerators will have more than one of these, though for those that have only one, you’ll find it in the freezer compartment. If this evaporator fan isn’t working, the cold air won’t circulate to the refrigerated portion.
So, your freezer may still be getting cold while your refrigerator portion is not. Just like the other motor fan, you’ll want to try turning that fan blade by hand. If you can’t turn it easily, it’s time to replace that fan motor.
Another clue this part should be replaced is when it makes lots of noise.
If the motor isn’t running, use your multimeter and see if the motor windings have continuity. If they don’t, you’ll have to replace this part.
– Trouble with the start relay
A refrigerator’s start relay works with the start to the compressor. When it’s defective, the compressor may sometimes not run intermittently. Or it simply won’t run at all, leaving you with a fridge that won’t cool.
Using a multimeter can help you test for continuity with the run and start terminal sockets. And as you’ve likely guessed, if you can’t find continuity between them, it’s time to replace it.
An easier way to tell is by using your nose. If you smell a burnt odor near it, you’d better replace this part.
– Something is off with the temperature control thermostat
Your warm refrigerator may have a very simple reason why it’s not cooling…it could be you’ve accidentally turned the temperature control thermostat in the wrong direction.
This temperature control works by providing voltage to the parts that run your fridge. The compressor, evaporator fan motor, and condenser fan motor all rely on it.
You’ll find it inside your fridge so open the door and see. Sometimes, you may accidentally hit it and turn it the wrong way.
If so, you can simply turn it back. Listen for a click as you move it to the highest setting.
But if there’s no click, you will need to test it out for continuity.
– Stopped start capacitor
In your fridge, a start capacitor has the job of giving power to the compressor when it starts up. If this part isn’t working, then it’s likely your compressor won’t start either and you’ll have a warm fridge.
Again, a multimeter helps you discover if this is the cause and if so, you’ll need to replace it.
– Defective temperature control board
Every refrigerator has a temperature control board which has the purpose of delivering voltage to the fan motors and compressor. A defective control board means voltage won’t go to the cooling system.
This isn’t a common thing to happen and as such, you may mistakenly think your control board needs to be replaced.
Before that happens, test the other components first. Those are more likely to break than the control panel.
However, if you’ve tested the motors and compressor and they have no defects, then it is likely you’ve got the rare occurrence of needing to replace the temperature control board.
– Defective thermistor
Your refrigerator’s thermistor keeps track of the temperature inside and reports the readings to your control board. Then the control board regulates power to its compressor and evaporator fan based on what it is told.
When this part is defective, the parts that rely on it to run may not do so when they should. This will leave you with a fridge that feels slightly cool but certainly not cold enough to function.
Test the thermistor and see. It should change with the temperature but if the thermistor resistance doesn’t change or it shows no continuity, you’ll need to replace it.
– It could be the compressor
A compressor is a pump more or less. It compresses the refrigerant and circulates it through the evaporator coils and condenser coils. The compressor needs to work for the fridge to cool.
However, a broken compressor is not quite as common so it’s best to test the other parts first. Check the electrical pins on the side of the compressor with your multimeter. An open circuit indicates it is defective.
Handy as you may be, a defective compressor needs to be repaired by someone that is licensed and trained for this sort of thing.
You can also see if you can reset it first and see if that solves the problem. To reset your refrigerator compressor, try the following:
- Unplug your fridge from the wall.
- Shift the controls to “Off” or “0” for your fridge and freezer.
- Next, put the controls to your desired setting.
- Plug it back in and wait up to 24 hours to stabilize in temperature.
If that worked, great! If not, call a pro in to help you with your compressor.
– Consider the main control board
It’s very seldom that the main control board goes. Testing the other parts that are more common to go bad is the best way to go. But if nothing is out of place, it may well be the main control board.
You can replace it but if your fridge is older now, you may just want to replace the whole thing with a brand new model.
Why is my Magic Chef refrigerator freezer not freezing?
Let’s say your fridge is fine but your freezer on your Magic Chef refrigerator isn’t working. What do you do to fix it?
There could be a number of things happening here. Let’s start with the most common of them, the condenser coils.
Why cleaning your condenser coils will help cool your fridge and freezer
When the condenser coils get covered in gunk, it can mess up the cooling system for your fridge. Keeping them clean is the best way to ensure your fridge runs properly. That goes for the freezer too.
Simply taking a hand-held vacuum to the coils to remove dust should do the trick. If that doesn’t work, use a soft microfiber cloth to wipe away any additional residue. This should resolve your problem with the condenser coils.
If not, before checking all the other parts, you should make sure the door gasket is unobstructed.
Sometimes, all it takes is a little something that prevents the door seal from fully enacting, perhaps a drawer or shelf that is out of place. By checking this, you may see that was the only problem with your fridge not cooling properly.
Other troubles for your freezer not cooling
Just like with the fridge not cooling, your evaporator fan motor, start relay, condenser fan motor, compressor, main control board, user control and display board, and temperature control thermostat should all be assessed to see if they are the cause of the problem.
For the evaporator fan motor, you will likely notice that it won’t run when you have the door open.
You’ll want to open the freezer door and manually activate the freezer door switch. If this doesn’t work, you’ve got to replace this part.
But if you’ve checked all the other parts as in the steps above for your refrigerator portion of your Magic Chef refrigerator, then take a look at the following.
– Frosted over evaporator coils
When the freezer isn’t working, the most common cause beyond the dust buildup under or behind your fridge is the defrost system.
The defrost heater is supposed to come on several times per day to melt frost accumulation on the freezer evaporator coils.
If this doesn’t turn on, the frost builds up and the coils will frost over. A multimeter will help you check the continuity to see if you need to swap out this part.
– Sealed system leakage
When you open your freezer up, if you have only one shelf of it that is freezing or you see only one section of the evaporator coils is getting frosted up, it likely indicates a sealed system leak.
This isn’t a good thing to find, and if that’s the case, you’re probably going to need to replace the whole refrigerator and freezer since it’s not worth the cost of repairs. It would be cheaper to buy a new one.
Conclusion
For the most part, your Magic Chef refrigerator should function properly. Taking good care of it by keeping it clean inside and out will help promote its longevity.
Ideally, you’ll make a point to keep those coils outside the fridge free of dust and debris. But if something else goes wrong on your refrigerator or freezer, now you know what to look for.
Some of these parts are an easy fix for a handy person, but others will require a professional to replace.
And in some cases, the cost of replacement parts may not make sense when you can buy a new refrigerator.
It depends on what’s failing with the fridge. But when that fridge or freezer won’t cool properly, you’ll want to get it fixed promptly to avoid food waste and spoilage.