How long should a fridge take to cool down?

After it's been off, give it most of a day to come down to temperature. If it's been running all along and it's warm, something's wrong.

Keep the doors shut. Food that sat above 40°F for more than a couple of hours should be thrown out. Move what you can to a cooler.

Refrigerator Not Cooling

If the fridge runs but won’t get cold, the most common causes are dirty condenser coils, a failed evaporator or condenser fan, or a defrost problem that iced over the coil. Start with the coils and the vents.

Common causes

Dirty condenser coils. Dust and pet hair keep the coils from shedding heat, so the fridge runs and runs.
Condenser fan stopped. On most fridges it’s down by the compressor. If it doesn’t spin while the compressor runs, the fridge overheats.
Evaporator fan out. The freezer may still be cold, but no cold air gets pushed into the fresh-food side.
Iced-over evaporator coil. A defrost heater, defrost thermostat or control fails and the coil frosts solid.
Start relay or compressor. You hear a click every few minutes and nothing runs. The relay is a small part; the compressor is not.
Damper stuck. On many side-by-sides and French doors, a damper controls air into the fridge side.

Checks you can do safely

Turn off power (and water or gas where it applies) before you reach inside any appliance.

Check the temperature dial. Kids and cleaning crews bump these.
Make sure food isn’t packed against the vents inside the freezer.
Pull the bottom grille or slide the fridge out and vacuum the condenser coils.
Listen near the bottom back. You should hear a fan when the compressor is running.
Look at the back wall of the freezer. A thick sheet of frost there points to a defrost problem.

When to call us

Call if the coils are clean and it still won’t cool, if you see heavy frost on the freezer back wall, or if you hear clicking with nothing running. We work Monday to Friday, 8 to 5, across Dallas, Tarrant, Collin, Denton, Rockwall, Ellis and Johnson counties. The service call is $150 and we waive it if you go ahead with the repair. Parts and labor are covered for 90 days.

Service page: refrigerator repair.