It might sound ridiculous, but have you checked the fridge is plugged in and switched on? You would be amazed at how many people call us for something as simple as this! If the answer is yes to both of these things, check your house fuses haven’t tripped and turned off the power. If you have a power light on the front on the fridge (usually at the top), see if it is lit. If it is, the fridge should have power. If there are still no signs of life after checking all these, try plugging the fridge into a different power socket, or try plugging something like a lamp into the socket to check that it works. If none of these work, it may be a fault with the appliance itself- time to call for a hero.
Another way to check if the fridge has power is to listen- the condenser should make a faint humming or buzzing noise. Some newer models hardly make any sound, so don’t trust this method on its own.
If you are sure the fridge has power and is on, next it is time to check the thermostat. What temperature is it set to? Try turning it down to the lowest setting and leave for a while to see if the fridge gets cold / colder. If it does, it’s problem solved.
If this makes no difference, see our What’s the best way to pull out my fridge? page and look at the back of the appliance. The metal grill parts across the back are the condenser.
This is the part of the fridge that makes it cold. If they are covered in dust, this could affect the temperature or stop it working altogether. If so, get the vacuum and gently clean it. Double check that the fridge is unplugged before attempting this, and be sure not to stick the vacuum
nozzles in the back, as you may cause more damage!
If none of the above works, it may be a faulty part- time to call for a hero.
