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It’s one thing to find your refrigerator not cooling. Still, it’s another to find that only one compartment is cool while the other isn’t. But, as confusing as it might be, the problem is quite common, and you can troubleshoot it quickly.
Check for a damaged door seal when the refrigerator compartment doesn’t cool, yet the freezer is cold. That can cause cold air to leak out, leaving the compartment warm. Cold air won’t be distributed inside if the evaporator coils are frozen, or the fan has failed. Lastly, check the damper control assembly. There could be an ice buildup, or the damper motor has stopped working.
You’ll learn everything you need to know to troubleshoot the problem in this guide. So keep reading to discover a step-by-step troubleshooting process that you’ll find helpful.
Why Is My Samsung Refrigerator Not Cooling But The Freezer Is Fine?
If you’re confused about why your refrigerator compartment is warm despite the freezer being ice-cold, don’t worry. That is a problem that you can troubleshoot quickly if you know what to look for.
Here are the steps you can follow to troubleshoot your appliance and restore cooling to the refrigerator compartment:
Step 1: Damaged Or Worn Door Seal
The first thing you’ll want to do is inspect the door seal or gasket on your appliance. More specifically, you’ll want to check every inch of the gasket around the refrigerator compartment door.
The gasket’s job is to ensure the door forms a tight seal whenever you close it. That way, none of the cold air inside can escape out into the surroundings.
Unfortunately, that gasket is prone to damage and regular wear. After all, think of how often you open and close your fridge door daily.
Aside from becoming worn, the gasket can also experience tears, rips, and holes due to damage over an extended period.
When any of the conditions above happen, the door fails to form a tight seal when closed, and cold air will rush out. That’s why you’ll feel that the fridge compartment is barely cooling despite the frigid freezer.
What you can do: If you find that the door seal is damaged or worn out, the only thing you can or should do is replace it with a new one. That’s because door seals aren’t repairable in any way, and the fridge will continue leaking cold air until you replace it.
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Thankfully, this is a job you can do independently. Simply remove the existing gasket and slide in an identical replacement to get the job done.
Read: How To Setup WiFi On Samsung Refrigerators?
Step 2: Failed Evaporator Fan
Assuming the door gasket is in excellent condition, the evaporator fan is next to check. That’s the fan that distributes cold air throughout the refrigerator compartment.
3 problems can cause an evaporator fan to fail, which are:
- Ice buildup: Frost and ice can build up around the evaporator fan blades, preventing them from turning.
- Damaged fan blades: The fan could also suffer damage that breaks off one or more of its blades. So even if the fan still turns, it fails to move any air.
- Failed fan motor: The fan blades are spun by a motor. That motor can wear out or suffer an electrical fault that prevents it from working.
When any of the problems above happen, no cold air from the evaporator will flow around the refrigerator compartment. That will leave it warm, even if the freezer is as cold as it should be.
What you can do: The solution to your problem will depend on the root cause. That’s why you need to inspect the evaporator fan up close.
You can solve an ice buildup by defrosting the compartment. This is free to do, but it’ll take a long time. Meanwhile, damaged fan blades are pretty affordable to replace.
A failed fan motor must also be replaced, though that will likely be more expensive.
Read: 3 Ways How To Reset Samsung Refrigerator Ice Maker?
Step 3: Frozen Evaporator Coils
As you can tell from Step 2, the evaporator coils are the source of cold air in the refrigerator compartment. More specifically, the coils absorb and remove all heat in the compartment, which is why they’re so cold.
Earlier, you also read that frost and ice can build up near the evaporator fan. The same can also happen with the coils, causing them to freeze into a solid block of ice.
When that happens, no air can flow through the coils, even with the help of a functioning evaporator fan.
As a result, the refrigerator compartment doesn’t receive any cold air.
What you can do: Frozen evaporator coils must be defrosted thoroughly before they can work correctly again. You can do that by shutting the appliance off and leaving the door open.
For better results, remove the compartment’s rear panel to expose the evaporator coils and help the ice melt faster.
Read: What Is Samsung Refrigerator Defrost Mode And How To Activate? – Troubleshooting Guide
Step 4: Stuck Damper Control Assembly
The final thing you’ll want to check is the damper control assembly.
Refrigerators like yours have an air duct that leads from the freezer compartment to the refrigerator compartment. The damper opens and closes to share cold air between both compartments depending on the internal temperature.
Unfortunately, two things can prevent that process from happening correctly:
- Ice buildup: Firstly, frost and ice can build up inside the air duct around the damper. That will prevent the damper from opening while restricting smooth airflow through the duct.
- Failed damper motor: The electrically-power motor that opens and closes the damper could fail. That will leave the damper stuck in the closed position.
In both cases, the refrigerator compartment will stay warm because it’s not receiving any cold air from the freezer via the air duct and its damper.
What you can do: You’ll have to inspect the air duct and damper to troubleshoot the problem inside. You can melt ice buildups, though a failed damper motor must be replaced with a new one.
Read: Why Samsung Refrigerator Ice Maker Freezing Up? – Troubleshooting Guide
Final Thoughts
So when you find that your refrigerator compartment isn’t cooling yet the freezer is as cold as ever, rest assured that the appliance’s cooling system is functioning correctly. The problem, however, is the cold air isn’t able to flow around as it should.
That typically happens because the air duct is frozen or the damper motor has failed. Besides that, a damaged or worn-out gasket can cause all cold air to leak out from the refrigerator compartment.
The evaporator coils could be frozen over, or its fan could fail, preventing any cold air from being distributed throughout the refrigerator compartment.
Read: 5 Reasons Why Samsung Fridge Not Cooling + Service Manual + DIY Heater
