Commercial Ice Machine Maintenance: A Checklist for LA Kitchens
Southern California's hard water is the single biggest threat to commercial ice production. Here is the maintenance rhythm that keeps a machine at rated output.
Read →Refrigeration · 2026-08-18
Refrigerator Not Cooling? Work Through These 6 Checks First
Before you book a technician, five minutes of checks resolves a surprising share of no-cooling complaints. Here is the order we work through them ourselves.
Short answer
The most common cause of a refrigerator not cooling is dirty condenser coils restricting heat release. Clean the coils, confirm the vents inside are not blocked, verify the door seal, and check the temperature setting before calling for service.
Start with the condenser coils
Dust, lint and pet hair build up on the coils behind or beneath the unit and act as insulation. The compressor then runs continuously without ever bringing the box down to temperature. Pull the unit out, unplug it, and vacuum the coils with a brush attachment. On built-in units the coils are usually behind a grille at the top. This one step resolves a meaningful share of the no-cooling calls we get across Los Angeles.
Check airflow inside the cabinet
Cold air enters the fresh food section through vents from the freezer. If groceries are pushed against those vents, or if frost has built up over the evaporator, airflow stops. A freezer that is cold while the refrigerator section is warm almost always points to airflow rather than refrigerant.
Test the door seal
Close the door on a banknote and pull. If it slides out with no resistance, the gasket is no longer sealing. Coastal properties in Malibu, Santa Monica and Pacific Palisades see gasket failure earlier because salt air degrades the rubber faster.
Listen to the compressor
A compressor that hums for a few seconds then clicks off is failing to start, usually because of a bad start relay or capacitor rather than the compressor itself. That distinction matters enormously — one is an inexpensive part, the other often means replacing the appliance.
Confirm the temperature setting
It sounds obvious, but control panels get bumped, and children and cleaners both find the buttons. Confirm the fresh food section is set to 37-40°F and the freezer to 0-5°F.
Know when to stop
If the coils are clean, airflow is unobstructed, the seal is good and it still is not cooling, the next steps involve sealed-system diagnosis and refrigerant handling. That requires certification and the right gauges. At that point, book a technician.
Need a hand? Lerman Appliances has served Los Angeles since 2002. Call (818) 510-4851, provide the model number and describe the symptoms — we’ll try our best to tell you what is likely wrong before dispatching anyone.
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Broken appliance? Let’s get it sorted.
Call the office, provide the model number and describe the symptoms. We’ll try our best to tell you what is likely wrong and what it takes to fix it before anyone gets in a van.