When a refrigerator is not cooling, it’s recommended to check the airflow.
If it is restricted, this can be a sign of one of the malfunctioning of the internal components and needing to be repaired.
A common issue involves no airflow in the refrigerator throughout the day.
There might not be airflow in the refrigerator because the defrost system is malfunctioning. This occurs when the damper is closed or the air vent is blocked. To solve this, turn the damper control to the coldest temperature. If it still does not work, open the freezer door, and cut the fridge’s power. This will let the frost thaw.
This is a problem that can occur in fridges that are sitting in colder rooms and/or are older. When the defrost mechanism stops working, the build-up will become aggressive.
The best option is to implement a strategy to thaw the frost and this can only be done by adjusting the settings or turning off the fridge for a few hours.
This article will look at a step-by-step breakdown of what is required to fix no airflow in the refrigerator.
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Steps On How To Fix No Airflow In The Refrigerator
1. Adjust The Damper Setting
When the fridge’s vent is blocked, you will have to focus on the damper.
This is an important component for regulating how the fridge cools and how frost is managed inside the appliance.
If there are blockages to deal with, you are going to notice no airflow in the fridge. This is the first problem that arises when something like this happens.
To fix the issue, you are going to want to begin with a simple adjustment of the damper setting. You will want to put it to the coldest possible setting your fridge allows.
Before doing this, it is recommended to see how bad the situation is.
You can look at the vent to see if it is blocked or not. In most cases, you are going to notice the frost accumulating inside the vent and it is only going to get worse with time. The best course of action is to adjust the damper setting in the fridge when this happens.
Will this resolve the issue?
In a lot of cases, this is the only step you have to focus on. If you wait a few hours, the frost will go away and the airflow in your fridge will be back to how it is supposed to be.
2. Turn Off The Fridge’s Power
The air vent behind the fridge can get blocked and it’s important to let the appliance settle for a while.
If you keep running it on full power, the frost is only going to get worse. This is why a secondary option if the damper setting doesn’t work is to turn off the power to the fridge.
What this is going to do is let the fridge settle and the frost will melt.
It’s a simple solution when there is no airflow in the fridge. Air circulation in the fridge can be reset by doing this especially if you wait a few hours.
3. Turn On The Fridge
Now you are going to turn on the fridge after a few hours have passed by.
The goal here is to not stuff the fridge with food and rather let it run at a cooler setting. You don’t have to crank it up to the coldest setting but just let it run.
This will allow you to go back and inspect the air vent to see what’s going on and whether or not the problem is persisting.
If it continues, this means the air vent is damaged or the cooling has gone haywire. This might demand a complete replacement of one of the parts inside the fridge.

4. Test The Fridge
The goal should be to keep testing the fridge and assess its airflow.
A good option is to invest in a separate thermometer that can be set up inside the fridge. The idea behind doing this is to make sure you can get a read on how fast the fridge cools and whether or not this is impacting the airflow.
If the temperature doesn’t budge then the airflow is still restricted.
Final Thoughts
These are the tips to look at with no airflow in the refrigerator.
If there is no airflow in the refrigerator, it is likely due to a blocked vent. You will want to correct this issue by adjusting the damper setting down to the coldest setting. If this does not work after a few hours, turn off the power supply to the fridge. This will let the frost thaw and ensure the air vent is not restricted any longer.
These are simple adjustments that do not take a lot of time and will allow the air to flow through the vent again.
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