Your fridge never seems to shut off. The compressor hums along all day, the kitchen feels a little warmer than it should, and the electric bill is creeping up. Sometimes the food is still cold. Sometimes it isn’t. Either way, a refrigerator that runs nonstop is telling you something in the cooling system isn’t keeping up.
I’ve worked on refrigerators for 15 years. When a unit runs constantly, it’s usually one of a few things: dirty condenser coils, a failed condenser fan, a bad evaporator fan, a door that isn’t sealing, or a thermostat that’s lost its mind. Some of these you can check yourself in 10 or 15 minutes. Some you should not touch.
Here’s a quick map before we dig in:
| Symptom | Most likely cause | First thing to check | |—|—|—| | Runs nonstop, coils warm, weak airflow at the bottom grille | Dirty condenser coils | Pull the fridge, inspect the coils | | Runs nonstop, no air at the bottom grille, grinding noise | Failed condenser fan motor | Spin the blade by hand, check for voltage | | Freezer cold, fridge warm, fan quiet | Evaporator fan or door switch | Listen with the door closed | | Runs nonstop, condensation between the doors | Bad door gasket | Dollar-bill test at top, middle, bottom | | Runs nonstop, fridge too cold or too warm, no pattern | Thermostat or thermistor | Check settings, then test the sensor | | Compressor hot, clicking, short-cycling | Sealed system or start relay | Stop and call a tech |
Safety callout: Unplug the refrigerator before you pull it out, inspect the coils, or reach near any fan. Never open the sealed system — that’s the compressor, condenser, evaporator, and the lines between them. It holds refrigerant under pressure and it’s not a homeowner job. If you smell burning, see oil on a line, or the compressor is hot to the touch, unplug it and stop.
1. Check the condenser coils
Pull the fridge out from the wall. The condenser coils are either on the back or behind a grille at the bottom front. On most Whirlpool, Maytag, GE, Frigidaire, and Kenmore models, they’re underneath behind a kick plate.
Look at them. If they’re matted with dust, pet hair, and lint, that’s your problem — or at least part of it. Dirty coils can’t release heat. The compressor runs longer and longer trying to hit temperature, and it never quite gets there.
What this tells you: restricted airflow across the coils forces the compressor to work overtime. Clean them with a coil brush and a vacuum. On LG and Samsung French-door models, the coils sit behind a removable panel at the bottom rear — you’ll need a 1/4-inch nut driver. On GE and Whirlpool top-freezers, the coils are often on the back and easier to reach. If the coils are clean and the fridge still runs constantly, move on.
2. Listen for the condenser fan
The condenser fan sits next to the coils. It pulls air across them. Put your hand near the bottom grille — you should feel air moving. If the fan is silent, or you hear a grinding or squealing noise, the motor is failing or seized.
Unplug the fridge, then spin the blade by hand. It should turn freely with a little resistance. If it’s stiff or won’t move, the bearings are gone. On Whirlpool and Maytag, the fan motor usually reads 6 to 12 ohms across its leads; open or infinite means replace it. Samsung and LG condenser fans often throw a fan error code — Samsung shows 22E or 2E on the display, LG shows F or FS on some inverter models.
What this tells you: a dead condenser fan is a common cause of constant running, especially on LG and Samsung units. The compressor runs but the heat has nowhere to go. If the fan isn’t spinning, stop here and call a tech. Running the fridge this way can cook the compressor.
3. Check the evaporator fan inside the freezer
Open the freezer. The evaporator fan is behind the back panel. You can usually hear it running when the door is closed — some models shut it off when the door opens, so listen first, then open.
If the freezer is cold but the fridge side is warm, and the fan is quiet, the evaporator fan motor or the door switch that controls it may have failed. The door switch tells the fan to stop when you open the door. When it sticks, the fan never runs and cold air never moves to the fresh food side.
Test the motor leads with a multimeter. Most evaporator fan motors read between 10 and 40 ohms; anything open or shorted means replacement. GE and Frigidaire often use a simple two-wire motor, while Samsung and LG use a four- or five-wire DC motor that needs a control board signal to run. Whirlpool side-by-sides sometimes throw a code on the control board when the fan stalls.
What this tells you: no air circulation means the thermostat never sees the set temperature, so the compressor runs nonstop.
4. Check the door gaskets
Close the door on a dollar bill, half in and half out. Try to pull it out. If it slides out easily, the gasket isn’t sealing. Do this at the top, middle, and bottom of both doors.
What this tells you: warm room air is leaking in. The fridge runs constantly trying to fight it. Gaskets on older GE, KitchenAid, and Frigidaire units harden and crack over time. On LG and Samsung French-door models, the flipper mullion between the doors is a common leak point — check that it flips out when the door closes.
5. Check the thermostat and temperature settings
Pull the fridge out and check that the temperature control isn’t set to the coldest setting. Somebody in the house may have cranked it down. If it’s set normally and the fridge still runs nonstop, the thermostat or thermistor may have failed.
On modern LG, Samsung, and Bosch models, this is usually a thermistor, not a mechanical dial. A good thermistor reads roughly 10,000 ohms at 77°F and drops as it warms. Testing it requires a multimeter and the spec sheet for your model. Whirlpool and GE mechanical thermostats can be checked for continuity across the terminals — open means replace. Samsung error codes 21E, 21C, or 22C point to a sensor fault; LG shows ER FF or ER FS.
What this tells you: a thermostat that reads wrong never tells the compressor to shut off.
What it costs to fix
Most of these repairs land in a predictable range. A condenser fan motor runs $150 to $350 installed. An evaporator fan motor runs $200 to $400. A door gasket is $100 to $250 depending on the model. A thermistor or thermostat is $120 to $300. Dirty coils are the cheapest fix — a cleaning is usually $100 to $200 if you’d rather not do it yourself.
If the diagnosis comes back to the sealed system or the compressor, you’re looking at $600 to $1,200 or more. That’s where the repair-vs-replace math matters.
Repair or replace?
Here’s the rule I use. If the fridge is under 8 years old and the repair is under half the cost of a new unit, fix it. If it’s over 12 years old and the repair is a compressor or sealed system, replace it. If it’s between 8 and 12, it depends on the brand and how the rest of the unit looks. A Sub-Zero or Viking is almost always worth fixing. A builder-grade unit that’s already had two repairs is usually not.
FAQs
How long should a fridge run? A healthy fridge runs about 30 to 50 percent of the time. In a hot kitchen or with the door opening a lot, it can push 60 percent. Running 90 percent or more is not normal.
Why does my fridge run constantly but stay cold? Usually a thermostat or thermistor that’s reading wrong, a door gasket leaking warm air, or a condenser fan that’s weak but not dead. The compressor is doing its job — it’s just being told to keep going.
Why does my fridge run constantly and get warm inside? That’s usually the evaporator fan or a sealed system issue. Check the freezer first. If the freezer is cold and the fridge isn’t, it’s an air movement problem.
When to stop and call a tech
Stop if the condenser fan isn’t running, if you smell burning, if the compressor is hot to the touch, or if you’ve cleaned the coils and checked the gaskets and it’s still running nonstop. Diagnosing a sealed system, a compressor, or a control board isn’t a homeowner job — and guessing wrong on a compressor can turn a $300 repair into a $1,200 replacement.
If you’re in Denton, Little Elm, Frisco, or Lewisville and your fridge won’t quit, S&W Service & Repair LLC handles refrigerator repair across North Texas, including Plano, The Colony, Flower Mound, and Highland Village. We work on Whirlpool, LG, Samsung, GE, Frigidaire, Maytag, KitchenAid, Bosch, Kenmore, Sub-Zero, Wolf, and Viking, and we also take Old Republic Home Protection work orders.
If you’d rather not pull the fridge apart yourself, book online and we’ll get a tech out. If you’re not sure whether it’s worth fixing, contact us and we’ll give you a straight answer. We also handle washer repair and most other kitchen appliances while we’re there.
Written by the lead tech at S&W Service & Repair LLC. Licensed and insured in Texas, TDLR license #TACLB00000000. All repairs backed by our parts and labor warranty. Rated 4.9 stars across 300+ verified reviews on Google and Yelp.
Call S&W Service & Repair LLC at 817-403-2174 (or 940-304-4512) or book online at https://sandwserviceandrepaircompanyllc.setmore.com.
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