SYMPTOM FILE · REFRIGERATORS & FREEZERS

Fridge going warm?

The one appliance fault with a countdown attached. Here's what fails, what to do this hour, and what the fix costs all-in.

from $269 diagnostic + labor + parts · $95 if you decline
All-inFrom-prices include diagnostic, labor and parts.
$95Visit + diagnosis — only if you decline the repair.
5Appliance types, every major brand.
Mon–FriPlanned routes across the Tri-Cities.
WALicensed & insured, based in Kennewick.
LIKELY CAUSES, IN ORDER

What usually did it.

01

Defrost system failure

Freezer fine, fridge warm: a frost dam is blocking the vents that feed cold air over. Heater, defrost thermostat or control — very repairable.
02

Evaporator fan

Cold can't circulate without it. Often announces itself with a squeal behind the freezer wall before quitting.
03

Start relay / capacitor

The click-every-few-minutes fault. Cheap caught early; compressor-killing ignored.
04

Condenser problems

Coils blanketed in dust, or a dead condenser fan — the fridge runs constantly, achieves little, and the cabinet sides feel hot.
BEFORE YOU BOOK

Three checks that are safe to try.

SAFE CHECKKeep the doors shut

Four hours of safety sealed, far less open. Every peek spends cold you can't get back.

SAFE CHECKListen for the fan and the click

Silence where the hum should be, or rhythmic clicking, are both worth mentioning at booking — each points the visit before it starts.

SAFE CHECKCheck the obvious two

Power at the outlet (test with a lamp) and the temperature dial — bumped settings and tripped GFCIs solve a surprising share of 'dead' fridges for free.

HOW WE CLOSE IT

The visit, plainly described.

No-cool calls get priority routing on weekday mornings. The diagnostic runs compartment temperatures, fan operation, frost patterns behind the back panel, and compressor start behavior — in that order, because the order distinguishes a $269 relay from a $500 misdiagnosis. The written all-in price lands before any part moves.

Sealed-system verdicts — compressor, refrigerant leak — are delivered at the $95 stage with the replace-versus-repair math laid out. On a standard kitchen unit that math usually says replace, and we'd rather you hear it an hour in than a week and several hundred dollars later.

ASKED OFTEN

On this fault specifically.

Freezer works but the fridge side is warm — is that better news?

Usually yes. That split behavior points at defrost or airflow rather than the compressor, which means a standard, priceable repair. The frost dam melts, the failed component gets replaced, and cooling returns the same day in most cases.

Should I empty the fridge before you arrive?

Move irreplaceables — medicine, expensive proteins — to a cooler, leave the rest. A loaded cabinet actually holds temperature better than an empty one, and we work around shelves routinely. If the repair needs the back panel, we'll clear that section together in two minutes.

My garage fridge quit in the heat wave. Worth a call?

Worth an honest one. Garage units fight ambient temperatures they were never rated for, and July failures out here are common. Some are one relay from recovery; some are the wrong appliance for the room. The $95 stage tells you which, and the all-in quote follows only if the fix makes sense.

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Full refrigerators & freezers page →

BOOK A REPAIR

One number in writing. Everything inside it.

Send the symptom or the code exactly as the display shows it. A weekday callback confirms your window, and the van loads for your machine before it leaves Kennewick.

Approve the quote

The all-in price covers diagnosis, labor and parts. It doesn't move after work starts.

Or decline it

$95 for the visit and diagnosis is the whole bill — if the fix costs too much or the machine isn't worth it, that's all you owe.

Tell us what's going on.

Code from the display, or plain words — both work.

Approve the repair and the all-in price covers everything. Decline it, and $95 for the visit and diagnosis is all you owe.

This fault doesn't fix itself.

From $269 all-in, most closed the same visit. Call (509) 841-9102 or send the form.