Fridge repairs in Northcliff and surrounds

Listen to a fridge that has stopped cooling and it often tells you what's wrong. A steady hum with no cold usually means the compressor is running but the cold isn't getting where it should: a fan, a defrost fault or low gas. Silence with the light on points to the thermostat, the relay or the compressor. And a click every few minutes, with a brief buzz and then nothing, is the compressor trying to start and failing, most often because of the start relay.

In the older homes of Linden, Emmarentia, Greenside and Montgomery Park, the kitchen itself can be part of the story: a fridge squeezed into a space built for a smaller one, or plugged into an old socket shared with the kettle. The technician comes to you, checks the fridge and its setup, and tells you what's wrong and what the repair will cost before any work starts.

Our guide to a fridge not cooling has safe checks to try first.

Suburbs we cover in Northcliff

Fridges in old alcoves, renovated kitchens and the odd outbuilding, from Northcliff hill to Linden, Emmarentia and Greenside. We cover:

• Northcliff
• Fairland
• Blackheath
• Cresta
• Linden
• Emmarentia
• Greenside
• Montgomery Park

Fridge faults we fix in Northcliff

• Clicking every few minutes

  The compressor's overload protector clicks it off when it can't start. A failed start relay or capacitor is the usual cause, and an affordable repair. Sometimes the compressor itself is failing.

• Humming but warm

  The compressor is running, but cold air isn't reaching the cabinet. A stopped fan, an iced-up evaporator or low gas from a leak are the likely reasons.

• Silent with the light on

  Power reaches the fridge, but the compressor isn't being asked to run, or can't. The thermostat, the relay, a control board or the compressor needs testing.

• Fridge squeezed into an old alcove

  A modern fridge in a space built for a smaller one has no room to breathe. It runs longer, gets hot at the sides and wears out sooner.

• Shared plug point tripping

  A fridge on the same socket as a kettle or a microwave can trip an old circuit. Give the fridge its own socket if you can, and have the circuit checked if it keeps tripping.

• Ice in the freezer compartment

  On older fridges with a freezer box at the top, frost builds up and needs a manual defrost. If it builds quickly, the door seal on the fridge isn't gripping.

• Water on the floor

  A blocked defrost drain inside the fridge, a cracked drip tray behind it, or melt water from a freezer box that was defrosted without towels.

Clicking but not starting

A fridge compressor needs a kick to start, and the start relay gives it one. When the relay fails, or the compressor is struggling, the overload protector trips to stop it overheating. You hear a click, perhaps a hum for a second or two, then silence, and the cycle repeats every few minutes.

Switch the fridge off at the wall and leave it off until the technician arrives. Repeated failed starts heat the compressor and do it no good. A new relay is a quick, affordable repair. If the compressor itself is the problem, the technician will give you the price and help you weigh it up.

Old kitchens and modern fridges

Older kitchens were often designed around smaller fridges. A larger modern model forced into the same alcove has no room at the back or sides to get rid of heat. If you can, give it a few more centimetres, keep the top clear, and vacuum the coils at the back every few months.

Plug the fridge into its own socket, not a double adaptor shared with other appliances. An old circuit can struggle with a fridge's start-up current alongside a kettle.

Is it worth repairing?

Relays, thermostats, fans, seals and defrost parts are everyday repairs, worth doing on almost any fridge that's otherwise sound. The compressor and the sealed system are the expensive end. On an older fridge, compare that repair with a new one, and remember that very old fridges can cost noticeably more to run. Our repair or replace check helps.

After you book

If parking near your gate is tricky, tell us when you book. Typically at your door within 60 minutes for same-day bookings. Track your technician live: when they leave, you get a live tracking link on your phone.

The technician tests the fridge, its relay and its supply, and explains the fault and the price before any work starts.

No call-out fee when we repair it.If no repair is done, a R500 call-out applies. The technician finds the fault and explains the repair before any work starts, so you decide whether to go ahead.

Book a repair

Fridge repairs in Northcliff: your questions