During normal operation the fan or fans on a Whirlpool fridge will run every now and then, and the fan will always run when you hear your fridge humming. But, there are few reasons why the fan or fans on your Whirlpool fridge won’t run, so here is how to fix a Whirlpool fridge when the fan is not running.
In general, check cooling is turned on. Use the owners manual for your Whirlpool fridge to locate the settings to turn it on and off, and ensure it’s turned on. If the fan still won’t run when you hear your fridge humming, ensure showroom (demo) mode has not been accidentally enabled.
Some Whirlpool models have a manual switch, whereas, for others you adjust the settings using the digital control panel. After the power to your fridge is disconnected many Whirlpool fridges disable cooling.
And it needs to be turned back on manually. If you hear the hum of the condenser but the fan or fans aren’t running, a component has failed, and a repair technician needs to fix it.
Ice naturally builds up around the fan, and on the inside of all fridge models. Virtually all fridges run a defrost cycle a few times per day. These cycles run for 30 minutes to 1 hour. During that time, the fridge will blow warm air into your fridge to melt any ice build up.
It’s possible the condenser, or the internal computer has a problem and the defrost cycle doesn’t run. If it does, you will notice a large build up of ice around the fan, which is stopping it from rotating. It can be freed up by leaving your fridge off for a few hours with the door open to allow the ice to melt.
You can also blow a hairdryer on it to melt the ice around it much faster. Although this is a quick fix, generally, you will eventually need to have a repair technician take a look at it, because the defrost cycle is not functioning correctly.
Why Your Whirlpool Refrigerator Fan Is Not Working
All fridge freezers have a fan that blows cool air into the freezer and another fan that blows cool air from the freezer into the fridge. Whereas, standalone fridges only have one fan responsible for blowing cool air into the fridge.
In general, cooling mode is turned off, it’s in showroom (demo) mode, Sabbath mode, or an internal component is faulty. After a power outage or power surge many fridge models disable cooling and it needs to be turned back on manually.
It’s very simple to fix some of these issues. Whereas, others require a repair technician, unless you have experience working with electronics. Below, I will cover how to troubleshoot each of the issues that cause the fan on your fridge not to run.
Top Reasons Why Whirlpool Refrigerator Fan Is Not Working
1. Cooling mode is turned off
Virtually all fridges have cooling mode that can be turned on and off. If someone in your household has been tinkering with the digital display they may have accidentally disabled cooling mode. On many fridges cooling is turned off when the power is disconnected to your fridge.
This can happen if the fuse at the switch board for your home is triggered due to a power surge. Or, if you moved your fridge to a different part of the house. It’s very easy to check if your cooling mode is on.
There is typically a dedicated button on the LCD display for a fridge. On fridges without an LCD display there is a decent sized switch like a light switch. It’s typically located around the edge or on the interior of your fridge.
If you can’t locate it, refer to your owners manual to see where it’s located. It can be a paper version, or an online version. You can typically download an online version from your fridge manufacturers website.
Copyright article owner is ReadyToDiy.com for this article. This post was first published on February 25, 2023.
2. It’s in showroom mode or Sabbath mode
Showroom mode, also called demo mode, is used when a fridge is in a store. It enables all of the functionality of a fridge to work, but does not cool your fridge. And therefore the fan never runs.
It may have been left on by mistake when you brought your fridge. Or, it may have been enabled accidentally. Sabbath mode is closely related.
It stops a fridge from cooling on the Sabbath, which, as you may know, is a Saturday. Refer to your owners manual to see how to enable and disable showroom and Sabbath mode.
3. An internal component is faulty
There are various internal components on a fridge. These include the internal computer, the fan, thermostat, and condensers. These are all closely related, and if one is not working it can cause one of the others to not function.
The fan itself can also be faulty. Unless you have experience working on electronics, or appliances, it’s best to have a repair technician take a look at it.
ReadyToDIY is the owner of this article. This post was published on February 25, 2023.
They can identify what component is faulty, and repair or replace it. The repair or replacement may also be covered under your manufacturer’s warranty.