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Refrigerator repair near you

Refrigerator work is the most time-sensitive call in the trade — food is on the clock. Most technicians can diagnose a cooling fault on the first visit and carry the common defrost and compressor-circuit parts with them.

676 of the 873 businesses in this directory list refrigerator repair, across 50 states and 317 cities. Below them: what actually fails, what the repair costs, and when replacing is the better call.

Stainless refrigerator and freezer in a warm home kitchen
Listed pros
676
States covered
50
Licensed
671
24/7 emergency
13
Average rating
4.6
Reviews
80,167
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Top-rated refrigerator repair pros

The 12 highest-rated of 676 businesses that service refrigerators. Call the number on the listing — we never take a cut.

664 more refrigerator repair businesses are indexed by state and city further down this page.

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Common refrigerator faults, and what each one usually is

Symptom, the cause it most often turns out to be, and whether it is homeowner work or a job that has to go to a licensed technician.

A refrigerator is the only appliance in the house that never switches off, which is why it accumulates the most run hours and why its failures are rarely sudden. Almost every no-cooling call has a warning period: the unit runs longer between cycles, the ice cream softens, the back panel gets hot. Catching it there turns a $200 fan motor into the whole repair instead of a $700 compressor job.

The single most useful thing you can tell a technician is whether the freezer still freezes. If it does and the fresh-food side is warm, the sealed system is almost certainly fine and you are looking at airflow — a fan, a damper, or a defrost fault. If neither side is cold, the problem is upstream in the compressor circuit. That one sentence changes which parts get loaded on the van.

Technician
Needs a technician — meter diagnosis, a model-matched part, or teardown that is easy to get wrong.
Homeowner fix
Safe for a homeowner with basic tools once the appliance is unplugged or the breaker is off.
Licensed trade only
Gas piping, sealed refrigerant systems, or fixed wiring. Licensed and, for refrigerant, EPA Section 608 certified technicians only.

  • Fridge side is warm but the freezer is still cold

    Technician

    The evaporator fan has stopped, or the damper between the two compartments is stuck shut. One evaporator cools both sides on most modern units, so the freezer holds temperature longest.

    Step-by-step: Refrigerator Not Cooling →

  • Nothing is cold and the compressor clicks every few minutes

    Technician

    A failed start relay or overload protector. The relay plugs into the side of the compressor and rattles when it has failed — the classic five-second test.

    Step-by-step: Refrigerator Not Cooling →

  • Runs constantly and the back or bottom grille is hot

    Homeowner fix

    Condenser coils choked with dust and pet hair. The compressor can never reach its cut-out temperature, so it simply never stops.

    Step-by-step: Refrigerator Running Constantly →

  • Water pooling under the crisper drawers or ice on the freezer floor

    Homeowner fix

    A blocked defrost drain — usually a plug of ice in the drain tube behind the rear freezer panel. Melt water backs up and finds the lowest point.

    Step-by-step: Refrigerator Leaking Water →

  • Thick frost building on the back wall of the freezer

    Technician

    The defrost heater, bimetal thermostat, or adaptive defrost control has quit, so the automatic defrost cycle never runs and the evaporator ices over.

  • Warm air you can feel along the door edge

    Homeowner fix

    A hardened, torn, or magnetically dead door gasket. Close the door on a dollar bill: if it slides out with no drag, the seal has gone.

  • Buzzing or rattling that stops the moment you open the door

    Technician

    The evaporator fan blade is striking ice or its bearing is failing. It only runs with the door closed, which is why the noise disappears.

    Step-by-step: Refrigerator Making Noise →

  • No hum at all, coils clean, nothing cooling

    Licensed trade only

    A sealed-system refrigerant leak or a seized compressor. Locating the leak, recovering refrigerant and recharging is EPA Section 608 work.

Maintenance that prevents those failures

Each item below maps directly onto a fault in the list above. This is the whole of refrigerator preventive maintenance — there is nothing else worth doing.

  • Vacuum the condenser coils with a brush attachment

    Every 6 months, every 3 with pets

    Prevents: The single most common no-cooling call, plus premature compressor wear.

  • Flush the defrost drain with warm water

    Twice a year

    Prevents: Water under the crispers and ice sheets on the freezer floor.

  • Dollar-bill test every door seal

    Twice a year

    Prevents: Constant running, frost build-up, and a compressor that never rests.

  • Change the water filter

    Every 6 months

    Prevents: Small hollow cubes, slow dispensing, and a strained inlet valve.

  • Keep 2 in. clear behind and above the cabinet

    Check after any move

    Prevents: Heat recirculating through the condenser, which shortens compressor life.

Try it yourself first

Free step-by-step guides and the replacement parts that fix most refrigerator faults, with realistic difficulty ratings.

Refrigerator parts & suppliers →

8 more refrigerator repair guides cover the rest of the faults above.

Common refrigerator replacement parts with typical price, service life, and installation difficulty.
PartTypical priceDifficulty
Water FilterLasts 6 months$25–$60easy
Door GasketLasts 5–10 years$30–$80easy
Condenser Fan MotorLasts 10–15 years$50–$150moderate
Evaporator Fan MotorLasts 8–14 years$40–$120moderate
Start Relay and OverloadLasts 8–15 years$12–$45easy
Water Inlet ValveLasts 8–12 years$30–$95moderate
Defrost ThermostatLasts 10–15 years$15–$50moderate
Defrost HeaterLasts 10–18 years$30–$95advanced
ThermistorLasts 10+ years$10–$35moderate
Ice Maker AssemblyLasts 5–10 years$80–$260moderate
Main Control BoardLasts 10–15 years$90–$340moderate

Brands the listed refrigerator pros service

Counts are how many of the 676 businesses servicing refrigerators name that brand. 56 distinct brands are covered in total, and 34 of these businesses hold a factory-authorized servicer credential.

All brands →

Brand matters more here than on any other appliance. Built-in Sub-Zero, Viking and Thermador cabinets use sealed systems and control boards that need model-specific training and parts, and many technicians decline them. Confirm the brand on the phone before booking.

Whirlpool660GE651Maytag647Samsung647LG643Frigidaire631KitchenAid596Bosch294Kenmore273Sub-Zero118Amana115Viking89Thermador86Wolf65Miele55Electrolux45Speed Queen28Haier23Dacor17Jenn-Air16Fisher & Paykel10

Refrigerator repair by state

50 states with listed refrigerator repair businesses. Each opens a ranked list for that state.

Alabama15Alaska9Arizona15Arkansas9California18Colorado18Connecticut14Delaware9Florida26Georgia15Hawaii9Idaho15Illinois14Indiana16Iowa9Kansas14Kentucky14Louisiana16Maine8Maryland14Massachusetts14Michigan19Minnesota18Mississippi11Missouri14Montana10Nebraska13Nevada11New Hampshire8New Jersey17New Mexico7New York14North Carolina19North Dakota8Ohio19Oklahoma13Oregon13Pennsylvania15Rhode Island7South Carolina13South Dakota9Tennessee20Texas27Utah11Vermont8Virginia17Washington14West Virginia9Wisconsin13Wyoming8

Cities with the most refrigerator repair pros

317 cities have at least one listed refrigerator specialist. Ranked by how many.

Browse all locations →
Indianapolis, IN9Tucson, AZ9Chicago, IL8Denver, CO8Kansas City, MO8Louisville, KY8Austin, TX7Grand Rapids, MI7Las Vegas, NV7Nashville, TN7Atlanta, GA6Birmingham, AL6Honolulu, HI6Houston, TX6Los Angeles, CA6Miami, FL6Milwaukee, WI6New Orleans, LA6Pittsburgh, PA6Portland, OR6Raleigh, NC6Tampa, FL6Augusta, GA5Baltimore, MD5Boise, ID5Boston, MA5Cincinnati, OH5Cleveland, OH5Jacksonville, FL5Memphis, TN5

Other appliances we cover

Washer repair673Dryer repair674Dishwasher repair664Oven & Range repair672Microwave repair209Garbage Disposal repair110Ice Maker repair147Freezer repair402Trash Compactor repair14Wine Cooler repair56Range Hood repair24

What refrigerator repair costs

National ranges for parts and labor together, before the diagnostic fee. Regional labor rates move these by roughly 20% either way, and no figure here is a quote.

Typical refrigerator repair jobs with national cost ranges.
RepairParts + labor
Condenser coil clean and airflow checkOften folded into the diagnostic call.$80–$150
Compressor start relay or overloadPart is under $40 — the rest is the trip and diagnosis.$150–$300
Evaporator or condenser fan motorBottom-freezer access takes longer, so labor runs higher.$180–$400
Defrost heater, thermostat, or control boardBoard failures sit at the top of the range.$200–$450
Water inlet valve or ice maker moduleAsk for both to be tested — one failure masks the other.$180–$400
Door gasket replacementPriced per door; a French-door cabinet needs two.$150–$350
Sealed-system leak repair and rechargeInsist the leak is located, not just topped up.$400–$800
Compressor replacementWeigh against the replacement figures below before authorizing.$500–$1,100

Blue Book

The 50% rule for a refrigerator

New unit, US average
$1,200
Expected lifespan
14 years
Repair-or-replace line
$600
Diagnostic fee
$50–$120

A quote above $600 on a refrigerator past 9 years old is usually money better spent on a replacement. Below that line, and with life left on the clock, repair wins almost every time.

Estimate my refrigerator’s value

Adjusts for brand tier, age and condition. Free, no sign-up.

How long a refrigerator lasts

13–15 years for a plain top-freezer or bottom-freezer cabinet. Side-by-side and French-door models with through-the-door ice and water land nearer 11–13, because the dispenser, the icemaker and the second door seal are all extra things to fail.

Units that die before year eight almost always failed for an airflow reason: coils never cleaned, less than two inches of clearance behind the cabinet, or a garage installation where ambient temperature swings past what the thermostat was designed for.

When replacing beats repairing

  • The compressor or sealed system has failed and the unit is past year ten — that repair alone approaches half the price of a new cabinet.
  • It is a second or third repair inside twelve months on the same circuit.
  • The cabinet is pre-2001 — a fridge that old draws meaningfully more electricity than a current ENERGY STAR model, and on an appliance that never switches off the running-cost difference pays back part of a replacement.
  • The interior liner is cracked or the door has rusted through; neither is economically repairable.

Refrigerator repair — common questions

How much does refrigerator repair cost?
Most refrigerator repairs land between $200 and $400 including parts and labor, on top of a $50–$120 diagnostic fee that is commonly credited against the repair. Fan motors, relays and defrost parts sit at the low end; sealed-system and compressor work runs $400–$1,100 and is the point at which replacement deserves a hard look.
Is it worth repairing a refrigerator that is 10 years old?
Usually yes for anything other than compressor or sealed-system failure. A ten-year-old cabinet has three to five years left on an average lifespan of 13–15, so a $250 fan or defrost repair is good value. Apply the 50% rule: if the quote exceeds half the price of an equivalent new unit, replace instead.
Why is my refrigerator running constantly but not cooling?
Almost always airflow. Dirty condenser coils are the most common cause, followed by a stopped condenser or evaporator fan and a defrost system that has iced the evaporator over. Clean the coils first — it is free and it resolves a large share of these calls. If it still runs non-stop after 24 hours, book a technician.
How long should a refrigerator last?
13–15 years for a standard top-freezer or bottom-freezer model, 11–13 for a side-by-side or French-door with a through-the-door dispenser. Coil cleaning twice a year is the single biggest factor in reaching the upper end of that range.
Can I fix a refrigerator that is leaking water myself?
Often, yes. Water under the crisper drawers is nearly always a frozen defrost drain, which you clear by melting the ice plug with warm water from the freezer side. Water on the floor at the front usually means a cracked drain pan or a loose water-line fitting. Refrigerant is not water — an oily residue means a sealed-system leak and needs a certified technician.
Do I need a licensed technician for refrigerator repair?
For anything touching the sealed refrigerant circuit, yes — recovering and recharging refrigerant requires EPA Section 608 certification by federal law, regardless of state. Fans, gaskets, defrost parts, icemakers and control boards do not, though most states still license appliance repair as a trade.
How long does refrigerator repair take?
A diagnosis plus a common repair is 1–2 hours in a single visit. If the part is model-specific — a control board, an inverter compressor, an OEM gasket — expect the technician to order it and return in two to five business days. Ask whether the part is on the van before you agree to a first visit.

Need a refrigerator fixed this week?

Every listing above is a real business with a real phone number. Compare two or three on rating, licensing and years in business, then call the one that explains the job best — and tell them what you found in the fault list above.

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