Fridge freezing food in Ottawa?

• Faulty temperature sensor or thermostat. A drifting sensor reads the fridge as warmer than it is and overcools it, freezing your food.
• Stuck or broken air damper. The damper that meters cold air from the freezer sticks open and floods the fridge with freezing air.
• Setting too low or food near vents. A too-cold setting, or items placed right in front of the cold-air vents, causes freezing.
• Failed control board. A faulty main board can run the cooling longer than needed.
• Worn door gasket. A poor seal makes the fridge run harder, which can overcool the coldest areas.

We measure the actual compartment temperature, test the thermostat or thermistor, the damper and the control board, and adjust or replace the faulty part so the fridge holds a safe 3–4°C without freezing food. Sensors, thermostats and dampers are common parts, so many of these repairs are done in one visit, and the price is put in writing first.

B&M has been repairing refrigerators in Ottawa and Gatineau since 1995 and provides factory-authorized repairs; we are also TSSA-certified for gas work in Ontario.

A fridge that freezes food near the vent but is warm elsewhere often has a damper or airflow fault rather than a wrong setting. If the whole fridge is warming up, see fridge not cooling; if ice is growing on the back wall, see fridge icing up.

Temperature swinging between too cold and too warm?

If your thermometer reads near 0°C one day and well above 4°C the next, the fridge is not holding its setting, and changing the setting rarely fixes it. The usual causes are a temperature sensor giving false readings, an air damper that sticks open and then shut, a defrost system that works only some of the time (frost chokes the cold-air path until a later cycle clears it), or a worn door gasket letting room air in. Leave the thermometer on the same shelf for two or three days and note the readings for the technician; for the warm spells, our fridge not cooling guide covers what to check.