Why does my fridge freeze everything?
Thermostat setting, where things are placed, and airflow — three causes, and the food itself is often the clue.
- Difficulty
- beginner
- Time
- 30 min
- Read
- 2 min
- Safety
- caution
Short answer
Check the thermostat first, then move food away from the back wall and the vents. Items pressed against the rear panel freeze because that is where the cooling happens, regardless of the setting.
A fridge that freezes salad while the milk is fine is not broken — it has cold spots, and something is either sitting in one or blocking the airflow that would even them out.
Safety
Step by step
- Check the thermostat setting.It should be around 5°C or below. Many dials are numbered rather than in degrees, and knocking one to maximum is easy. A fridge thermometer removes the guesswork for a couple of pounds.
- Move food away from the back wall.The rear panel is where cooling happens, and anything touching it freezes. This is the single most common cause and it costs nothing to fix.
- Find the air vents and keep them clear.Usually at the back or top. Packing food against them stops cold air circulating, so it pools in one place and the rest of the fridge stays warm.
- Check whether the fridge is too empty.A nearly empty fridge cycles harder and produces bigger temperature swings. Counter-intuitively, a reasonably full fridge holds temperature better.
- Put the right things in the right places.The back and bottom are coldest; the door is warmest. Salad and eggs at the front or in the drawers, milk on a shelf rather than the door if it is freezing.
- Check the door seal.Close the door on a piece of paper and pull. If it slides out easily, the seal has failed. A leaking seal makes the fridge run constantly and overcool.
- Look for ice building up at the back.A thick layer of ice on the rear panel suggests a defrost fault. Switch it off, let it fully defrost, and see whether it returns.
- Check it is not in a cold room.A fridge or fridge-freezer in an unheated garage can misbehave in winter — many are not rated for low ambient temperatures and the freezer stops working properly.
Tips
- A cheap fridge thermometer settles this in a day. Dial numbers are not temperatures and they vary between models.
- Leave a gap behind and above the fridge. Restricted airflow around the outside makes it work harder and cycle less evenly.
- If food freezes only in one drawer, that drawer is in the coldest spot. Use it for things that do not mind — that is often what it is designed for.
Questions people ask
What temperature should a fridge be?
Around 5°C or below. Dial numbers are not temperatures, so a cheap fridge thermometer is the only way to know what yours is actually doing.
Why does only some of my food freeze?
It is sitting in a cold spot — usually against the rear panel where the cooling happens, or directly in front of an air vent. Move it forward.