If your Hotpoint refrigerator’s not running and it will not start, follow these four troubleshooting steps to help you isolate where the problem is so you can repair or replace the defective part or parts and get your refrigerator up and running again.

WARNING – If you are attempting to repair any refrigerator yourself, be aware that you are working with potentially dangerous electrical currents that can cause serious bodily injury or death.  Always remove the electrical power source from the appliance before you ever begin working on it.  If you are attempting to repair any household gas appliances yourself, always be sure to turn off the gas that is designated to the appliance before you ever begin to repair it.  Be aware that refrigerators have extremely sharp edges and moving parts that can cause serious bodily injury or death.  Be aware that there are many other dangers and precautions involved with a refrigerator repair besides those listed above.  We strongly suggest that you please read our DISCLAIMER before any further actions are taken or proceeding any further.  Think safety first!

Hotpoint Refrigerator

Step – (1.) Incoming Power

If your Hotpoint refrigerator will not run or the compressor is not kicking on, first you will need to begin by troubleshooting the simple repair solutions.  Step – (1) Open the refrigerator door to see if the interior light is working, if the refrigerator light is working, you can move on to step – (2), If the interior light is not coming on and the fridge is not running you will need look for a blown fuse or a tripped circuit breaker in your home’s main circuit breaker box.   If you do not have a blown fuse or a tripped circuit breaker you will need to test the electrical wall outlet with a voltmeter.  If you do not have a test meter, try plugging something else that runs on 110 volts into the outlet to see if the outlet is faulty or working properly.  If you do have a test meter, the wall receptacle test should check at 115V plus or minus 10 percent.  If the receptacle is bad you will need to replace it with a new one.

Step – (2.) Overload or Relay Start Capacitor

If you can hear a clicking sound coming from the bottom of the refrigerator and you can see the fan working but the compressor is not kicking on, it could be that either the start relay or the run capacitor have failed, they are both mounted onto the side of the refrigerator’s compressor.  The start relay is used to help start the compressor, it is used as a jump start device.  If the overload or relay start capacitor is not working the compressor will not start running.

Step – (3.) Temperature Control Thermostat

The temperature control thermostat is located inside of the refrigerator section.  You will need to look for the control dial that has the word off printed on the face of it.  This is the control that turns the compressor on and off.  Now go ahead and turn the dial or knob to the off position, then turn it back to the on position.  Did the compressor kick back on?   If the compressor did not start you will need to test the thermostat using a test meter.  Testing the temperature control thermostat – Place the meter probes on the thermostat’s terminals, set the range scale on (R x I) and test the part for continuity.  With the control dial set in the off position, you should not read any continuity, when the control dial is set to the highest position, you should read continuity on the meter.  If the control thermostat does not have any continuity, it will need to be replaced with a new part.  If the test shows that it does have continuity, more troubleshooting will need to be performed on the refrigerator.

Step – (4.) Electronic Circuit Control Board

You will need to inspect the refrigerators electronic control board, only used on some modern refrigerator models.  The circuit control board can be a very difficult part to test.  The board is a very intricate electrical part, sometimes a hairline fracture in a tiny, soldered spot can cause the whole board to fail.  You won’t even be able to see the fracture in the solder without using a magnifying glass.  You can visually inspect both the front and back sides of the control board.  You should be looking for a loose wire harness connection or a burnt or melted electrical component on the control board.  If any obvious damage to the board is found, the part is more than likely faulty and will need to be replaced with a new part.

Troubleshooting a Hotpoint refrigerator that isn’t running – (video)

If you have noticed that your Hotpoint refrigerator’s getting way too cold and freezing your fresh foods, follow these four troubleshooting steps to help you isolate and fix the problem.  It may be as simple as turning two knobs to adjust the temperature setting in your refrigerator to get it functioning properly at the optimum temperature again.

WARNING – If you are attempting to repair any refrigerator yourself, be aware that you are working with potentially dangerous electrical currents that can cause serious bodily injury or death.  Always remove the electrical power source from the appliance before you ever begin working on it.  If you are attempting to repair any household gas appliances yourself, always be sure to turn off the gas that is designated to the appliance before you ever begin to repair it.  Be aware that refrigerators have extremely sharp edges and moving parts that can cause serious bodily injury or death.  Be aware that there are many other dangers and precautions involved in refrigerator repair besides those listed above.  We strongly suggest that you please read our DISCLAIMER before any further actions are taken or proceeding any further.  Think safety first!

Hotpoint Refrigerator

Step – (1.) Air Inlet Damper

If your refrigerator is getting too cold, you might have noticed some items in the fridge compartment are frozen.  The air inlet damper, also known as the air damper, baffle or diffuser is used to balance the cold air flow from the evaporator housing to the refrigerator’s fresh food holding section, on most models.  The inlet damper is made of plastic, with louvers like window blinds and is usually located on the interior wall of the fresh food compartment toward the bottom of the fridge.  The control knob for the damper is located next to the fridge’s cold control knob.  It might have freezer printed above or below it, it will be the knob (without) the off-position option.  Is the knob set on too cold of a position? if so, move the knob a little bit to the warmer position.  You should be able to open and close the damper by adjusting the damper control knob.  If the damper diffuser is broken it will let too much cold air into the refrigerator, freezing the fresh food.  The optimum temperature inside of a refrigerator for safe food storage is between 34 to 40 degrees Fahrenheit.   If the temperature is any colder than 34 degrees F food will start to freeze, if the temperature is any warmer than 40 degrees F the food will start to spoil.  You will need a refrigerator thermometer to adjust and set the fridge’s temperature correctly, you can purchase a refrigerator thermometer fairly cheap from almost any hardware store.  The factory suggests that the air inlet damper knob’s indicator dial be set at the mid-range, straight up 12 o’clock position.

Step – (2.) Cold Control or Temperature Control

You will need to check the cold control knob/dial located in the refrigerator cabinet, is it set at too cold of a position? if so, try turning the dial to a warmer position.  Note – The refrigerator cold control dial should only be turned about 1/8 of a turn in a 24-hour period.  You will need a refrigerator thermometer to adjust and set the refrigerator’s temperature correctly.  You can purchase a refrigerator thermometer reasonably cheap from almost any hardware store.  The factory suggested setting for the temperature control is mid-range, this means that the indicator on the dial/knob should point in the 12 o’clock position.  The optimum temperature inside of a refrigerator should be between 34 to 40 degrees Fahrenheit for safe food storage.  If the temperature is any colder than 34 degrees F food will freeze, any warmer than 40 degrees F food will start to spoil quickly.  Adjust the cold control knob 1/8 of a turn every 24 hours and take note of how much colder the fridge has become and repeat the process until you hit the optimum temperature range, between 34- and 40-degrees Fahrenheit.

Step – (3.) Thermistor Or Temperature Sensor

If your refrigerator is equipped with an electronic control board, the temperature is going to be controlled by a thermistor.  This part is usually located near the fridge’s air inlet, the thermistor senses the temperature and relays it back to the refrigerator electronic control board.  The control board will then monitor the temperature and will make the necessary adjustments to the cold air inlet damper as they are needed.  The temperature sensor could be faulty if it’s too cold in the fridge compartment.

Step – (4.) Electronic Control Board

A faulty electronic refrigerator control board could be the reason why the fridge is too cold.  The control board is used to control a multitude of a refrigerator’s parts and functions.  The control board is a very difficult part to test.  You can visually inspect the fridge’s control board for burnt spots, melted relays, solder joints or any other obvious signs of electrical damage and replace the board if you see any of the mentioned damage.  Electronic control boards aren’t cheap, some control boards can be pretty pricy.  Only after troubleshooting all of the other refrigerator’s components that could be at fault for the reason your refrigerator is getting too cold, should you suspect the electronic control board to be the culprit.

Troubleshooting a Hotpoint refrigerator that gets too cold – (video)