How to reset a fridge
November 30, 2020 5:38 PM Subscribe
My fridge is on the fritz. Is it possible to do a factory reset?
My house had a power outage today. When the power came back on, the fridge did not. I bought a new Galanz 10.0 cu. ft. fridge in August. It is this fridge: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07R11HWBW/ref=ask_ql_qh_dp_hza
At first I thought it had no power at all because the light inside wasn't going on, but then I noticed the control panel was flashing. This makes me think it needs to be reset. I've tried holding the set button for 30 seconds and unplugging the whole thing for 45 minutes. It's still not turning on. What else could I possibly do to reset it?
I'm not worried about the food in the fridge. I mostly have drinks and condiments. I went through a whole ordeal selling my old fridge and getting the new one, and remodeling my kitchen over the summer so I could have a happy living space in this terrible time. Needless to say, I did not expect the fridge to die after 3 months. If I can't fix it myself, should I get it repaired or just buy another one? I don't have a backup fridge, so time is of the essence. Would repair or replacement cost be covered by the one year manufacturer's warranty or my homeowner's insurance? Truthfully, I can afford a new fridge, but I would rather not have to buy one. I am saving for a new roof (which I discovered is leaking today) and a heat pump to replace my electric baseboard heat.
Thank you for your responses.
My house had a power outage today. When the power came back on, the fridge did not. I bought a new Galanz 10.0 cu. ft. fridge in August. It is this fridge: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07R11HWBW/ref=ask_ql_qh_dp_hza
At first I thought it had no power at all because the light inside wasn't going on, but then I noticed the control panel was flashing. This makes me think it needs to be reset. I've tried holding the set button for 30 seconds and unplugging the whole thing for 45 minutes. It's still not turning on. What else could I possibly do to reset it?
I'm not worried about the food in the fridge. I mostly have drinks and condiments. I went through a whole ordeal selling my old fridge and getting the new one, and remodeling my kitchen over the summer so I could have a happy living space in this terrible time. Needless to say, I did not expect the fridge to die after 3 months. If I can't fix it myself, should I get it repaired or just buy another one? I don't have a backup fridge, so time is of the essence. Would repair or replacement cost be covered by the one year manufacturer's warranty or my homeowner's insurance? Truthfully, I can afford a new fridge, but I would rather not have to buy one. I am saving for a new roof (which I discovered is leaking today) and a heat pump to replace my electric baseboard heat.
Thank you for your responses.
Wow, the user guide (PDF) for that fridge is spectacularly unhelpful. Per the official troubleshooting, did you verify it's plugged in and has power? Oh, well, that's all the ideas we have...
If it doesn't come back on its own, your starting place should be any warranty/return period from the original seller (if any/if not yet exceeded), then the manufacturer's warranty, then the additional warranty/protection (if any) offered by whatever credit card you may have used. After that, get a quote for appliance repair, and weigh that against the price of a new fridge, since I expect that you'll spend a significant percentage of the original price on a repair, especially if you have to replace a control board.
Your homeowners insurance is only the last resort--and you should look at your policy to see what specific coverage you have, and what your deductible is. For a fridge that costs less than $500 delivered, and no losses due to food spoilage, I'd be surprised if filing a claim against your homeowners insurance will be worthwhile, and depending on the policy/your claim history, might increase the premiums, so I'd personally be inclined to eat the costs rather than make a $500 claim.
The roof leak, however, may be more worthwhile checking with the homeowners insurance on, if it's new damage, as opposed to just old age.
posted by yuwtze at 7:36 PM on November 30, 2020
If it doesn't come back on its own, your starting place should be any warranty/return period from the original seller (if any/if not yet exceeded), then the manufacturer's warranty, then the additional warranty/protection (if any) offered by whatever credit card you may have used. After that, get a quote for appliance repair, and weigh that against the price of a new fridge, since I expect that you'll spend a significant percentage of the original price on a repair, especially if you have to replace a control board.
Your homeowners insurance is only the last resort--and you should look at your policy to see what specific coverage you have, and what your deductible is. For a fridge that costs less than $500 delivered, and no losses due to food spoilage, I'd be surprised if filing a claim against your homeowners insurance will be worthwhile, and depending on the policy/your claim history, might increase the premiums, so I'd personally be inclined to eat the costs rather than make a $500 claim.
The roof leak, however, may be more worthwhile checking with the homeowners insurance on, if it's new damage, as opposed to just old age.
posted by yuwtze at 7:36 PM on November 30, 2020
Any chance the circuit that it’s plugged into tripped when the power went out? Try resetting that circuit breaker.
posted by padraigin at 8:15 PM on November 30, 2020 [1 favorite]
posted by padraigin at 8:15 PM on November 30, 2020 [1 favorite]
I have a washer that had a similar type of problem. The manual said to leave it unplugged half an hour, so I did and that didn't work. But it did reset after I left it unplugged overnight. It has needed to be left unplugged overnight twice so far.
Maybe your fridge will go back to working after being left unplugged overnight too. It's worth a shot.
posted by Jane the Brown at 8:41 PM on November 30, 2020
Maybe your fridge will go back to working after being left unplugged overnight too. It's worth a shot.
posted by Jane the Brown at 8:41 PM on November 30, 2020
What padraigin suggested. Check the circuit breaker and if that isn't tripped, still switch it off an then back on. If that doesn't work try leaving unplugged for as log as you can stand to do so. In the mean time get on the horn with the seller/maker and try and see if you have replacement options.
posted by terrapin at 5:50 AM on December 1, 2020
posted by terrapin at 5:50 AM on December 1, 2020
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posted by kindall at 6:01 PM on November 30, 2020