Refrigerator and Freezer Repair
Refrigeration is the one appliance in the house that cannot wait until next week, because food begins to spoil once the fresh food compartment settles above 40 degrees. That is why refrigerator calls are the first thing we place on the schedule each morning, and why every technician carries sealed system tools, EPA refrigerant certification and the small parts that bring most units back to temperature.
Unique Repair Services has been carrying out refrigerator / freezer work in the northern suburbs since 1994, and the way we approach it has not changed much in that time. The appliance is read before it is quoted. A technician takes live readings, looks at whatever error history the machine has stored, and only then names a part, because on this appliance the difference between an inexpensive repair and a costly one usually comes down to a single measurement.
What happens during the appointment
You are given a two hour arrival window rather than an open ended day, and the technician calls ahead. Once the refrigerator / freezer has been tested you are told plainly what has happened and given one price that includes both the part and the work. Nothing is opened up before you have agreed to that price.
Around three quarters of refrigerator / freezer repairs are finished during that first visit, because our vans are stocked from our own records of what actually goes wrong on this appliance in these towns. Where something has to be ordered we tell you the date before we leave and book the return appointment then rather than calling you back about it later.
Manufacturers that build this appliance
Every make on our roster that produces this appliance type is listed further down the page, Liebherr, Thermador, Viking, Monogram, GE, LG among them. The manufacturer matters more than most owners expect. A Liebherr and a Whirlpool can show an identical error for completely different reasons, and the route to the answer is different on each of them.
Is it worth repairing?
You will get a straight answer to that question. The rule we apply to our own decisions is this: when a repair would cost more than half the price of a comparable new appliance and the unit is already past two thirds of its expected service life, replacement is normally the better use of the money. Below that line, and on almost any built-in or professional appliance, repair wins comfortably. We would rather turn a job down than sell a part that is not worth buying.
Where we carry out this work
Refrigerator and Freezer Repair is available across all eleven towns we serve: Des Plaines, Park Ridge, Glenview, Northbrook, Arlington Heights, Mount Prospect, Buffalo Grove, Deerfield, Barrington, Winnetka and Wilmette. Prices, warranty and arrival windows are the same in every one of them, and there is no travel charge added anywhere inside the ZIP codes listed on our service area pages.
Book refrigerator / freezer repair
Same day slots are available for calls placed before the middle of the day. Two hour arrival window, and a flat price agreed before the work starts.
Included in this repair
- Full diagnostics rather than a parts swap
- Manufacturer parts wherever available
- Thirty days on labor, in writing
What the refrigerator / freezer is telling you
Refrigeration is the one appliance in the house that cannot wait until next week, because food begins to spoil once the fresh food compartment settles above 40 degrees. That is why refrigerator calls are the first thing we place on the schedule each morning, and why every technician carries sealed system tools, EPA refrigerant certification and the small parts that bring most units back to temperature.
The fresh food side is warm while the freezer stays cold
On the great majority of modern refrigerators, both compartments are cooled by one evaporator in the freezer and a fan that pushes chilled air forward. When that fan stalls, or the damper that meters the air sticks shut, the freezer looks perfectly healthy and the food above it slowly warms. We measure the temperature difference between the two spaces before anyone reaches for a part.
Frost building up across the back wall of the freezer
A refrigerator is supposed to melt its own frost several times a day. When the defrost heater, the bi-metal limit or the board that fires them stops working, ice sheets over the evaporator until air can no longer pass through it. Each leg of that circuit is tested separately, because replacing the whole assembly to correct a two dollar limit switch is not honest work.
Water collecting under the crisper drawers
This is almost always a defrost drain that has frozen closed or filled with debris. Meltwater then runs forward instead of down. Clearing the tube is the repair, and installing the correct drain clip is what stops it happening again next winter.
The compressor runs and runs and never shuts off
Condenser coils packed with dust and pet hair are the usual explanation, followed by a door gasket that no longer seals and a thermistor reading the compartment several degrees colder than it really is. A unit in this state can double its electricity draw and will lose years of service life if it is left alone.
Clicking or buzzing every few minutes from the back of the unit
That is the start relay trying to bring the compressor up to speed and dropping out on overload. It is the single error most often mistaken for a dead compressor, and the repair costs a small share of what a replacement refrigerator would.
The ice maker has stopped producing
Either the water inlet valve, a supply line frozen inside the door, or the ice maker module itself. Our ice maker page goes into undercounter and built-in machines in more detail, since those are a different piece of equipment altogether.
Manufacturers that build refrigerator / freezer appliances
These are the makes on our roster that produce this appliance type. Each brand page sets out the full range that manufacturer builds and the problems we run into most often on it.
How the appointment runs, start to finish
Every visit follows the same shape, whichever appliance it is and whichever town you are in.
- A two hour arrival window, confirmed by phone or text
- A flat price approved by you before anything is opened
- Nothing billed that you did not approve first
Tell us what the appliance is doing
Book online or call and describe what you are seeing. The brand, the model number if it is to hand, and what actually happens when the machine runs. The more detail you give, the more likely the right part is already on the van.
We run proper diagnostics
A technician arrives inside a two hour window, reads whatever the appliance has logged, tests the circuit it points at, and explains in plain language what has happened.
You approve one flat price
You are given a single price for the finished repair before anything is opened up. Approve it and most repairs are completed the same visit, with 30 days on labor printed on your invoice.
Refrigerator and Freezer Repair near you
We provide service in eleven towns across Cook and Lake Counties. Choose yours to see the neighborhoods and ZIP codes our vans reach and the appliance problems specific to that area.
refrigerator / freezer repair questions
Is a ten year old refrigerator still worth repairing?
For built-in and column refrigeration from Thermador, Liebherr, Viking, Monogram or JennAir, the answer is nearly always yes. Those units are engineered for twenty years or more of service, and a board, a fan or an inlet valve is a small share of what replacement and cabinetry work would price. For a freestanding unit past twelve years with a genuine sealed system leak, we will tell you plainly when buying new is the better use of your money.
How long does a refrigerator repair usually take?
Testing takes thirty to forty five minutes, because the readings have to be taken while the unit is running rather than guessed at from the outside. Roughly three quarters of repairs are finished during that same visit, since fans, thermistors, defrost heaters, inlet valves and start relays ride on the van. Sealed system and compressor work is booked as a second appointment so the refrigerant can be recovered properly.
Do you work on built-in and panel-ready refrigeration?
Yes, and across Northbrook, Glenview, Winnetka and Barrington it is a large share of what we do. That includes Thermador and Liebherr columns, integrated installations from Monogram and JennAir, and any unit that has to be drawn out of custom cabinetry, which is a slow and careful job rather than a quick pull.
Book a refrigerator / freezer visit
Call before the middle of the day for a same day slot, or book online and choose your own two hour arrival window.