Refrigerators
Frost building up in the freezer: read the pattern, then check the seal
Frost on the packages by the door, ice in one corner, a garage freezer that frosts over in weeks: how to read the pattern and test the gasket before you call.
Refrigerators & freezers · Kenmore
Refrigerator and freezer repair in Kenmore
From a garage chest freezer behind an Inglewood rambler to a French-door model in a downtown condo, we repair Kenmore refrigerators where they stand. Your technician finds the fault, writes down the price and starts only after you say yes.
- Power
- PSE electric; over 400,000 PSE customers lost power in November 2024
- Garage units
- Cold split-level garages can confuse a fridge's thermostat
- Not offered
- Compressor and refrigerant work; you hear it at the diagnostic
- $95 diagnosticcounted toward the repair you approve
- Up to $18 offfor seniors 65+, veterans and military
- $10 offthe second appliance checked on one visit
- Same-day visitsMonday through Saturday
Most refrigerator trouble in Kenmore comes down to air that has stopped moving or frost that has stopped melting. A fresh-food section creeping toward room temperature while the freezer stays hard usually means the evaporator fan has quit, or the coil behind the freezer's back panel has iced over because a defrost part failed. Those are repairs we finish in your kitchen, very often on the first visit, because fans, defrost heaters, thermostats and start relays travel with us.
The town's name adds a twist. Many of the refrigerators we open here wear the Kenmore label, and that label went on machines from several manufacturers. A model number beginning with 106 is a Whirlpool design, 795 is LG and 253 is Frigidaire. Knowing that before we leave Lynnwood means the right fan motor or defrost sensor is already loaded, which counts for a lot on a town 16 to 20 minutes down the road. Older Kenmore-label fridges with mechanical defrost timers get the same testing as the newest units with electronic boards.
What a failing Kenmore fridge tells you
What you seeFreezer cold, fresh-food side warm
Likely causeEvaporator fan stopped, or the coil iced over from a failed defrost heater, sensor or board
What we doRemove the freezer panel, inspect coil and fan, meter each defrost part and replace the one that failed
What you seeClicking every few minutes, no cooling
Likely causeFailed start relay or overload on the compressor
What we doCheck the relay, then the compressor's windings; swap the relay if the compressor checks out, or tell you plainly if it doesn't
What you seeBack of the cabinet hot, low hum
Likely causeCondenser fan motor seized, or coils matted with dust and pet hair
What we doClean the condenser, spin and test the fan, fit a new motor if it drags
What you seeWater under the crisper drawers
Likely causeIce or food debris blocking the defrost drain
What we doClear and flush the drain, check the drain heater or strap, and find why it froze
What you seeWater dispenser slow or dead
Likely causeClogged filter, frozen tube in the door, or a failed inlet valve
What we doCheck flow at the valve, thaw and reroute the tube if needed, replace the valve
What you seeDark display or drifting temperatures after an outage
Likely causeControl board or power supply hurt by a surge when service returned
What we doCheck outlet and breaker, read the board's codes, replace the board when testing points there
Storms, garages and ice-and-water doors
Kenmore runs on Puget Sound Energy, and in November 2024 the bomb cyclone left more than 400,000 PSE customers without power. Refrigerators came through those days in two ways. Some warmed, refroze and then spread a puddle across the floor when a defrost drain that had been fine for years froze shut. Others sat dark for a day, then lost a board when the power came back with a surge. If your fridge has behaved oddly since that storm, say so when you call; it points the diagnosis in a useful direction.
Ranch houses and split-levels from Kenmore's 1950s through 1970s build-out often keep a second fridge or a chest freezer in the garage. A refrigerator-freezer reads temperature in the fresh-food section, so in a cold garage it rests more, and the freezer above can soften even though the machine seems healthy. In summer the same unit fights a hot garage; during the June 2021 heat dome Sea-Tac hit 108°F, the kind of week when a dragging condenser fan finally quits. We look at where the unit stands, not only at what's inside it.
Ice-and-water models are common in the 1980s and 90s houses that make up about a third of Kenmore's homes. Northshore Utility District delivers soft Tolt water, so an inlet valve rarely scales up the way it would on well water; when one fails here, the usual reasons are age, a cracked housing or a filter left in for years. Built-in units in remodeled kitchens get the same care, with grille, toe kick and panels taken down and put back the way we found them. On models whose water tube runs through the door hinge, we check that path too, since a pinched or frozen section there looks just like a dead valve.
What refrigerator repair costs in Kenmore
Refrigerator repair starts from $259 for the category, and the table on this page lists the common fixes. Treat those numbers as a floor rather than a quote: what you pay for your fridge appears on the written estimate your technician prepares once the $95 diagnostic has found the fault. Approve the work and the diagnostic is credited against it; decline, and the diagnostic is all you owe. If the dishwasher or the washer needs checking on the same trip, that second diagnostic comes $10 lower, and seniors 65+, veterans and active-duty military households can take up to $18 off the fridge repair itself.
| Start relay and overload on the compressor | from $259 |
|---|---|
| Inlet valve for the dispenser and ice | from $265 |
| Condenser fan motor | from $269 |
| Evaporator fan behind the freezer wall | from $269 |
| Defrost heater, sensor or timer | from $275 |
| Main control board | from $285 |
| Diagnostic visit | $95, counted toward the repair |
| Another appliance on the same call | $10 off its diagnostic |
2026 starting prices for Lynnwood and nearby towns. The $95 diagnostic counts toward any repair you approve, and your technician writes the exact figure down before work begins.
Keep the fridge or replace it?
A failed fan, relay, defrost part or board is almost always worth fixing, and those make up the bulk of our Kenmore refrigerator work. The picture changes when testing shows the compressor itself has failed or the refrigerant has leaked out. Sealed-system repair is not something we do, and you will hear that at the diagnostic rather than after a second visit. From there, age and type matter. A builder-grade top-freezer from a 1990s kitchen usually costs less to replace than to keep. A built-in panel model fitted to the cabinetry during a remodel may still be worth saving, and we lay out what we found so you can price both paths. A garage second unit is a separate question: if it is old and holds only overflow, retiring it can be the sensible call. Whatever you choose, the diagnostic leaves you with a written account of what failed.
Common questions
Will you replace a compressor or top up refrigerant?
No. Sealed-system work, which covers compressors, refrigerant leaks and recharging, is outside what we do. Your technician still tests the start relay and overload, because a failed relay looks a lot like a dead compressor and costs far less to fix. If the compressor or the refrigerant really is the problem, you hear it at the diagnostic and get help weighing a repair against a replacement.
My garage freezer softens every winter. Is it broken?
Not necessarily. A refrigerator-freezer combination senses temperature in the fresh-food section, so a cold garage tells it to rest, and the freezer warms while it waits. A dedicated upright or chest freezer handles the cold differently. We check the controls and whether the model is meant for garage use, then tell you whether a part has failed or the location is the issue.
Is a Kenmore-label refrigerator harder to get parts for?
Usually not. The label covered machines made by Whirlpool, LG, Frigidaire and others, so the parts are those makers' parts. An older unit can need a part ordered in rather than one from the vehicle, which means a second visit. Read the model number from the sticker inside the fresh-food compartment to us when you book, and we check before we come.
Should I unplug the fridge before you arrive?
Only if it is leaking toward an outlet or giving off a burning smell. Otherwise leave it running so your technician can see the fault as it happens; temperatures, fan sounds and frost patterns tell us a lot. Do move perishables into a cooler if the fresh-food side has warmed, and clear the floor in front of the unit so we can pull it out.
How soon can someone come to Kenmore?
We offer same-day visits from Monday to Saturday, and your odds are highest when you reach us in the morning. Kenmore is a 16-to-20-minute drive from central Lynnwood outside rush hour, and the distance adds nothing to the price. Booking online, you pick the appliance, describe what it is doing and choose a visit day; by phone, we go through the same details with you.
Something not working?
Fridge warming up? Call (425) 287-5458 or book online, and a Kenmore visit can often happen the same day. The $95 diagnostic goes toward the repair once you approve it, and up to $18 comes off for seniors 65+, veterans and active-duty military households.
Repair tips
Book a repair
Tell us what broke
Three quick steps. We call back to confirm a time; requests that come in during the morning can usually be seen the same day.
- $95 diagnostic counted toward the repair you approve
- Up to $18 off for seniors 65+, veterans and military
- $10 off the second appliance checked on one visit
- Same-day visits Monday through Saturday
Rather call? (425) 287-5458 · Mon–Sat 8–7