In short
- Health Canada: an unopened fridge keeps food cold for about 4 hours, and the safe target is 4 °C or below.
- Usual causes on Ottawa firms' pages: a stopped fan, a defrost fault, a start relay, a sensor, a worn door seal or a sealed-system leak.
- One Ottawa firm lists most repairs at $150–$450; a relay or thermostat sits at the low end, a fan or defrost part in the middle.
- A burning smell, a scorched plug or a breaker that trips again are reasons to switch the fridge off and call at once.
Typical prices in Ottawa
| Job | Typical range | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Most fridge repairs, parts and labour | $150–$450 | One Ottawa firm’s list; another prints the same range |
| Start relay or capacitor | $150–$280 | B&M list |
| Temperature control or thermostat | $150–$300 | B&M list |
| Fan motor | $200–$350 | B&M list |
| Defrost heater, thermostat or control board | $200–$400 | B&M list |
| Sealed-system diagnostic | $159 + tax | Compressor or refrigerant faults; labour quoted after |
Sources. B&M Canada Appliances, Fridge not cooling in Ottawa and Fridge repair cost in Ottawa, seen 29.10.2026. Capital Appliance Repair, Fridge repair, seen 29.10.2026. Health Canada, Food and drinking water safety in an emergency, seen 29.10.2026. The company that calls you sets its own price after it sees the fridge.
Three pictures of a warm fridge
The symptom tells the company where to look first.
- Fridge warm, freezer cold. Cold air starts in the freezer and a fan moves it into the fresh-food side. When that airflow stops, the freezer can stay cold while the fridge warms. B&M calls this the classic sign of an evaporator fan failure or a blocked vent between the sections.
- Both sections warm. The compressor may not start, or the sealed system has lost refrigerant. A relay that clicks every few minutes fits the first case.
- Cool, never cold, compressor always on. Heat stays in the fridge, or warm air leaks in.
Say which picture fits in the request. Fridge repair has the full list of faults, and freezer repair covers a warm freezer.
What the technician tests, in order
B&M lists the checks as temperatures in both compartments, the fans, the defrost system, the condenser and the door seals. Capital Appliance Repair names the same suspects: compressor, evaporator fan, start relay, thermostat and control board. Causes on the firms’ lists:
- Dirty condenser coils. The compressor runs and cannot shed heat.
- A failed evaporator fan motor, common on French-door models, B&M says.
- A defrost fault. Frost builds on the evaporator and blocks the air.
- A bad start relay or capacitor.
- A faulty sensor or thermistor, often with an error code on newer fridges.
- A torn or shrunken door gasket.
- A sealed-system leak, which needs refrigerant recovery equipment.
Most are one failed part. Capital says the diagnosis usually takes 20 to 40 minutes.
What it costs
The table above uses B&M’s ranges, which sit inside the $150 to $450 band that both B&M and Capital print for most fridge repairs. The relay and thermostat are the cheaper repairs, and a fan or defrost part costs more. A compressor or sealed-system repair has its own diagnostic and a labour quote afterwards. Details and sources: fridge repair cost. If the fridge is old, see repair or replace.
The food clock
Health Canada’s figure is about 4 hours for an unopened refrigerator, and its target is 4 °C or below. Keep the doors shut. When the clock runs low, move meat, dairy and leftovers to a cooler with ice, and tell the company the time the fridge went warm. The company then knows whether it is dealing with a few hours or a day.
Why this is a technician’s job
A warm fridge may involve refrigerant, high-voltage parts, a sealed system and a control board that reads sensors. Capital’s technicians work with refrigerant under TSSA certification, according to its page. The sealed system needs refrigerant recovery equipment and trained handling. A guess at the part leads to a second visit and a second charge. The only steps worth taking are the safe ones: keep the doors shut, protect the food and switch off at the first sign of a burning smell.
Brands and models
The fan fault is described as common on Samsung, LG and Whirlpool French-door models. Brand pages: Samsung, LG, Whirlpool and GE. The model tag is usually inside the fresh-food section.
When the company calls
Your request lands with one independent Ottawa repair company covering your street. Expect questions about the freezer, the sounds and the time the fridge went warm; those answers set how soon it comes. Get the quote in writing, part and labour apart, before work starts. The Desk passes the request on and sets no prices.
Questions to ask the company
- Is your visit fee credited if I go ahead, and what does the written quote list?
- In what order will you test the fridge: fans, defrost, controls, then the sealed system?
- Are fans and relays for my brand on the truck, so one visit can finish it?
- If the fault is in the sealed system, do you do that work yourselves?
- If the repair costs more than half a new fridge, will you tell me so?
Have this ready for the call
- Brand, model and serial number, with a photo of the tag.
- Whether the freezer is cold, cool or warm, and since when the fridge side is warm.
- Any sound: clicking every few minutes, a fan that squeals, a compressor that runs without a break.
- Any code on the display, written down or photographed.
- A thermometer reading from the fridge, if you have one, and a cooler for the food.
Questions people ask
How long is the food safe in a warm fridge?
Health Canada says an unopened refrigerator keeps food cold for about 4 hours, in a power outage. A broken fridge is the same clock. Keep the doors shut, move meat and dairy to a cooler with ice once the time runs out, and tell the company the time the fridge went warm.
What temperature should the fridge be?
Health Canada gives 4 °C or below for the fridge and -18 °C or below for the freezer. B&M quotes 3 to 4 °C for the fridge. Food above 4 °C for longer than about four hours enters the danger zone, one Ottawa firm says. Give your thermometer reading in the request.
The fridge clicks every few minutes and both sections are warm. What is that?
One Ottawa firm lists a bad start relay or capacitor for that pattern: the compressor will not start, the relay clicks and both sections warm up. It calls the part inexpensive and the fix quick when caught early. The technician confirms the cause by test.
The compressor never stops but the fridge stays warm. Why?
The Ottawa firm names dirty coils, a worn door gasket and a stopped fan among the causes: the compressor runs without a break and cannot keep up. Describe the sound and say how old the fridge is. The technician finds which cause applies.
What do codes like 22E or Er FF mean?
B&M reads 22 E and 33 E on Samsung and Er FF and Er rF on LG as pointing to a fan, sensor, heater or defrost fault, and adds that meanings depend on the model. The technician still tests the part the code points to. Put the code in the request.
When should I switch the fridge off?
At a burning smell, smoke, a scorched plug, a breaker that trips again after reset, or water pooling near the compressor or wiring. B&M lists these. Unplug it, or switch off its breaker if the plug is scorched or the floor wet. Keep the doors shut and send the request.
