A fridge fault is the one appliance problem that will not wait politely. Food spoils within hours, so fridge repair is diagnosis and correction of the faults that stop a fridge or freezer holding temperature, cycling correctly or running without noise and leaks — done at your home, tested before we leave. We have repaired fridges alongside washing machines in Dublin since 1999, and the same terms apply as to every job we do: diagnose first, one fixed price before work starts, and if the fridge is not worth fixing you pay only the €79 call-out.
What Every Fridge Repair Call-Out Includes
Full electrical diagnosis. We test the power supply, thermostat, compressor windings, fan motor and control board with a multimeter and clamp meter, and you get a clear explanation of what has failed and why. A fixed repair quote once the fault is found — the part and the labour, agreed by you before we start, with no hidden extras. Replacement of the failed part on site where the part is on the van: thermostat, door seal, start relay, capacitor or control board, with manufacturer-approved parts where available, and the old part shown to you. A cooling cycle test after the repair — we run the fridge and check the temperature at the top and bottom of the cabinet before we pack up. And drain line clearance: a blocked defrost drain is the commonest cause of water pooling under the salad drawer, so we clear it with a drain snake, flush it through, and show you how to keep it clear.
The Fridge Faults We Fix Most in Dublin
Fridge running but not cooling. Food spoils within hours and the compressor runs constantly, driving up your electricity bill. The usual causes are a failed start relay or capacitor, a thermostat that has given up, or a fan motor no longer moving cold air from the freezer side. Water pooling under the fridge. Water on the floor damages flooring and cabinets, and it usually means the defrost drain line is blocked or the door seal has failed and warm air is condensing inside. Noisy or vibrating. A grinding or rattling fridge signals a failing fan motor, a worn compressor mount or a loose panel — annoying, and worth catching before the motor goes altogether. Freezer frosting up. Thick ice on the evaporator points to a failed defrost heater or thermostat; the ice blocks the air vents, storage space shrinks and the fridge side warms up while the compressor works harder.
How the Job Runs
Book your slot by phone or message with the brand, model and the fault you are seeing, and we agree an arrival window. On site, the engineer pulls the fridge out, confirms power at the socket, then tests the thermostat, compressor windings and fan motor. You get the fault explained in plain language and a fixed price. We fit the replacement part, run the fridge through a full cooling cycle, and hand over with advice: what failed, how to keep the drain line clear, and how much clearance the fridge needs at the back for the compressor to breathe. The tools are unglamorous and exact — a multimeter for continuity and resistance, a clamp meter for the current the compressor is drawing, a drain snake for blocked lines, and an inspection camera for looking behind the rear panel and inside ductwork without dismantling the whole fridge.
Repair It or Replace It?
The same honest rule as our washing machine work. A thermostat, door seal, start relay or drain problem on a sound fridge is a repair, almost every time. A failed compressor on a fridge that is twelve years old, where the quote comes to more than half the cost of a comparable new machine, is usually a replacement — and we will say so at your door rather than sell you the job. If we advise replacing, you pay only the €79 call-out, and the verdict is yours in writing to take anywhere. When the new fridge arrives, disposal of the old one is free under WEEE: the retailer takes it back on delivery.
Fridges in Dublin Homes and Businesses
Dublin's housing stock shapes the work. Georgian and Victorian terraces in Ballsbridge and Rathmines often have narrow kitchens where fridges sit tight against walls with little rear clearance — we check rear ventilation, because a small gap extends compressor life. In Blackrock, integrated fridges are common in the mix of apartments and family homes, and we take care removing them without damaging kitchen cabinetry. Older red-brick terraces in Rathmines have narrow doorways, so we bring slim tools and protect floors when moving appliances. Hard water in older city-centre buildings scales up ice makers and drain lines, which is why American-style fridges with ice makers get their inlet valve and filter housing checked as part of the visit. For businesses we keep commercial fridges running for shops, cafés and offices — under-counter and display fridges, staff fridges and ice makers — with the same fixed-price terms and an invoice on every job.
What Fridge Repair Costs
The call-out is €79, and it is credited in full against the repair when you go ahead. A thermostat or door seal replacement sits in the standard band — most repairs total €149 to €249 all-in. A control board, fan motor or compressor start relay pushes a job higher, and sealed-system or compressor work is a major job at €279 to €420, planned and quoted in writing first. If a part has to be ordered, there is no second call-out charge when we return to fit it. The full dated breakdown for washing machine work is in our cost guide, and the terms behind every job are on the guarantee and call-out terms page.
