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Symptom guide / refrigerator
A refrigerator that runs but does not hold temperature
Both Ontario companies behind this page start a not-cooling call the same way, and neither of them starts with a part: the coils come first, and on most of these calls the answer is airflow rather than refrigeration. The job here starts with a path rather than a part: you are about to open a sealed refrigeration circuit or handle refrigerant - that work needs recovery and recharge equipment and a certified technician, and the GTA page states that requirement in its own words [CA1]. That is why a refrigerator that runs but does not hold temperature belongs in the high-risk column before it belongs to any repair, and why the machine has to be unplugged before anything else is touched. Condenser coils packed with dust and pet hair is the first suspect — CA$80–CA$150 installed [CA2], about 45 minutes. Owners describe it as the fridge section is warm but the freezer is still cold, both compartments are warm and the unit runs all the time, the milk goes off faster than it should or the temperature never reaches the setting on the dial.
high likelihoodadvancedCA$45–CA$90 partabout 60 min
the fridge section is warm but the freezer is still cold
Both pages describe the same signature: the freezer stays cold because it sits next to the evaporator coil, while the fresh-food section warms because the air is no longer moved into it. The GTA page puts the part at CA$45-90 and the fitted repair at CA$120-200; the London page prices evaporator or condenser fan motor replacement together at CA$120-280. The GTA page gives the owner's own test: open the freezer and listen, holding the door switch in, because most units stop the fan when the door opens. The London page adds that the GTA page's own part price and the London page's installed band are two published rows from two companies, set side by side here rather than averaged. Time basis: neither page publishes a duration, so 60 minutes is a book estimate.
medium likelihoodadvancedCA$40–CA$85 partabout 60 min
both compartments are warm and the unit runs all the time
The London page puts this second in its diagnostic sequence, after the coils: the condenser fan pulls air over the coils, and when it fails the coils overheat even when they are clean. The GTA page prices the replacement at CA$40-85 in parts and CA$120-200 fitted, and notes that a refrigerator with a failed condenser fan makes less airflow noise than normal, which is a free observation the owner can make. Time basis: neither page publishes a duration, so 60 minutes is a book estimate.
defrost system failure (heater, thermostat or timer) [CA2]
high likelihoodadvancedCA$20–CA$70 partabout 75 min
the temperature never reaches the setting on the dialthe milk goes off faster than it should
The GTA page describes the cycle (every 6 to 12 hours), the three parts involved, and the progression the fault follows over days or weeks: the fridge warms slowly, frost builds on the evaporator, and eventually the freezer warms too. The London page prices the defrost heater or timer at CA$150-300 fitted; the GTA page prices defrost-system repairs at CA$120-200, the defrost heater at CA$30-70 in parts and the defrost thermostat at CA$20-45. The GTA page publishes the strongest free tell on either page: unplugging the refrigerator for 24 hours restores cooling because the ice melts during the outage, which points at the defrost circuit rather than at the fan. Time basis: neither page publishes a duration, so 75 minutes is a book estimate.
medium likelihoodadvancedCA$60–CA$200 partabout 60 min
the fridge section is warm but the freezer is still coldthe temperature never reaches the setting on the dial
The London page prices thermostat or control board replacement at CA$150-350 fitted and puts it in the technician-only group. The GTA page prices the same row at CA$60-200 in parts and CA$150-320 fitted, and publishes the specific pattern this cause produces: a freezer that is warm while the fresh-food side is fine points at the control being told the wrong temperature rather than at the compressor. Both pages put the control board after the mechanical causes have been eliminated, which is the order that keeps the diagnosis cheap. Time basis: neither page publishes a duration, so 60 minutes is a book estimate.
low likelihoodadvancedCA$250–CA$500 installedabout 180 min
both compartments are warm and the unit runs all the time
The GTA page describes the tell it uses to separate a leak from the other both-compartments-warm causes: the evaporator coil is only partly iced rather than uniformly frozen, and both sections warm gradually over days rather than at once. It states that the work needs a certified refrigeration technician with recovery equipment and that on an older refrigerator this is often where replacement becomes the better decision. The London page lists a refrigerant leak in its cause table with the fix given as a professional recharge and seal, and prices the compressor-side repair separately. Time basis: neither page publishes a duration, so three hours is a book estimate for a sealed-system job.
no part price is claimed: the repair is a sealed-system job (locate, repair, pressure test, evacuate and recharge), which carries no listable part. The GTA page prices that work at CA$250-500 and up, and states the equipment and certification it requires.
low likelihoodadvancedCA$200–CA$500 partabout 150 min
both compartments are warm and the unit runs all the time
The GTA page puts the compressor at CA$200-500 in parts with CA$150-200 of labour and a fitted total of CA$350-700 and up, and says most technicians, including its own, recommend replacement over compressor repair on a refrigerator over 10 years old. The London page prices the same replacement at CA$400-900 and says it is only worthwhile on a newer fridge, adding that a compressor replacement on a unit over 10 years old leaves every other component at its original age. Both pages put the compressor at the top of their own tables, which is why the decision block on this page turns on it. Time basis: neither page publishes a duration, so 150 minutes is a book estimate.
Repair or replace?
The verdict
The London page's rule works from the machine's own used value: if the repair quote is more than half what the refrigerator would sell for used today, replacement often makes more financial sense, especially past 10 years. The GTA page works from the age of the unit: under 10 years old repair almost always makes financial sense unless the compressor or the sealed system has failed, and past 12 years with a compressor failure replacement may be the more economical choice. Both pages carve out the same exception, in different words: a dirty coil or a failed fan motor on a refrigerator under about 8 years old is almost always worth repairing, because the repair is inexpensive and the compressor likely has years left once the cause is cleared. The compressor is the one repair where the two pages stop arguing about the machine and start arguing about its age. [CA1]
One completed-invoice dataset is quoted on this page, and it is a United States one: its publisher records a US$378 median across 1,421 completed not-cooling repairs, with the middle half of those jobs between US$283 and US$490 [CA4]. At the Bank of Canada's daily average rate of 1.4145 Canadian dollars to the United States dollar for 2026-09-25 [CA5] that is about CA$535 - a United States invoice expressed in Canadian dollars, not a Canadian price, and it is not added to the Ontario bands above. The same publisher's own rows put an evaporator or condenser fan motor at a US$422 median across 130 jobs and a compressor at a US$956 median with the middle half between US$670 and US$1,330 across 80 jobs. The two Ontario companies publish no job count at all, so no median and no n appears on this page for either of them.
Neither Ontario page publishes a replacement price, so this page does not print one and does not compute a break-even line against a new unit: what it prints is the rule the two companies publish, one against the machine's used value and one against its age. The replacement side of that comparison has moved in Canada in 2026 for a reason that is not in either company's price list: the counter-tariff measure in effect since 8 September 2026 runs 15 to 50 percent on approximately US$28 billion of imports from the United States, with appliances named in the source's own list of affected goods, which raises the price of the replacement rather than the price of the repair. The repair side is priced in Canadian dollars on both pages and is not converted here.
neither Ontario page cited here publishes an expected service life for the refrigerator itself. The closest published figure is a component life: the London page states that most refrigerator compressors last 10 to 15 years with proper maintenance, and that running the compressor in a hot garage, neglecting the condenser coils or leaving door seals worn shortens it. What both pages do publish is a replacement line, and they agree on it: the GTA page says repair almost always makes financial sense under 10 years old unless the compressor or the sealed system has failed and that past 12 years with a compressor failure replacement may be more economical, and the London page says a compressor replacement on a unit over 10 years old is rarely worth it. The twelve-year line both pages name is therefore the age this page uses as its planning line, and it is a replacement threshold rather than a service life.
Have a quote?
Put your quote and the age of the unit into the calculator — the same half-of-new-price rule, with your own numbers.
condenser coils packed with dust and pet hair [CA2]
high likelihoodeasyCA$80–CA$150 installedabout 45 min
both compartments are warm and the unit runs all the timethe temperature never reaches the setting on the dial
The London page calls this the number one cause of a refrigerator running but not cooling and says a technician checks the coils within the first 60 seconds of a service call; the coils sit behind the kick plate on most post-2000 units or on the back on older ones. The GTA page describes the same cause and puts the professional clean at CA$90-130, with the owner's own clean at about CA$10 for a brush and a vacuum after the refrigerator is unplugged. The London page states, citing Natural Resources Canada ENERGY STAR data, that a refrigerator with dirty condenser coils can use 15 to 25 percent more energy than one with clean coils. The GTA page puts the care interval at every 12 to 18 months and says homes with pets need it more often. Time basis: neither page publishes a duration for the clean itself, so 45 minutes is a book estimate for pulling the unit out, cleaning the coils and the fan blades, and putting it back.
no part is involved: the repair is a clean, not a replacement. The London page prices the professional coil clean as a job at CA$80-150 and the GTA page prices the same job at CA$90-130, so this cause carries an installed price and no part price. The GTA page puts the owner's own tool at about CA$10 for a coil brush.
the milk goes off faster than it shouldthe temperature never reaches the setting on the dial
The London page prices the gasket replacement at CA$100-200 fitted and gives the owner's own test: close the door on a dollar bill and pull it, because a good seal gives strong resistance and a bill that slides out easily means the seal is worn. The GTA page prices the gasket at CA$30-70 in parts, calls the replacement a moderate task the owner can do, and puts the professional job at CA$100-170. Both pages make the same point in their own words: this is an inexpensive fix that compounds every other cooling problem rather than a fault on its own. Time basis: neither page publishes a duration, so 30 minutes is a book estimate.
both compartments are warm and the unit runs all the time
The GTA page prices the relay at CA$15-40 for most models with the fitted repair at CA$85-145, and describes the owner's own test: unplug the unit, pull the relay off the compressor, and shake it, because a rattle means the internal part has broken. Its stated warning is the reason this cause is worth separating from a compressor diagnosis: letting the compressor attempt to start without a working relay can burn out the compressor motor. The London page's table puts thermostat or control board work together at CA$150-350 and does not price the relay as a separate row. Time basis: neither page publishes a duration, so 30 minutes is a book estimate.
Sources
[CA1]Nick's Appliance Repair (Toronto and the GTA, Ontario; cost guide 2026) (2026). the Toronto not-cooling band at CA$120-350 depending on the cause, the CA$89 diagnostic waived when the repair goes ahead, the CA$90-130 professional condenser coil clean and the CA$10 owner's coil brush, the evaporator fan motor at CA$45-90 in parts and CA$120-200 fitted, the defrost system at CA$120-200 with the heater at CA$30-70 and the defrost thermostat at CA$20-45 in parts, the start relay at CA$15-40 in parts and CA$85-145 fitted, the condenser fan motor at CA$40-85 in parts and CA$120-200 fitted, the door gasket at CA$30-70 in parts with the owner's own job at CA$30 and the fitted job at CA$100-170, the thermostat or control board at CA$60-200 in parts and CA$150-320 fitted, the sealed-system repair at CA$250-500 and up, the compressor at CA$200-500 in parts with CA$150-200 of labour and CA$350-700 and up fitted, the 12 to 18 month coil-cleaning interval, the dollar-bill door-seal test, the freezer-door-switch fan test, the 24-hour unplug defrost test, the warning against letting a rattling start relay stand and against chipping ice off the freezer back panel, the 4-hour food-spoilage statement, the statement that repair almost always makes financial sense under 10 years old unless the compressor or sealed system has failed and that past 12 years with a compressor failure replacement may be more economical, the 90-day parts and labour warranty, and the brand notes naming Samsung RF-series French-door models and LG linear-compressor model years. The page publishes no job count, so it carries no median on this page.
[CA2]Max Appliance Repair London (London, Ontario; posted 15 April 2026, updated 16 September 2026) (2026-09-16). the London repair table (condenser coil cleaning CA$80-150, door gasket CA$100-200, evaporator or condenser fan motor CA$120-280, thermostat or control board CA$150-350, defrost heater or timer CA$150-300, compressor replacement CA$400-900), the CA$80-350 band for most refrigerator repairs in London, the statement that emergency and after-hours calls add 25 to 40 percent, the statement that all figures include parts and labour and that the service-call fee is included in the repair cost on completed jobs, the diagnostic sequence and the first-60-seconds coil check, the statement that dirty condenser coils are the number one cause of a refrigerator running but not cooling, the Natural Resources Canada ENERGY STAR statement that dirty coils can use 15 to 25 percent more energy, the dollar-bill seal test, the statement that most refrigerator compressors last 10 to 15 years, the 50-percent-of-used-value repair rule with its exception for coils and fan motors on a unit under 8 years old, the statement that compressor replacement over 10 years old is rarely worth it and leaves every other component at its original age, and the cause table naming defrost system failure and refrigerant leak. The page publishes no job count, so it carries no median on this page.
[CA3]Government of Canada, Job Bank (wages for appliance servicers and repairers, NOC 72421; wages updated 19 November 2025) (2025-11-19). the median hourly wage for this trade within its published low and high bands: Canada CA$28.13, Ontario CA$27.00, British Columbia CA$30.49 and Alberta CA$25.00, with the page's own update line stating that the wages were updated on 19 November 2025. It is an hourly wage and not a repair price, and this page does not multiply it by an hour count.
[CA4]Bozmanfix (medians from completed work orders, sample sizes published, United States; page updated September 2026) (2026-09). the publisher's own completed-invoice rows for this complaint: a US$378 median across 1,421 completed not-cooling repairs with the middle half between US$283 and US$490, an evaporator or condenser fan motor at a US$422 median across 130 jobs, a compressor at a US$956 median with the middle half between US$670 and US$1,330 across 80 jobs, and a US$99 diagnostic waived when the repair is approved. It is United States data, cited on this page only for the conversion stated beside it, and it is not presented as a Canadian price.
[CA5]Bank of Canada (daily average exchange rate, USD/CAD, 25 September 2026) (2026-09-25). the daily average exchange rate of 1.4145 Canadian dollars to the United States dollar published for 2026-09-25, described by the bank as the daily value of the US dollar expressed in Canadian dollars.
[CA6]ATB Economics (Canadian counter-tariffs in effect, 8 September 2026) (2026-09-08). the counter-tariff measure in effect from 8 September 2026 at a rate of 15 to 50 percent on approximately US$28 billion of imports from the United States, with appliances named in the source's own list of affected goods, and the source's own estimate that the measures add 0.2 to 0.3 percentage points to inflation and shave roughly half a percentage point off Canadian GDP growth.
Last verified: 2026-09-26. Prices are Canadian market figures from the sources above; your quote may differ.
Built from a fact record, not from a template: every number above is tied to one of the sources and the record is re-checked against them. Editorial choices (which symptom leads, which cause is the single tell) are kept in a separate block so the facts stay auditable.
Quick answers
How much does it cost to fix a refrigerator with this problem?
Completed repairs run CA$120–CA$350 according to the sources cited on this page, after a diagnostic fee of CA$89.
How long does a refrigerator last?
No source cited on this page publishes an expected life for the machine itself, so the page says so rather than guessing; the decision here turns on the fault and on how the unit is built and installed, not on an age line.
Repair or replace?
The London page's rule works from the machine's own used value: if the repair quote is more than half what the refrigerator would sell for used today, replacement often makes more financial sense, especially past 10 years. The GTA page works from the age of the unit: under 10 years old repair almost always makes financial sense unless the compressor or the sealed system has failed, and past 12 years with a compressor failure replacement may be the more economical choice. Both pages carve out the same exception, in different words: a dirty coil or a failed fan motor on a refrigerator under about 8 years old is almost always worth repairing, because the repair is inexpensive and the compressor likely has years left once the cause is cleared. The compressor is the one repair where the two pages stop arguing about the machine and start arguing about its age.