Refrigerators often have built-in alarms to warn you when the food might spoil. These alarms beep when the doors are open, the coils are blocked, or after a power outage. However, the non-stop beeping can be frustrating, especially if the power outage is finished.
To stop a fridge from beeping after a power outage:
- Click ‘Reset’ or ‘Alarm Off’
- Manually restart the fridge
- Set the beeping timer
- Adjust the internal temperature
- Get a new alarm battery
- Replace the circuit board
- Clean the coils
In this post, we’ll discuss the detailed process of resetting your fridge to stop the beeping after the power goes out. You can use this method to find out if you need new parts or simply restart the appliance.
Press the Power Outage Buttons
Some refrigerators come with buttons that let you handle power outages much easier. Open the fridge and freezer doors and look for a series of buttons near the top panel. These buttons should be labeled, ‘Reset,’ ‘Alarm Off,’ or something similar. They’re designed to stop the alarm from continuing after the power outage.
Keep in mind that these buttons stop the beeping, but the alarm might return if one of the following conditions are met:
- If your fridge keeps beeping after you reset the alarm, the internal temperature might not be lowering. While most refrigerators are insulated, a power outage will slowly raise the temperature. Turning off the alarm works if the fridge is cooling down, but it might beep again if the power goes out another time.
- A power outage can trigger an electrical issue if the fuses aren’t working properly. Anything from the circuit board to the alarm’s battery could blow, which means they’ll keep beeping.
Reset the Fridge
According to Hunker, you should manually reset the fridge if the alarm buttons don’t work. This process is relatively straightforward, and you can do it with virtually any refrigerator.
Here’s what you’ll need to do:
- Turn off the circuit breaker that powers the fridge (it’ll likely be labeled ‘Kitchen’).
- Unplug the fridge and wait for 10 minutes for the residual electricity to leave.
- Plug the fridge back into the wall, then turn on the circuit breaker.
- Open and close the fridge, then listen to find out if the beeping continues.
- If it keeps beeping, proceed to one or all of the suggestions found below.
Set the Maximum Beeping Time
Some refrigerators let you choose how long they’ll beep after losing control of the temperature. You can adjust these settings by following your refrigerator’s manufacturer guidelines. However, most models have adjustable settings right next to the thermostat inside of the fridge’s door.
The max time is designed to keep you aware of the temperature loss, but it can become a hassle. You can lower the maximum alarm time to the bottom setting if your refrigerator doesn’t stop beeping after a power outage. This method often makes it beep for about five minutes before turning off.
Note: Don’t forget to reset the maximum alarm time once it’s finished. The beeping lets you know if there’s a problem down the road.
Adjust the Refrigerator’s Temperature
Your refrigerator’s alarm is made to prevent the temperature from getting too warm. The alarm can be a food-saver, whether there’s an outage, broken seal, or open door. If your refrigerator can’t get cold enough, the alarm might not stop. The good news is that you can drastically lower the temperature to bring it down quickly.
If your refrigerator is set to the standard 42-degrees Fahrenheit (5.5 Celsius), you can lower it by about 10 degrees Fahrenheit for a rapid temperature reduction. Once the beeping stops, you can return it to the original setting.
If the fridge starts beeping when it gets back to the standard setting, there might be a problem with the thermostat. Faulty thermostats send false readings, making the circuit board think it’s warmer or colder than it is. This process can trigger the aforementioned alarm.
Replace the Alarm’s Battery
Replacing the battery might be all you have to do to fix the beeping issues. Try the following steps to ensure your fridge’s alarm has enough power to prevent random, unwanted sounds:
- Unplug your fridge or flip the circuit breaker to remove the electricity.
- Locate the alarm’s battery behind the thermostat, rear panel, or door alarm speaker (depending on the user’s manual).
- Remove the battery from the panel and replace it with a new one (they’re usually small 9V batteries).
- Close the panel, turn on the circuit breaker, and then listen for the beeping sound.
Review this helpful video by Eclectic Ideas on YouTube for more information:
Install a New Circuit Board
The circuit board holds all of the wires and supplies power to each component in the fridge. Remove and Replace recommends getting a new circuit board if you’ve tried all of the previously mentioned steps without success.
The most important part about replacing the circuit board is bunching the wires together to prevent them from being mixed. Here’s what you’ll need to do:
- Turn off the power to the fridge.
- Remove the rear panel to locate the main circuit board.
- Wrap zip ties around the wires to pair them together (unless they’re bunched together already), then take a picture of them to know where they go on the new board.
- Unscrew the old circuit board and mount the new one in its place.
- Plug the old wires into the appropriate places on the new circuit board.
You could also follow the steps in this video:
Clean the Condenser Coils
The condenser coils keep the fridge cold enough to cool your food and prevent it from beeping. Appliance Care USA shows you can quickly clean the coils to bring your fridge back to life. All you need is a brush and a vacuum or a vacuum with a brush attachment.
Turn off the fridge’s power, open the back panel of the fridge, locate the coil, then brush and vacuum the dust and debris off of it. Once the coils are clean, seal the rear panel and plug the fridge back in.
Steve Rajeckas is an HVAC hobbyist with an avid interest in learning innovative ways to keep rooms, buildings, and everything else at the optimal temperature. When he’s not working on new posts for Temperature Master, he can be found reading books or exploring the outdoors.