here are several causes for a refrigerator that doesn’t cool, including dirty condenser coils, poor ventilation, improper installation, faulty or dirty gasket seals, unorganized food storage, appliance location and malfunctioning internal parts. Understanding the cause of a refrigerator that’s not cooling properly is the first step to fixing the problem. Some of these causes can be discovered and resolved with a little elbow grease, while others may require the help of a licensed technician.