Our refrigerator has died for the second time in three years. The first time, Wade took it apart, diagnosed the problem, ordered the part, and was able to fix it. We knew almost immediately that something was still wrong. Either the replacement part was faulty or we had a bigger issue. However, the refrigerator was cooling so we decided to deal with it another day.
This went on for at least a year. Our luck ran out last week. Thankfully it was winter, so we moved most of the food to the basement refrigerator and the unheated sunroom. I deep cleaned the fridge and Wade worked on diagnosing the actual problem. With the help of the internet, he found that our particular refrigerator has a documented problem with its cooling fans. They tend to only last 1-2 years, which is what we have experienced. Thankfully, we can order then online and I have an experienced handyman that installs them for free.