Fridge repairs · Illawarra & Shoalhaven
Fridge repairs, booked in minutes.
Illawarra & Shoalhaven
Not cooling, icing up or leaking? Tell us the brand and what it’s doing. We’ll get back to confirm the booking.
- ✓ Authorised repairer — Fisher & Paykel, Haier, Asko
- ✓ Price before we start
- ✓ 12-month warranty
$129 diagnostic ($169 further out). Then a fixed repair price, quoted before we start. No overtime charges. See all prices
Mobile service — we come to you in Wollongong, Shellharbour and Kiama.
Book your repair
Step 1 of 3 · What’s broken
Book online any time — we confirm by text, usually within the hour during business hours, first thing the next morning otherwise. Under warranty? Please book through the manufacturer or warranty provider first. Prefer to talk? Call (02) 4288 2824.
Fridge repairs you can trust
A fridge that's not cooling is one repair you can't put off. Whether it's a warm fridge, a freezer that's iced up, or water pooling in the bottom, most fridge and freezer faults trace back to the seals, the defrost system, or the compressor circuit. We repair all fridge types, top and bottom mount, side-by-side and French door, right across the region.
Common fridge faults we fix
- Not cooling or running warm — Usually a fan, a temperature sensor, the damper, or ice blocking the vents between the freezer and fridge so cold air can’t get through, and occasionally the compressor. There’s always a specific cause, and it’s one we diagnose in person rather than guess at. Full guide: why a fridge stops cooling.
- Freezer icing up — A blocked defrost system, a failed defrost heater or timer, or a perished door seal letting warm air in.
- Water leaking inside or underneath — Almost always a blocked defrost drain, where melt water from the defrost cycle can’t escape. Sometimes the water filter or valves on models with a dispenser. Usually a simple fix, not a major fault.
- Loud or constant running — Worn fan motors, a struggling compressor, or dusty coils. We’ll assess before you replace the whole unit.
- Light or display faults — Failed door switches, LED modules or control boards on newer electronic models.
What to expect from a fridge repair
How we diagnose it
Cooling faults can come from the thermostat, the evaporator fan, the defrost system or the sealed refrigeration circuit, and they often present in similar ways. We test each stage, airflow, defrost, temperature control and the compressor circuit, to work out whether it is an economical fix or a sealed-system issue.
On the day
We prioritise no-cooling calls because of food spoilage, so we’ll get you the earliest slot we have. Fan motors, thermostats, defrost heaters and door seals are usually replaced in the one visit; sealed-system or compressor work is specialised, and we advise you before going ahead.
Repair or replace?
Fan, thermostat, defrost and seal faults are almost always worth fixing. If it is a failed compressor or a refrigerant leak on an older fridge, replacement often makes more sense, and we give you the straight numbers so you are not spending good money after bad.
What a fridge repair costs. Every visit starts with a $129 diagnostic ($169 further out) that covers the trip and finding the real fault. If you go ahead, the diagnostic is the first line of your repair price: you’ve already paid it, so you only pay the balance. You never pay it twice. The repair itself is a fixed price by what the job involves, from $139 for a minor fix with no part needed, and you hear that price before we start. If a part has to be ordered, we quote you first. There’s no second call-out fee, and the $129 you’ve already paid counts toward your total. Every repair carries our 12-month labour warranty. See the full price list.
Not sure your fridge is worth fixing? Read our guide to repairing vs replacing an appliance — and wherever you are, from Wollongong to Shellharbour and Kiama, we come to you. We service every major appliance brand, with genuine or genuine-grade parts.
Local fridge repair pages: Fridge repairs Wollongong · Fridge repairs Dapto · Fridge repairs Shellharbour
Guides, brands and parts
Want to understand the fault first? Our step-by-step guides: why your fridge isn't cooling.
Popular brands we repair: Miele, Asko, Hisense — or see every brand we service.
Also handy: genuine spare parts, our FAQ, and who you’re dealing with.
From the workshop
A fridge that's not cooling has a specific cause every time: a fan, a temperature sensor, the damper, or ice blocking the vents between the freezer and fridge so the cold air can't get through. Occasionally it's the compressor. This is one you really need to see in person to diagnose properly, which is why we don't guess over the phone.
If the fridge is warm but the freezer's fine, that usually points to a blocked vent or a failed fan between the two sections, sometimes the damper. Water pooling inside or underneath is almost always a blocked defrost drain, the melt water from the defrost cycle can't escape, not something major.
The one honest line I'll always give: if a fridge needs a regas or compressor work, it's rarely economical. Those repairs run past a thousand dollars once you account for safely recovering the old gas, pressure-testing and resealing. We don't do sealed-system work ourselves because I don't want to waste your money on it. I'll either point you to a specialist we trust or, on a cheaper fridge, tell you straight that a new one is the better buy. For anything else, a fan, a sensor, a drain or a seal, a fridge is a pain to replace, so it's almost always worth fixing.
One job that sticks: an ice-maker with a cracked tray that had been quietly leaking. The whole freezer had filled with water and frozen into one solid block of ice. It took a while to clear and replace, but we got their ice-maker going again just in time for summer.
— Tyson, on the tools
Fridge and refrigerator repairs across Wollongong and the Illawarra
Our refrigeration technicians are across Wollongong just about every day — the CBD, North Wollongong, the university precinct, Fairy Meadow, Figtree and Unanderra — so a fridge that has stopped cooling in the city is usually looked at within a couple of days, and we give no-cooling calls the earliest slot we have because of the food on the line. From Wollongong the runs go north through Corrimal, Woonona and Bulli to Thirroul and Helensburgh, and south through Warrawong, Port Kembla and Berkeley to Dapto, Albion Park, Oak Flats, Warilla, Shellharbour, Shell Cove and Kiama, then on to Gerringong, Berry and North Nowra when the Shoalhaven jobs stack up.
Wollongong, Shellharbour, Kiama, Dapto, Albion Park and the rest of the close-in Illawarra sit in our $129 diagnostic zone; Helensburgh and Thirroul in the north and Berry, Shoalhaven Heads and North Nowra in the south are $169. If you go ahead, the diagnostic is the first line of your repair price: you’ve already paid it, so you only pay the balance. You never pay it twice. In the meantime keep the doors shut — a closed fridge holds its cold for hours, and a closed freezer for most of a day. Full pricing.
We repair every style of refrigerator the region has: French door and side-by-side units in the newer homes at Shell Cove, Calderwood, Horsley and Flinders, top-mount and bottom-mount fridges in rentals across Wollongong and Shellharbour, and the second fridge in the garage that half the Illawarra runs through summer. Coastal humidity and salt air from Warilla and Windang round to Port Kembla and up the northern beaches are hard on seals, condensers and connectors, so a garage or carport fridge near the water is worth having looked at as soon as it starts sweating or icing. The one thing we do not do is sealed-system (regas and compressor) work — for that we refer you to a refrigeration specialist we trust rather than waste your money.
Snap Repairs is Wollongong-based and owner-run, and we work the same fixed prices in every suburb: a fridge repair in Wollongong costs exactly what it costs in Shellharbour, Kiama or Dapto, apart from the $169 diagnostic at the far northern and southern edges of the Illawarra and Shoalhaven. Wherever you are between Helensburgh and North Nowra, book online or call (02) 4288 2824 and we will give you a day.
Common refrigerator faults we see in Wollongong homes
- “The fridge is warm but the freezer’s fine” — The most common refrigerator call from Wollongong to Kiama. Ice has blocked the vents between the freezer and fridge sections, or the fan or damper that moves cold air between them has stopped. A one-visit repair almost every time; on a dual-evaporator fridge a blocked evaporator is the exception, and we will tell you if it is not worth it.
- “It’s not cooling at all” — A fan, a temperature sensor, the damper, an incorrect setting, or ice on the vents — there is always a specific cause, and it has to be seen in person. Occasionally it is the compressor, in which case we say so straight away rather than start a repair that will not pay off.
- “It’s icing up” / “the seals are sweating” — Warm air getting in where it should not: door seals gone hard and warped, or insulation breaking down — the salt and humidity out at Warilla, Windang and Port Kembla make seals work harder. It can also be a defrost fault, since modern fridges run a defrost cycle every few hours. A genuine seal or a defrost part usually saves an otherwise sound fridge.
- “There’s water in the bottom” or on the kitchen floor — Nearly always a blocked defrost drain: the melt water from the defrost cycle cannot get away. On fridges with a dispenser or ice-maker it can be the water filter or a valve. Either way it is a small job, not a new fridge.
- “It’s noisy” — A fan hitting ice or debris, a worn fan motor, or the compressor. Fans we replace on the spot; a noisy compressor is the honest conversation about age and value.
- The garage fridge in summer — Second fridges in garages from Bellambi to Berkeley run hard through a Wollongong summer — heat on one side, salt air on the other. Airflow around the unit, a clean condenser and a sound door seal are what keep them alive; we check all three on every refrigeration visit.
Refrigerator repairs by brand
Fisher & Paykel — we are a manufacturer-authorised Fisher & Paykel repairer, and their fridges are among the easiest to work on: sensible layouts, parts readily accessible, good technical support behind us.
Haier — authorised as well; Haier and Fisher & Paykel share a lot of refrigeration platform, so diagnosis and parts are quick.
Hisense, Samsung and LG — the fridges we see most in Wollongong and Shellharbour homes. Fan, sensor, damper and defrost faults are the routine calls on all three, and all three are well worth repairing when it is one or two parts.
Westinghouse and Electrolux — the workhorse Australian top-mounts and bottom-mounts in rentals and family homes from Wollongong and Corrimal down to Dapto and Shellharbour. Easy to work on, parts readily available.
Bosch — fewer of them about, but the same approach: test the cooling path properly before anything is replaced. See every brand we service.
Recent fridge jobs across the Illawarra
From the job book, names left out:
- Ice-maker, cracked tray — the freezer was one solid block of ice. The tray had split and leaked until the whole compartment froze over. A long defrost, a new tray, and the ice-maker was back for summer. Fridges are a pain to replace — which is exactly why one or two parts is almost always worth it.
- Fridge fan replacement — “as good as new.” Warm fridge, cold freezer: the fan that circulates air between the sections had failed. Replaced on the visit; the customer’s review said the fridge is as good as new.
- Fridge at very short notice. A no-cooling call fitted in at short notice on that day’s run, diagnosed and sorted in the one visit — the customer’s review made a point of how quickly we got there.
- The compressor conversation. An older top-mount that had genuinely lost its compressor: we told the customer straight that a sealed-system repair would run past a thousand dollars and pointed them to a new fridge instead. You pay the diagnostic and nothing more for that answer.
Frequently asked questions
My fridge isn't cold but the light works. What's wrong?
That points to a cooling fault rather than power, commonly a fan motor, thermostat, or the sealed refrigeration system. It needs an on-site diagnosis to pin down.
Do you regas fridges?
Sealed-system and refrigerant work is specialised and licensed. We diagnose the fault first and advise honestly whether a repair is worthwhile or whether replacement makes more sense.
How quickly can you look at a fridge that's stopped?
We prioritise no-cooling calls because of food spoilage, so we’ll get you the earliest slot we have — most jobs within the week, often within a couple of days.
How much does a fridge repair cost?
$129 diagnostic ($169 further out). Then a fixed repair price, quoted before we start. The diagnostic is $129 close in across the Illawarra, or $169 further out. It covers the visit, the travel and finding the real fault. If you go ahead, the diagnostic is the first line of your repair price: you’ve already paid it, so you only pay the balance. You never pay it twice. You get the exact repair price before any work starts. If a part has to be ordered, we quote you first. There’s no second call-out fee, and the $129 you’ve already paid counts toward your total. No overtime or after-hours surcharges. The second appliance adds $49 to the diagnostic, not a second visit. See our full pricing.
How long does a fridge repair take?
Many fridge faults — fan motors, thermostats, defrost heaters, door seals — are fixed in a single visit. Sealed-system or compressor issues can need an ordered part and a follow-up; we tell you on the day which it is.
My fridge is warm but the freezer is still cold. What's wrong?
That usually means the vents, or the fan that moves cold air from the freezer into the fridge, are blocked or failing, and sometimes it’s the damper. It’s a common one and usually a straightforward fix, not a compressor problem.
There's water pooling in the bottom of my fridge. Is it serious?
Almost always a blocked defrost drain, where the water from the automatic defrost cycle can’t drain away. It looks alarming but it’s usually a simple clear-out, not a major fault.
Which parts of Wollongong do you cover for fridge repairs?
All of them. Wollongong is our home base, so the CBD and North Wollongong, the western suburbs of Figtree, Unanderra, Cordeaux Heights and Farmborough Heights, the northern side from Fairy Meadow and Balgownie up to Corrimal and Bulli, and the southern suburbs through Warrawong, Port Kembla and Berkeley are all everyday stops — the whole of Wollongong is in the $129 diagnostic zone. Beyond the city we cover the rest of the Illawarra and the northern Shoalhaven; every suburb is on our service area page.