How to Clear a Power Outage Alert on Your Frigidaire Refrigerator

What a Power Outage Alert Means and How to Clear It

When your Frigidaire refrigerator displays a power outage message or alarm, it is telling you that the unit lost electricity at some point — even if just for a few seconds. The refrigerator's control board logs this event as a safety measure. Clearing the alert is straightforward: you locate the alarm button (usually on the front panel or inside the fridge near the controls), press and hold it for three to five seconds until the light or message disappears, then check that your food is still cold. If the fridge lost power for more than four hours, throw out perishables that sat above 40°F.

The alert itself is not a malfunction — it is the refrigerator doing its job. But you do need to clear it so you can see the display properly and know if a real problem develops later. The steps differ slightly between Frigidaire models, so your owner's manual will show you exactly where the button is on yours.

Key Takeaways

• A power outage alert means your refrigerator lost electricity and is warning you to check your food; it is not a breakdown.
• Press and hold the alarm or reset button for three to five seconds to clear the message from the display.
• The alarm button location varies by model — check your manual or the control panel for a button labeled "Alarm," "Reset," or with a bell symbol.
• After clearing the alert, verify that the fridge is cold again and discard any food that sat unrefrigerated for more than four hours.
• If the alert returns immediately or the fridge is not cooling, the issue is not just the alert — contact Frigidaire or a technician.

Finding the Alarm or Reset Button on Your Model

Frigidaire places the alarm button in different spots depending on the refrigerator style. On most modern models with a digital display, the button is on the front control panel, often labeled "Alarm," "Reset," or marked with a bell icon. Some older models have the button inside the fridge, mounted on the wall near the top or on the side of the control panel. A few models use a button on the exterior ice dispenser panel if your fridge has one.

Open your owner's manual and search for "alarm" or "power outage" in the index. The manual will show you a diagram of your exact model with the button location marked. If you no longer have the manual, visit the Frigidaire website, enter your model number (found on a sticker inside the fridge, usually on the back wall or under the top shelf), and download the PDF. The model number looks like "FFHT1814LS" or similar.

If you cannot find a dedicated alarm button, look for any button labeled "Reset" or a small recessed button you press with a pen or paperclip. Some Frigidaire models clear the alert by pressing the temperature adjustment buttons in a specific sequence — your manual will specify this if that is how yours works.

Step-by-Step: Clearing the Alert

Once you have located the button, the process is simple. Press and hold the alarm or reset button for three to five seconds. You should see the light turn off, the beeping stop, or the message disappear from the display. Release the button and wait a few seconds — the display should return to normal, showing only the current temperature or your set temperature.

If the alert clears but returns within a minute or two, the refrigerator may still be in the process of cooling back down after the outage. This is normal. Give it 15 to 30 minutes to return to its set temperature, then check again. If the alert keeps coming back after the fridge has been running normally for an hour, there may be a sensor problem — note this and contact Frigidaire support.

Do not unplug the refrigerator to clear the alert. Unplugging resets the entire unit and can cause other settings to be lost. The alarm button is the correct method.

Checking Your Food After a Power Outage

Clearing the alert is only the first step. You also need to check whether your food is still safe to eat. The danger zone for perishable food is between 40°F and 140°F — bacteria multiply rapidly in this range. If your refrigerator lost power, the interior temperature will have risen.

Use a food thermometer to check the coldest part of your fridge, usually the back of a shelf or the bottom drawer. If the temperature is still below 40°F and the outage lasted less than four hours, your food is safe. If the outage lasted four hours or longer, or if the fridge warmed above 40°F, throw out all perishables: meat, poultry, seafood, dairy, cooked leftovers, and soft cheeses. Keep shelf-stable items like butter, hard cheese, and condiments if they were not sitting in the warmest part of the fridge.

When in doubt, throw it out. A single meal is not worth the risk of foodborne illness.

Why Your Frigidaire Alerts You to Power Loss

Frigidaire and most modern refrigerators include power outage detection because food safety depends on consistent cold. A brief power loss — a few seconds from a utility blip or a tripped breaker — may not warm the fridge enough to spoil food, but you need to know it happened so you can check. The alert is a built-in safety feature, not a sign of a defect.

The refrigerator's control board has a battery-backed clock and memory that records when power was lost and for how long. Some models even display the duration of the outage on the screen. This information helps you decide what to keep and what to discard. If you see that the outage lasted only 30 seconds, you can be confident your food is fine. If it lasted six hours, you know to be cautious.

This is also why you should never ignore a power outage alert — it is your refrigerator telling you something important happened while you were away or asleep.

What to Do If the Alert Will Not Clear

If you press the alarm button and nothing happens, or the alert returns immediately, try these steps. First, make sure you are pressing the correct button for your model — double-check your manual. Second, hold the button for a full five seconds, not just a tap. Some models require a longer press to register.

If the button still does not work, the control panel may have gotten wet or the button itself may be stuck. Unplug the refrigerator for 30 seconds, then plug it back in. This resets the control board. Wait for the display to come back on, then try the alarm button again.

If the alert still will not clear after a reset, or if the fridge is not cooling properly, contact Frigidaire customer service or a local repair technician. A persistent alert combined with poor cooling suggests a sensor failure or control board issue that needs professional attention. Do not attempt to disassemble the control panel yourself.

Preventing Future Power Outage Alerts

You cannot prevent all power outages, but you can reduce how often your refrigerator loses power. Keep your refrigerator plugged into a standard outlet, not an extension cord or power strip — these can fail or trip unexpectedly. If you live in an area with frequent power flickers, consider plugging the fridge into a surge protector or uninterruptible power supply (UPS) designed for appliances, though this is not necessary for most homes.

Make sure your circuit breaker is not overloaded. If your refrigerator shares a breaker with other high-draw appliances like a microwave or dishwasher, the breaker may trip when multiple devices run at once. A licensed electrician can add a dedicated circuit for your refrigerator if this is a recurring problem.

Keep your freezer at least three-quarters full. A full freezer holds cold longer during an outage because the frozen items act as thermal mass. If you have a mostly empty freezer, fill some containers with water and freeze them — they will help maintain temperature if the power goes out.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long can food stay cold if the power goes out?

A full freezer keeps food safe for 48 hours if you do not open the door. A full refrigerator keeps food safe for about four hours. An empty or half-full fridge warms much faster. The key is not to open the door — every time you do, cold air escapes and the temperature rises faster.

Will clearing the alarm button erase my temperature settings?

No. Pressing the alarm button clears only the alert message. Your temperature settings, ice maker settings, and other preferences stay the same. The control board has separate memory for alerts and settings.

What if my Frigidaire beeps but shows no message on the display?

The beeping is the alarm sounding without a visible message — this can happen on models with older displays or if the display itself is malfunctioning. Press the alarm button anyway; it should stop the beeping. If it does not, try unplugging the fridge for 30 seconds and plugging it back in.

Can I clear the power outage alert by resetting the whole refrigerator?

You can, but it is unnecessary and will reset all your custom settings. Unplugging the fridge for 30 seconds and plugging it back in will clear the alert, but so will pressing the alarm button — and the alarm button method is faster and safer.

Does the power outage alert mean my fridge is broken?

No. The alert simply means the power went out at some point. If the fridge is cooling normally after you clear the alert, there is no problem. If the fridge is not cooling, or if the alert keeps returning even after the fridge has been running for an hour, then there may be a real issue worth investigating.