What PO Means
Built-In Refrigerator, French Door Bottom-Freezer Refrigerator and Side-by-Side Refrigerator: KitchenAid publishes PO for all three families and the text is identical on each. It defines PO as a power-outage indicator - "The Power Outage indicator lets you know if the power supply to the refrigerator has been off and the freezer temperature has risen to 18 degrees F (-8 degrees C) or higher." The control sounds an alert tone three times and blinks "Confirm" on the display until the outage is acknowledged by pressing MEASURED FILL under "Confirm," after which PO disappears and the display returns to the Home screen. There is no fault behind it; it is the cabinet keeping a record of how warm the freezer got while the power was out.
Common Causes of PO
- A household power outage or a tripped circuit breaker
- The unit being unplugged during a move, remodel, or deep cleaning
- A momentary utility blip that still lasted long enough to register
🔧 One Safe Check You Can Try
Locate the display's Confirm button (labeled "Measured Fill" on some shared controls) and press it once to clear the notice — there's no mechanical fault to chase here, it's simply a log entry that power was out long enough for the freezer to warm to 18°F or above.
⚠ Why You Shouldn't Go Further Than That
- There's no faulty part behind PO — it's a record of a past interruption, so hunting for something to repair inside the cabinet accomplishes nothing and only risks disturbing wiring that was fine to begin with.
- Given that the alert threshold is tied to the freezer reaching 18°F, it's worth actually inspecting frozen items for texture and ice crystals before deciding nothing needs attention.
- When this notice keeps returning with no outage you're aware of, the more useful step is having an electrician check the home's circuit rather than opening the refrigerator.
Opening a panel to inspect or repair something yourself doesn't automatically cancel your manufacturer's warranty — but it can risk accidental damage, and some manufacturers do have specific service conditions. Check your product's warranty terms, or ask us, before deciding.