What PO Means
PO is the power outage indicator. Maytag explains that it appears when the supply to the refrigerator has been off and the freezer temperature has risen to 18F (-8C) or higher. The display reads PO, an alert tone sounds three times, and Confirm blinks until you acknowledge it by pressing MEASURED FILL beneath Confirm. It is a record of what happened while you were away, not a fault in the appliance.
Common Causes of PO
- Mains power cut while the household was away
- Breaker tripped or the plug worked loose
- Outlet on a shared circuit that tripped
- Extended outage after a storm
🔧 One Safe Check You Can Try
Acknowledge the message first so the display clears and the refrigerator returns to showing temperatures. Then deal with the real question, which is the food. Put a thermometer in the freezer and another in the fresh food compartment and read them. Refrigerated food held above 40F for more than two hours, and frozen food that has fully thawed rather than merely softened, should be discarded rather than judged by look or smell. Food still containing ice crystals can generally be refrozen. Give the refrigerator several hours to pull back down to temperature before judging whether it is cooling properly again.
⚠ Why You Shouldn't Go Further Than That
- None for the indicator itself - acknowledging it is ordinary use. The judgement about food is yours, made with a thermometer rather than by smell.
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.