The short answer
On the KM line a cabinet that runs but will not get cold is usually an environmental or supply problem rather than a failed compressor: prove what is reaching the unit before you judge the unit, because a supply that sags looks exactly like a dead compressor. The expensive cause is the least likely and the last to be tested.
What the owner actually sees
- The compressor runs constantly and the cabinet stays warm — Never reaches temperature, never stops trying, and the machinery end is hot to the touch.
- It runs for a few minutes, stops, and starts again — The same short cycle repeated all day, with the cabinet never coming down.
- Cold at the plate, warm at the far end of the cabinet — Cooling is being made but not distributed, which points at air rather than at the system.
- NEAR MISS - completely silent with no lights — That is a supply or power fault before it is a cooling fault: check what is reaching the unit first.
What it usually turns out to be, in order
- A marginal supply or lead — Ranked first on this line: a compressor draws its heaviest current at the moment it starts, and a supply that sags under that load leaves the unit clicking or running without ever pulling down. The cabinet stays warm while everything looks alive.
- The condenser unable to shed heat — It ranks high because it is both the commonest cause of continuous running and the one an owner can fix completely in ten minutes.
- A door or lid that is not sealing — Then: on a compact cabinet the ratio of door to volume is large, so a leak that would be tolerable on a full-size refrigerator is decisive here.
- A loss of refrigerant charge — Last, and the reason the order matters: a system that has lost its charge runs continuously, stays quiet, and produces little or no cold at the plate.
Working order, and the reason for it
- Prove the supply before anything else — Run the unit from a different socket on a different circuit, using its own lead and no adaptor. A unit that cools normally there had a supply problem, not a fault.
- Give the condenser air and a clean grille — Feel the machinery end while it runs: it should be warm. A unit running continuously with a cool condenser has a different problem from one running continuously with a hot one.
- Test the seal at several points — Close the door on a strip of paper at the top, the middle and the bottom of each side and pull. Anywhere it slides out freely is a leak, and the coldest part of the cabinet will be furthest from it.
Before you open anything
Safety
Unplug the appliance or switch off its breaker before removing any panel; a capacitor can hold a charge after the power is off. Never open pipework or attempt anything on the sealed system - refrigerant work is licensed work and the tools for it are not owner tools.
Models in the KM family
Reference| Model number | Family key |
|---|---|
| KM15 | alpicool:refrigerator:km |
| KM20 | alpicool:refrigerator:km |
Where owner work ends
Call once the supply, the clearance, the seal, the setting, the load and the frost are all clean and the cabinet still makes no cold: what is left is the machinery. Call immediately if you find oil at the machinery end, or if a breaker trips when the unit starts.
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Lead Appliance Repair Technician · 12 years experience
Experienced technician with 12 years specializing in washing machine and dryer repairs across all major brands.
