The short answer
On an Alpicool refrigerator in the KM family, a cabinet that will not hold temperature comes back most often to a frosted evaporator blocking the air path. The brand-generic page opens elsewhere, and the ranking below says which cause moved and what moved it. Of the causes listed here, all but one are owner-checkable, and a cabinet loaded past its vents is the one worth ruling out immediately after the first.
What you observe
- Frost builds as a sheet on the back wall — A sheet rather than the usual light dusting is an airflow story.
- One compartment holds and the other does not — Cold being made but not moved looks exactly like this.
- The unit never cycles off — Continuous running without reaching temperature is the same fault seen from outside.
- Temperature recovers for a day after a thaw — A unit that comes back after being emptied and left open has told you the cause.
- More than one KM unit shows the same thing — With 2 builds under this key, the same behaviour across two of them points at the family rather than at one machine.
- NEAR MISS — the unit is silent and the display is dark — That is a power fault, and none of the checks below apply until it has power.
Causes, most likely first on the KM family
- A frosted evaporator blocking the air path — It is the first thing to rule out on these models. The ice builds quietly over weeks, so the owner notices the warmth long before noticing the frost.
- A cabinet loaded past its vents — It follows the lead on these models. It appears right after a big shop and disappears when the load comes down, which dates it precisely.
- A control board that is not calling for cooling — It comes after the two above it. It is rarer than the mechanical causes and is diagnosed by ruling those out first.
- A sealed-system leak or a failed compressor — It ends the list. Refrigerant work is licensed work and the tools for it are not owner tools.
- Body: This family keeps the brand-generic lead, but the order behind it is not the brand's. A cabinet loaded past its vents has moved up into second place, ahead of a failed evaporator fan motor, and what moved it is what this page's model table shows about how many builds sit under this key.
Check in this order, and why
- Take the freezer rear panel view and look for a frost sheet — A sheet rather than a dusting is the air path closing, and it explains a running machine that is not cold.
- Move the load away from the outlets for a day — A unit that recovers when it is unpacked has told you the answer.
- Establish whether the compressor ever starts — A display that behaves and a compressor that never runs is a different picture from a unit that runs and fails.
- Look for oil traces at the compressor — Oil outside the tubing means the system is open and the checks above no longer apply.
- Body: Read the plate before starting: the KM pair are one step apart, and a check aimed at the wrong member wastes the visit rather than the minute.
Before you open anything
Safety
Power off first, every time. Unplug the appliance or switch off its breaker before removing a panel, since a capacitor can hold a charge after the power is off. Fan blades stay sharp and stay able to turn after the power is cut. Keep the interlock intact and let the fan stop on its own before reaching past it. The sealed system is out of scope for every check on this page. If a step would mean opening it, the step is a service call instead.
Models in the KM family
Reference| Model number | Family key |
|---|---|
| KM15 | alpicool:refrigerator:km |
| KM20 | alpicool:refrigerator:km |
When to call a technician
The line on these models is the point where a check needs a panel off or a tool you do not keep. Work down the checks above first; they cost minutes and they remove most of this list. Call once they have all come back clean, because what is left is a sealed-system leak or a failed compressor, and that is where the list stops being owner work. Call straight away, without working down the list, if you smell burning or see oil outside the tubing at the back: oil outside the tubing means the system is open, and every hour it runs after that costs more to put right.
Other KM pages
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