The short answer for this family
A cabinet that will not hold temperature on the Alpicool MK family points first at a defrost cycle that has stopped running. Anyone who has already worked the brand-generic article can skip its opening: this family does not rank the causes the same way. The first checks below need no tools and no panel off, and they remove most of this list between them.
What the owner sees
- Temperature recovers for a day after a thaw — A unit that comes back after being emptied and left open has told you the cause.
- It cools in cool weather and fails in warm — A marginal heat rejection path shows itself seasonally.
- The cabinet is warm but the unit is clearly running — The compressor is audible; the air inside is not cold.
- The unit never cycles off — Continuous running without reaching temperature is the same fault seen from outside.
- Condensation inside the door — Warm wet air is getting in somewhere along the seal line.
- A MK unit of a different size behaves identically — That is what a shared build looks like: the members of this ladder differ in scale rather than in arrangement.
- NEAR MISS — only the ice has stopped — Ice can stop for reasons that have nothing to do with cabinet temperature; that is the ice page.
Causes, most likely first on the MK family
- A defrost cycle that has stopped running — It is where this family starts. The unit works normally for a while after a manual thaw, which is the clearest evidence of this cause.
- A dust-packed condenser — Second on this family. It is the usual explanation for a unit that cools less each summer and recovers each winter.
- A frosted evaporator blocking the air path — Third. The ice builds quietly over weeks, so the owner notices the warmth long before noticing the frost.
- A sealed-system leak or a failed compressor — Ranked last. It is the least likely cause on this list and the only one that cannot be checked from outside.
- Body: The brand-generic article on this symptom opens on a frosted evaporator blocking the air path. Here it does not: a defrost cycle that has stopped running has moved above it, and a frosted evaporator blocking the air path has moved down the list. What moved it is the shape of this family's numbering rather than anything about the brand as a whole.
Check in this order, and why
- Ask how long the unit stayed good after the last thaw — Days rather than weeks points upstream of the ice itself.
- Pull the unit out and look at the condenser coil — Dust packed between the fins is heat that cannot leave, and it comes straight back into the cabinet.
- Empty the unit, leave it open for a day and watch it recover — A unit that comes back after a thaw has named its own cause.
- Feel whether the condenser ever gets warm during a run — A coil that never warms while the compressor runs points at the sealed system.
- Body: One order serves the whole MK ladder. The members differ in scale rather than in arrangement, so the sequence below does not need a per-model variant.
Before any panel comes off
Safety
Unplug the appliance or switch off its breaker before removing any panel; a capacitor can hold a charge after the power is off. Sheet-metal edges behind a panel cut, and a compressor housing stays hot long after a run. Gloves for the first, patience for the second. 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 MK family
Reference| Model number | Family key |
|---|---|
| MK18 | alpicool:refrigerator:mk |
| MK25 | alpicool:refrigerator:mk |
| MK35 | alpicool:refrigerator:mk |
When to call a technician
The line here is drawn at the first check that cannot be made from outside the cabinet. 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 the one cause here with no owner-side check at all. Two things end the owner-side list immediately: a burning smell, and oil anywhere outside the tubing. Both mean stop and call rather than continue.
Other MK pages
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Experienced technician with 12 years specializing in washing machine and dryer repairs across all major brands.
