What this usually is on these models
An R unit that runs constantly and stays warm is working hard at something that is not cooling. Prove what is reaching the unit before you judge the unit, because a supply that sags looks exactly like a dead compressor, so the checks below start outside the cabinet and move in.
What you observe
- The panel is lit and nothing ever starts — The electronics are alive but no cooling is ever called for.
- It was fine until the weather turned — The same unit in the same place, coping in spring and failing in a hot room.
- A sheet of ice on the cold plate — Frost thick enough to feel as a layer, with the cabinet warm despite it.
- NEAR MISS - cold but leaking water — A cabinet that holds temperature and leaves puddles is a drainage fault, and the water leak page for this line covers it.
Ranked causes for these models
- A marginal supply or lead — First here, and by a wide margin: leads, adaptors and a socket shared with something heavy are the usual weak points. The unit is fine; what reaches it is not, and that shows up as repeated short runs rather than as a dead machine.
- A door or lid that is not sealing — Second on this line: a gasket that has taken a set, a door held ajar by contents, or a hinge that has dropped lets the cabinet exchange air continuously. The compressor never stops and the cabinet never gets down, so it reads as a cooling failure.
- The condenser unable to shed heat — Third: a condenser boxed in, dusty or pressed against a wall cannot give up heat, so the compressor runs and runs and the cabinet never reaches temperature. The unit looks healthy and performs like a broken one.
- A loss of refrigerant charge — Last on the list, and the only one here that is not owner work: it is diagnosed by exclusion and by what the machinery end is doing, never by guesswork, and the work itself is licensed work.
What to check first, second, third
- Prove the supply before anything else — Note whether the unit clicks and stops, or runs continuously. Clicking and stopping points at supply or start; running continuously points at airflow.
- 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.
- 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.
Read this before you start
Safety
Isolate the unit at the plug or the breaker before any panel comes off, because a capacitor can hold a charge after the power is off. If you find oil or a greasy film at the machinery end, stop: that means the sealed system is open and the unit should not be run.
When to call a technician
The line is whether the unit makes any cold at all. A cabinet that gets partly cold has an airflow or a distribution problem worth chasing at owner level; a cabinet that makes none after the free checks needs a technician.
Other faults covered for this line
Lead Appliance Repair Technician · 12 years experience
Experienced technician with 12 years specializing in washing machine and dryer repairs across all major brands.
