The short answer
When the K family stops cooling while the compressor still runs, the fault is usually that cold air is not moving rather than that cold is not being made. This page ranks the causes for that build; the brand-generic article ranks them for the brand as a whole.
What you observe
- A sheet of frost on the evaporator or the rear wall — A stalled defrost: the ice itself is now blocking the air path.
- Freezer side still cold, fresh-food side warm — Near-diagnostic on a shared-evaporator cabinet, and it points at the air path rather than the system.
- Cooling recovers for a day after the doors are left open — Near-diagnostic for a defrost fault: melting the ice restores the air path temporarily.
- The compartment is colder at the bottom than the top — An air-distribution problem rather than a failure to make cold.
- NEAR MISS - silent and not cold — That is a no-power or start-relay fault and belongs on a different page.
Causes, most likely first on K
- Evaporator or circulation fan not running — Ranked first on the K family: the fan sits behind the rear panel on this platform and is the moving part that wears first. What decides the order here is where the cold has to travel, and that is fixed for every model in the family. This moves above blocked airflow from a frosted evaporator, which leads the brand-generic order, because the family spans several sizes on one platform and it is the shared parts that wear.
- Blocked airflow from a frosted evaporator — Second: ice on the evaporator is not a side effect but the blockage itself: once the fins are bridged, the cabinet is sealed off from the only cold surface it has.
- Door seals, door alignment and loading — Third: the free check, and a genuine finding on any cabinet that has started running without stopping: a seal that no longer meets loads the machine continuously.
- Condenser coil choked or its fan stalled — Fourth: heat has to leave the cabinet somewhere, and a coil matted with dust or a stalled compartment fan means the machine runs without ever winning.
- Sealed-system or compressor fault — Last: last, and the only cause here that is not owner-checkable: refrigerant work is licensed work.
Check in this order, and why
- Listen at the cabinet for the circulation fan — It separates the two likeliest causes before any panel comes off.
- Compare the two compartments against each other — One cold and one warm is an air path; both warm is the system or the condenser.
- Look behind the rear panel for a frost sheet — A solid sheet rather than a light dusting confirms a defrost fault.
- Test each door seal with a sheet of paper — Last, because it explains a struggling cabinet rather than a warm one.
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. Refrigerant work is licensed work, so leave the whole sealed system to a licensed technician, and call at once if you see oil at the compressor or smell burning.
When to call a technician
Call immediately if you see oil at the compressor or smell burning, because oil outside the tubing means the system is open. Otherwise call when the owner checks above are clean and the temperature has not recovered overnight.
Other K pages
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