The short answer
On a refrigerator of this brand, where the unit is standing is the first thing to suspect, ahead of frost blocking the evaporator, with the evaporator fan motor at the bottom of the list. A compact unit moves the ranking towards its installation: these are light machines that get relocated, stood on whatever is available, and squeezed into spaces that were never designed for them. More than one of the checks below needs no tools at all, and the last of these causes is a service call.
What you observe
- The fridge is warm but the freezer is still cold — Classic split: cold is being made and is not being moved into the fresh-food side.
- Condensation or sweating inside the cabinet — Warm humid air is getting in, which points at a door or a seal rather than at the machinery.
- Both compartments are warm and the unit runs constantly — Either the cold is not being made at all, or the heat is not being got rid of.
- NEAR MISS — only the ice maker has stopped — Ice production has its own causes; the ice page for this appliance is the right read.
Causes, most likely first on this brand
- Where the unit is standing — A compact unit has a small condenser and very little reserve. Standing in a garage, a conservatory, a cupboard or up against a radiator, it can be working perfectly and still not reach temperature on a hot day. Top of the list for this brand: it is first here because ambient temperature explains more compact-unit complaints than every mechanical cause combined.
- Frost blocking the evaporator — Cold is made on a coil behind the freezer rear panel and blown through the cabinet. Second here, and on most machines it would be at the top: it is first because it explains the warm-fridge-cold-freezer split exactly, and because the frost is visible without tools.
- Door seals and how the doors are used — A seal that no longer pulls the door tight lets warm humid air in continuously. Third: it is here because the paper test takes a minute and because a bad seal drives the frost problem above it as well.
- The evaporator fan motor — If the fan behind the freezer panel stops, cold stays on the coil and the fridge warms while the freezer stays frozen — the same picture as an iced coil, produced by a different part. Last: it ranks here because one listening test separates it from the cause it imitates.
Check in this order, and why
- First: Does it get worse when the room is hot? — Performance that tracks the weather is the location, not the appliance. It is first because it is the cheapest of the three to settle.
- Second: Look at the freezer rear panel for frost — A sheet of ice rather than a light dusting tells you the air path is blocked.
- Third: Do the paper test all round each door — Close a sheet of paper in the door and pull. It should drag everywhere; anywhere it slides freely is a gap.
What an owner can safely check
- Give the unit space and a cooler position — Pull it away from walls and heat sources, leave a hand-width all round, and re-measure after a day.
Tools: fridge thermometerAbout 25 min
- Empty the unit and leave it off with the doors open — Let it defrost fully, dry it, and restart it. Cold restored afterwards confirms the defrost system.
Tools: towelsAbout 60 min
- STOP HERE if the next step needs a meter on live terminals — That is the line between an owner check and a service call, and it is not worth crossing.
Isolate before you start
Safety
Unplug the appliance or switch off its breaker before removing any panel, and treat every capacitor as still charged: a capacitor can hold a charge after the power is off. Do not attempt anything on the sealed system: refrigerant work is licensed work. Never chip ice off an evaporator with anything metal, because piercing a coil ends the appliance.
When to call a technician
The owner side is the coil, the seals, the vents and a full manual defrost. Past that, the panels come off and the unit is worked on isolated.
Nearest pages of this class
What this page does not cover
This is generalized information for Ningbo Patches Refrigeration Equipment Co Ltd refrigerators as a class, not for one family or one model. No family- or model-specific page for this brand and appliance is published here yet, so nothing narrower is linked; when one is, it becomes the more specific answer and this page will point to it. Not here: wiring colours, torque figures, part numbers and panel-removal sequences, all of which differ by family.
Lead Appliance Repair Technician · 12 years experience
Experienced technician with 12 years specializing in washing machine and dryer repairs across all major brands.
