The short answer
A cabinet that runs continuously and still warms up has lost airflow far more often than it has lost refrigerant. The compressor is working; something is stopping the cold it makes from reaching the food. Listen at the freezer with the door open and the light switch held in. Hearing the evaporator fan separates an airflow fault from a fan fault before anything is opened. On a Smeg SpA refrigerator the cause that ranks first is defrost cycle stalled, evaporator iced over.
What you observe
- The compressor never stops running — The same fault seen from the other side: it never reaches its target.
- The cabinet is warm but the compressor is clearly running — Cold is being made; it is not reaching the food.
- A solid sheet of frost on the freezer rear panel — The defrost system has stopped clearing the coil.
- NEAR MISS — the cabinet cools but leaks water — That is a drain fault and it belongs on the water-leak page.
Causes, most likely first on a Smeg SpA refrigerator
- Defrost cycle stalled, evaporator iced over — The heater or its control stops clearing the coil, frost builds into a solid sheet behind the freezer panel, and air stops moving while the compressor runs on. It ranks first on a Smeg SpA refrigerator because a built-in installation breathes through a narrow cabinet cut-out, so anything airflow-related surfaces here long before it would on a free-standing machine.
- Condenser coil blanketed in dust — The coil rejects the heat the compressor removes, and once it is covered the machine runs continuously without ever getting the cabinet down. Second on this platform: a shallow plinth or a tight cut-out fouls a coil far faster than an open back does.
- Evaporator fan motor failed — The fan behind the freezer panel is what pushes cold into the fresh-food side, and when it stops the freezer stays cold while the refrigerator warms. Ranked here because a cold freezer beside a warm refrigerator is this fault and almost nothing else.
- Damper or air diffuser stuck — On a single-evaporator cabinet a flap meters cold air into the fresh-food side, and a stuck flap starves that side while the freezer stays fine. Last, and the reason to work down the list rather than guess: it mimics a failed fan exactly, so the fan has to be heard before this is considered.
Check in this order, and why
- Empty the freezer and look at the rear panel for a sheet of frost — A solid sheet rather than a dusting settles it immediately.
- Feel the coil area at the back or in the plinth for heat and dust — A thick dust blanket is visible and it is the cheapest fix here.
- Open the freezer, hold the door switch in and listen for the fan — A cold freezer with a warm cabinet is the fan's signature.
What an owner can safely check
- Empty the cabinet, switch it off and leave both doors open for a full defrost — Cold restored afterwards confirms the defrost system as the cause.
Tools: towelsAbout 45 min
- Unplug the cabinet and vacuum the condenser coil and its grille thoroughly — Do this twice a year on a compact or built-in cabinet, more with pets.
Tools: vacuum, soft brushAbout 25 min
- STOP HERE — the next check means a meter, a panel, or both — The ranking above tells you what to ask for; it does not make the remaining tests owner work.
Before you open anything
Safety
Unplug the cabinet or switch off its breaker before removing any interior panel — a capacitor can hold a charge after the power is off. Never cut, open or attempt to recharge a sealed refrigerant line.
When to call a technician
Call when every owner check is clear, and immediately if you see oil at the compressor or smell burning — oil outside the tubing means the system is open. On a European-controlled machine, ask what the control was reporting when it stopped — it usually records why it aborted, and that shortens the visit.
Nearest pages of this class
What this page does not cover
This is the generalized page for a Smeg SpA refrigerator. It does not carry anything model-specific: no part numbers, no wiring colours, no panel sequence and no torque figures, because those differ between families sold under the same badge. Where a family- or model-level page exists it is linked above, and it is the more specific answer of the two.
Lead Appliance Repair Technician · 12 years experience
Experienced technician with 12 years specializing in washing machine and dryer repairs across all major brands.
