Refrigerator defrost cycle

The refrigerator defrost cycle is the process that allows the thermometer of the refrigerator to cycle on and off in order to control temperature settings. This process occurs as a wire detector reacts to the changing temperatures as the freezer goes from room temperature down to below freezing. The cold control contacts remain closed but since the defrost timer is no longer feeding power to that circuit, the compressor does not run.

Once the defrost termination thermostat (a.k.a. defrost limit switch) senses a set temperature, it opens the circuit to the defrost heaters, shutting them off. On hot, humid days condensation will sometimes form around the refrigerator doors.

Say the defrost cycle is thirty minutes, the heater may only be on for ten of those thirty minutes on the timer controls. Most Frequent Causes for Refrigerator not defrost ing. If the board fails, the refrigerator will not go into the defrost cycle. Before replacing the defrost control boar first test the defrost heater and defrost thermostat. If the defrost heater and defrost thermostat are working properly, the defrost control board is likely defective.

The heating element warms the evaporator coil and melts any ice that has accumulated on the coil. In a system with automatic defrost ing, the defrost heater is linked to a timer.

Every so often, the refrigerator has to go through a defrost cycle to melt this ice that continues to build up on the coils from the moisture in the air. If the refrigerator has a defrost problem and will not melt the ice, it eventually builds up to the point that it blocks airflow. To run a forced defrost cycle open the refrigerator door or doors if your refrigerator is a french door model. Then hold down the door switch or switches, the display should go blank. Next press the refrigerator temperature (-) button times in seconds and release the door switches. from these members: If your refrigerator is stuck in a defrost cycle the timer will be the reason.

First unplug the unit from the wall outlet. Maximum time between defrost cycles is hours. Test the defrost heater and terminating thermostat as follows: unplug the fridge, and unplug the blue connector from the control board. This means the freezer drawer is out of alignment. To realign the freezer drawer, fully open and close the drawer firmly times.

To prevent this in the future, always open the freezer drawer completely. When the defrost cycle is complete the compressor and fan are allowed to cycle back on. Manual defrosting can take a few hours to complete. Leave the doors of both the freezer and refrigerator section open to let warm air inside for faster melting.

You can also place a bowl of hot water inside the freezer to help speed up thawing.

Refrigerant after a defrost cycle can cause a normal tapping sound. If this is an older refrigerator or a newly occurring noise, this may not be normal and would require service to diagnose. If sound is coming from the freezer that sounds like a fan blade is hitting something, it is not normal, please contact GE Appliance Service. In any frost free refrigerator there is a defrost system which controls the cooling and defrost cycle.

The components of the defrost system are: a defrost timer and a defrost heater. A defrost timer switches the refrigerator between the cooling and defrost mode. If it goes bad and stops at cooling mode,. Remove the rubber stopper from inside the bottom of the freezer. Turn the drain so that the arrow is pointing downward.

Place a pan under the drain, or attach a hose to the threaded end of the hose adapter and direct the water into a separate drain. After the defrost cycle , make sure the drain cap is securely replaced. Buy Appliances from Top Brands Online for your Home or Kitchen! Therefore the food resting against the back panel of the freezer section may thaw a little during the defrost cycle.

Food in plastic wrapping with air spaces can start to thaw allowing the moisture in the food to evaporate into the air space. I have taken the back cover plate and found the coils all frozen over, preventing my refrigerator part to get cold. Defrosting the Evaporator Coils. There are two methods of initiating the ADC Test Mode.

In some equipment, the cycle terminates the same way it was initialized - according to a timer. Pre-Chill: When the main control board determines that the defrost cycle is necessary, the main control board will force the refrigerator into a continuous cool mode (this is Pre-Chill). The Pre-Chill will last for hours if the doors are not opened.

The forced defrost function is performed using the refrigerator display and keypad. Hold the refrigerator door light switch closed. Keep the length of the defrost cycle to a minimum. The cycle should be long enough to clear the coil of frost with minimal heat gain into the space, but short enough to prevent steaming, which occurs if the evaporator coil gets too hot.

The defrost timer motor runs and moves the control components in the device. This is the oldest method of defrosting used in the earliest refrigerators that had no automatic defrost systems. Refrigerator section will defrost during each off cycle of the refrigerator compressor. Series units: Freezer section automatically defrosted based off compressor runtime. Depending upon model, compressor runtime ranged from hours minutes, hours, or hours.

Earlier models (and non-electronic models) have defrost timers which force a defrost cycle every 6-hours. The thermostat control (or refrigerator control on some models) will also click when cycling on and off. Recommended solution: None, this is a normal operation.

Yeah, I miss the good ol’ days when refrigerator defrost cycles were controlled by simple mechanical defrost timers.