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Defrost Heater Testing
Learn how to test your refrigerator or freezer defrost heater using a multimeter.
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Part
Defrost Heater
Product Rating
Customer
Steven from VA
Problem
Freezer would not defrost. Buildup on the coils.
Tools
DVM to measure the resistance of the heater coil. 1/4 nut driver for access.
Repair & Advice
Noticed the fridge compartment was running hot. Looked into the freezer and there was a buildup of frost and ice on the freezer coils. So I unplugged and manually defrost to remove ice and frost. Plug it back in and everything was fine for a couple of days until the buildup returned and fridge running warm again. Googled common causes for this issue and found a video troubleshooting the defrost circuit. I did a resistance test on the heater coil and it was open. I measured the resistance of the new coil on the same range to confirm the old coil was bad before continuing and replacing. The heater coil has to be guided through the freezer coils, this proved to be the most difficult part of the repair. A visual inspection of the old coil showed a burn spot where it opened up. First time doing this repair, so the time of repair is high. Not knowing how fragile the tubes leading are caused extra care and time.
Story submitted on July 1, 2017
