If food in the bottom of the refrigerator is freezing, this could be caused by a refrigerator not having enough food to absorb the cold air. If food in the door is freezing, move the door bins up or down so they are one notch away from freezer vents. The fresh food control should be at the normal setting of 5.
When all the frost is melted away, plug the fridge back in. If it works, the problem may be a defrost timer, defrost heater or defrost thermostat. Normally the refrigerator condenser fan and compressor, located near the floor on the back of most refrigerators, come on when the thermostat calls for more cooling.
Faulty thermostats or thermostats that are set too low can cause an air conditioner to run constantly, which can eventually drop the temperature of the condenser below freezing. If your nighttime temperatures are too low, the system will not operate properly and freeze-ups can occur.
In place of a commercial cleaner, you can use a mild detergent and warm water to clean the coils.
- Mix warm water and a simple detergent in a spray bottle, hand sprayer or garden sprayer.
- Apply the water and detergent solution to the evaporator coils.
1. Dirty air filters can cause frozen AC coils. Your AC needs clear air flow throughout in order to function properly. Dirty filters can obstruct the air from getting in and out.
A quick method for manually de-icing an evaporator and its drain pan is to use water. Water is an excellent heat source. It can de-ice an evaporator rather quickly and efficiently.
Try a Little Heat
If just a little ice has formed on your evaporator coil, you can defrost it faster using a hair dryer turned on to the lowest setting. Hold the hair dryer at least 12 inches from the coil. Too much heat can crack an evaporator coil, so use caution if you decide to go this route.There is not a reset button on most models of refrigerators. Unplugging the refrigerator for several minutes and then plugging it back in will sometimes reboot the electronic control board on the refrigerator (if it has a control board).
Do Plan Well in Advance – Most fridges take at least eight hours to defrost, but it's better to err on the side of caution and give it a full day to complete the process. Do Take All the Food Out Before Defrosting – This will help you avoid water logging the food and make the defrost process go a little quicker.
Never unplug a refrigerator then plug it right back in it can cause the compressor to go off on overload and blow the relay overload and capacitor. You cannot make ice in the refrigerator does not get cold enough so they run a separate evaporator in the refrigerator just to make the ice there.
Defective thermostat
If the refrigerator does not defrost, the defrost thermostat might be defective. In a defrost system, the defrost heater turns on several times in a day to melt away the frost developed on the evaporator coil. This defrost heater is connected to a defrost thermostat.How to Reset the Compressor on a Fridge
- Locate the refrigerator power cord on the back of the appliance.
- Disconnect the power cord from the wall outlet.
- Turn both the fridge and freezer controls to "Off" or "0" inside the fridge.
- Adjust the fridge and freezer controls to the desired setting.
- Allow the fridge up to one day to adjust to a stable temperature.
The defrost mechanism in a refrigerator heats the cooling element (evaporator coil) for a short period of time and melts the frost that has formed on it. The resulting water drains through a duct at the back of the unit.
