Defrost Thermostat

Had to remove inside panels to expose coils in freezer. Used hair dryer and towels to de-ice. Reading online learned about defrost heater (long thin glass tube with wire coil in it I could not see b/c up under the inside of the coils). Who would have guessed freezers have heaters in them!! And learned the defrost timer (inside the fridge) is just a continuous clock turning on and off the defrost heater. Anyways I used a screwdriver to turn the timer to defrost mode and by disconnecting the wires from each end of the heater and measuring the voltage, I found 70 volts there. Hmmm. I didn't know what was the right volt amount.
Reading online I also found out the defrost Thermostat is basically a temp actuated on/off switch for that heater, so that while the timer is sending *120* volts to the heater (which gets red hot by the way) the therm switches the heater off when the temp gets high in the freezer.
I eyeballed the therm ( it looks like a little can) and I saw that it was coming apart. The key at this moment is you can cut out and bypass the therm to see if the heater works. If it does you know the therm is the bad boy. But only do this as a momentary test or the heater will probably set your fridge on fire after a while!

Always remember to unplug the fridge when you are messing with the wires! And dry it up inside before putting your hands and tools in there!

So I ordered a therm using the model # of the fridge. Had to cut the old out and strip / wire nut the new one in.

Took too long b/c I was hung up on the heater being bad (after all it didn't heat up when I put the timer in defrost) and not knowing about the rights volts to the heater.

PartSelect helped out great! Thanks!

Replaced the defrost timer . It plugged in under the cover for the lights and controls in the refrigerator area. Replaced the deforst thermosat, took the rear cover off (at the back of the freezer) , cut the two wires and relaced the thermosat using wire nuts. Total repair time 30 minutes.

After several defrost sessions I realized we had a component problem. Freezer and frig would cool up and maintain for a week or so but then the frog would go warm and the freezer would be ice cold. SO it was then I knew it was a defrost sequence matter. Thanks to Parts Select and their part to culprit algorithm it provided me the several most likely parts to be at fault. Since not having a voltage tester it was R/R time so I started with defrost timer and then went on from there. So all in told the bill for parts was around $120 still cheaper than a repair service call and obviously buying a new unit. Replacing the parts was simple, the most difficult being the defrost heater element but nothing to throw your hands up. My advice is just stay patient, do plenty of research and tackle it, you will save hundreds of dollars. Living without a frig for several days can be uncomfortable but I was absolutely determined to salvage the frig and save money and it was all worth it.

Based on the relatively young age of refrigerator, I suspected the defroster electrical circuit. The evaporator core in the freezer was frozen solid, which confirms that the defrost heater circuit is not working. Thawed out (with a hot air gun) and disassembled the freezer section to access the evaporator core and defrost heater. If you have an ice maker, you will have to remove it to disassemble the freezer section. Confirmed with a voltmeter and ammeter that the defrost heater was not getting voltage. When the defrost heater is working, it will glow with an orange color. Also confirmed with a voltmeter that the defrost timer, located in the refrigerator section was working correctly. You can use a common blade screwdriver to rotate the timer through the cold and defrost cycles. Finally, I determined with a voltmeter and ammeter that the defrost thermostat, located on the evaporator core was not switching the defrost heater voltage. Ordered a new thermostat ($12) from this website and installed it. Refrigerator is as good as new. Be careful, there are many electrical hazards during the troubleshooting phase. Safety first.

The part i received fit perfect, i just removed the old part and put the new part in with the screw driver.Really easy

Unplugged fridge and removed back panel inside freezer compartment . Unclipped defrost thermostat and snipped off with wire cutters . Installed new defrost thermostat with wire nuts , clipped back on , re-installed back panel , turned on fridge and within a couple hours food compartment began cooling down . Thermostat looks like a small metal can clipped onto the heating coils with 2 wires attached . Also noticed excess ice build up on coils melted and drained into pan under fridge once unit started working .

i took the backing off with a screwdriver, cut the wires and put the 2 wires on that came with the thermostat. p.s. make sure you pull the power plug before you start.

Unplugged refrigerator Removed the cover in freezer compartment
Removed old thermostat and installed new
Replaced cover and plugged in refrigerator

Up plug from wall removed rear access cover in freezer let thaw out and replace two wire sensor had previously checked out knowing the defrost strip was good and the defrost thermostat was visually deformed and tested open at freezing and 40 degrees

removed screws holding back plate removed air devise pul slightly out lift straight up and ou remov 2 screws in the fan cage remove ice maker 2 screws and a plug in connector.pull back fram slowly forward angle to the left remove.you'll see condenser in front of you.thermostat is to the right attached to top coil of condenser clips on remove.two wires cut close to old thermos and remove install new one make sure back which is plastic faces you.attach wires with wire nut or inline #14 slices.just go in reverse to finish. maakesure you unplug fridge first and of course plug her back in.wait 24 hours for everything to settle down.