Remember when your defrost thermostat acted up? You were faced with a whole block of ice inside your refrigerator. So you must already know how it is with defrost thermostats. When they show signs of damage, they should need immediate attention. How do you know you have a broken thermostat?
Here are the 5 easy steps you can follow:
Check for ice buildup
When you check your refrigerator and see an icy freezer, that’s one sign of a broken defrost thermostat. Why is this so? What does a defrost thermostat do, and why is it freezing everything up? A defrost thermostat is what regulates frost in your fridge. Why it’s freezing things in your refrigerator is because it’s not serving its purpose.
What you can do is immediately place the timer onto manual defrost, and it should trigger an automatic warning of the freezer. The warning works to defrost the freezer section. If, after 20 minutes, nothing happens, you can start removing the back wall to check the thermostat itself. Chances are it has been stuck to your refrigerator’s evaporator coil.
Remove the defrost thermostat
Safety first! Before removing the thermostat, turn off the power to your refrigerator. Remove the thermostat’s wiring and connect them to the defrost heater. You should easily pull this off because the thermostat wires are pretty evident.
You can then start the freezer again and observe. After ten minutes and your freezer begins to melt, you sure have a defective defrost thermostat.
Check the thermostat’s continuity
Another way you can capture a bad defrost thermostat is to check its continuity. You can grab your multimeter, connect the probes, then turn it on. When your defrost thermostat shows a consistent reading on the meter, you should expect to see the Ohms setting at 0. If it changes from that, you’ve confirmed your refrigerator’s problematic thermostat.
Verify that the connections are secured
Clearly, if your defrost thermostat has loose or broken connections, it won’t work. So, another step you can take is to check the thermostat connections at the back. Using a pair of pliers, carefully pry off the wiring.
Mostly, connection problems are caused by corroded and dirty wires. One hack you can try out is to use a piece of paper to pass along the surface. It can help remove any dirt. You could also look out for other signs of damage, such as nicks and scratches.
Check the temperature and return thermostat
You’re down to the final step! For successful troubleshooting, it’s time you deal with the thermostat itself. Open it up to see a small vial containing mercury. The mercury is what measures the temperature in your refrigerator.
If you see that it is no longer secure in its position, you will need to reset and reposition it. How to do it? A pair of pliers should come in handy. Turn the screw to loosen the connection and wait until it pops out. When done, you can leave it for about ten minutes.
Time’s up! You can turn the nut in its opposite direction to close the connection again. By then, you will have your mercury vial secured in its place again. The final step should be testing the refrigerator thermostat.
When To Know If the Defrost Thermostat Needs Repair?
You’ve just learned the steps to properly troubleshoot your defrost thermostat. But how do you actually know it’s broken and needs repair? You can look out for these clear defrost thermostat symptoms.
- Coils covered with ice: When the defrost thermostat malfunctions, it can even coat the coils in ice. This is even crucial because it can affect the functioning of the coils themselves. As you check your freezer, you can peek into the coils to see them frozen up.
- Frozen food: You never intend to freeze food unless you put them in the freezer. But how about frozen foods in the other refrigerator compartments? Not only is this frustrating, but also tiring. You will have to dedicate time to defrost all these foods and see whether they are still palatable.
- Unusually cold refrigerator: Ever discovered when your refrigerator is unusually cold? It is one obvious sign that the defrost thermostat is not working right. Aside from the freezing cold temperature, you will also see some ice buildup in the freezer and some frozen food in the other compartments.
- Temperature fluctuations: If the thermostat is broken, it will surely mess up the temperature in your refrigerator. You can observe your unit as it shows inconsistent temperatures, spoiling food and sometimes freezing them. You will think your refrigerator has gone haywire.
If you see these signs in your refrigerator, it’s 100% sure you are dealing with a defective defrost thermostat. The best plan of action for this is to get a refrigerator repair service. A repair service will determine the exact defects in your thermostat and provide the necessary fixes.
When To Call A Technician?
When dealing with a faulty thermostat, you should know when to call for help. While you can follow DIY procedures to reverse some problems, other issues are not as simple. So, you might consider calling a professional.
Why call a professional to check your defrost thermostat?
There are many reasons why you should call a professional. For starters, they are qualified to check the parts in your refrigerator. They have the skills and knowledge to inspect your thermostat and can easily diagnose it. In no time, you will know how on earth your fridge started to freeze everything up.
Other reasons why you should call an expert include the following:
- Your refrigerator is inspected completely.
- The technician can provide the necessary fixes.
- The technician will know how to replace a defrost thermostat.
- You will not spend on further services for a while.
If you ever decide on booking a service for your refrigerator, there’s a reliable company you can hire. Samsung Repairs is a professional appliance service provider that performs refrigerator repairs.
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