What is a Defrost Heater?

In defrost model home systems, there is no need to open the fridge door and manually turn it on. The defrost cycle simply happens with no need for any manual initiation or control. As soon as the fridge door is opened, the freezer is cold and the system will begin the defrost cycle immediately. There is no need to wait for the food section to fully defrost before opening the fridge door. The fridge is always cold, so there is no extra warm air needed to initiate the defrost cycle.

The advantage of having a built in defrost system is that the entire space is defrosted. If the fridge is located in a room with flat floors, one may find that it is more difficult to keep all items frozen. This can be overcome by placing shelves or other devices that catch the falling food drops. Since a built in defrost heater has no need to be turned on when the fridge is defrosted, the possibility of leaving some food out or of defrosting the entire space is eliminated.

There are three types of Defrost Heaters available in the market: Heater element – In this model, the heating element is placed under the refrigerator and used for warming up the entire room. It includes the thermostat and an appropriate connector. The disadvantage is that it cannot be moved from its place; it cannot be tucked neatly under the cupboard. A good option for this type of appliance is the adaptive defrost heater. Adaptive defrost heaters are available in various sizes and have flexible mounting options.

Adjustable thermostat – This model is similar to the Heater element but has an adjustable thermostat that allows you to set the desired temperature. The advantage of this option is that it has an auto shut off feature and automatically enters into the on mode. The disadvantage is that the unit takes longer to enter the on mode and the food will be cold before the food is completely defrosted. The last type of refrigerator defrost heater is the multi-zone defrost timer.

Multi Zone Detector – This unit has a thermostat that is sensitive and is heated up using a compressor. It detects the change in temperature and triggers the compressor to warm the area in a few seconds. As soon as the desired temperature is reached by the processor, the compressor switches itself off and the thermostat returns to its original position allowing the old refrigerators to resume working.

The timer option uses a circuit to sense the room temperature and trigger the compressor. This can be an efficient way to use a defrost heater but only if the desired temperatures are consistently met. If you have an air conditioned home or workplace, then it may not be a good idea. Your other option would be to have a high powered blower fan that circulates air that will cool the area enough to kill any bacteria that may be operating in the area.