Defrosting: The process of removing the ice or frost from the evaporator or

freezer is called as defrosting.

A defrosting procedure is generally performed periodically on refrigerators and

freezers to maintain their operating efficiency over time, as the door is opened
and closed, letting in new air; water vapor from the air condenses on the cooling
elements within the cabinet.
Method of Defrosting an Evaporator: The various methods used for defrosting
the evaporators are as follows:

Electric
defrosting

simple hot gas

Manual defrosting
defrosting
Thermobank
Defrosting
defrosting
Automatic
defrosting
pressure control
defrosting

Temperature
control
defrosting

Reverse cycle
defrosting

Manual Defrosting: It is the earliest and simplest method of defrosting. In this

method, either the compressor is stopped or the refrigerant to the evaporator
until the accumulated frost or ice is melted. Evaporators of suitable and robust
construction can be defrosted by brushing, scraping or chipping.
Automatic Defrosting: 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.
Defrosting is controlled by an electric or electronic time

Mechanism:

A defrosting evaporator is one in which frost accumulates on the coils when the
compressor is running and melts after the compressor shuts off. During the
running of the compressor the evaporator remains at a temperature of about -7
to -6 and then frost forms on the coil surface. But after compressor stops, the coil
warms up to a temperature slightly above 0 and melts before the compressor
starts again.

one of the process of defrosting describing bellow

The heart of the defrost system is the defrost control. The most common control
is a mechanical defrost timer which is a motorized device that opens and closes
several electrical contacts

Cooling Cycle

During the cooling mode, the defrost timer closes a contact to the compressor
circuit so it will run. The circuit to the defrost heater is open. While in this mode,
the thermostat (cold control) cycles the compressor and fan motors on and off to
maintain an appropriate temperature.
Defrost Cycle

The defrost timer eventually

switches into defrost mode and
supplies power to the defrost
heater(s) to melt any frost that has
accumulated on the evaporator
(cooling) coil.

The cold control contacts remain

closed but since the defrost timer is
no longer feeding power to that
circuit, the compressor does not run.

Once the defrost termination thermostat (defrost limit switch) senses a set
temperature, it opens the circuit to the defrost heaters, shutting them off. The
timer remains in the defrost cycle until the timer advances back to the cooling
mode. Since the limit switch is open, the heaters are no longer on for the rest of
the cycle.

Cooling Cycle

When the timer again advances back into the cooling mode, the compressor will
start to run along with any air circulation fans. The defrost limit switch will remain
in the open condition until it is reset by cold temperatures.

Once a set colder temperature is

reached, the defrost termination
thermostat closes again. This is OK
since the defrost timer is no longer
supplying power to the defrost
circuit; the heater does not get
energized.

When the defrost timer again

advances into the defrost mode, the
limit thermostat will already be closed and will allow power to be supplied to the
defrost heater to melt any frost that has developed on the evaporator coil again.
Disadvantages of Automatic Defrost :

1. The resulting ice inhibits heat transfer out of the cabinet increasing running
costs.

2. Frost-free units cost more and use more electricity than manual defrost
models.
2. Because of the defrosting cycles, the temperature tends to fluctuate often.
4. Auto-defrost units consume more energy.
5. Make more noise during the operation.
6. On hot, humid days condensation will sometimes form around the refrigerator
doors.
7. A thermal cutout safety device is required to prevent overheating of the
heating element.

Advantages of Automatic Defrost:

1. The primary advantage of automatic defrost units is the easy maintenance

2. Since there is no ice buildup in the fridge or freezer compartments give more
space for food storage.

3. It saves time and effort by eliminating the need for manually defrosting