How To Defrost Whirlpool Refrigerator?

If your Whirlpool refrigerator gets frosted inside, you need to defrost it so it can work properly. Also, a frosting refrigerator takes more energy to cool the substances.

Most new-age refrigerators come with an auto-defrost feature, so if your refrigerator has one, you can use it to defrost it. However, if your refrigerator doesn’t have this feature, you can manually defrost it by turning off the refrigerator and leaving the door open so the ice can melt.

In this article, I will explain the exact steps to defrost your Whirlpool refrigerator. So, keep reading.

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Why does a Whirlpool refrigerator frost?

A refrigerator frosts when warm or humid air goes inside and gets cooled.

There are reasons why a refrigerator frosts inside.

Dysfunctional defrost cycle

Many whirlpool refrigerators come with an automatic defrost mechanism.

When the refrigerator starts frosting, the timer detects it and activates the heater to defrost the coils.

If any defroster system components get damaged, the cycle will stop, and the refrigerator will get frosted.

Lack of air circulation

If the air vent of the freezer gets blocked and air does not circulate properly inside the refrigerator, it can cause frosting inside the freezer.

Also, if your refrigerator is fully packed, it is also why it is getting frosted.

Put warm food inside.

If you put warm food inside the refrigerator, it will mix with the cool air and make frosts inside the refrigerator.

Damaged door seal

If the door seal is damaged or not airtight, then the humid or warm air goes inside from the outside.

And it gets to mix with the refrigerator’s cold air and make frosts inside.

How to defrost a Whirlpool refrigerator?

You can follow these steps to defrost your Whirlpool refrigerator:

1. Unplug the refrigerator

The first step to defrost your refrigerator is to turn it off and unplug the power cord from the power supply of your house.

Once it is done, move forward the refrigerator from the wall so that you can clean it properly.

Make sure you keep your refrigerator door open so that air can flow inside and you can defrost the refrigerator quickly.

2. Empty your refrigerator

The next step is to empty your refrigerator.

Remove all the foods and items from the refrigerator.

First, start with the containers.

And if any food items need to be preserved in a cooler environment, pour them into a vessel, cover them with a lid, and keep them in a cold place.

3. Remove the drawers and shelves

Once you remove all items, the next step is removing the drawers and shelves and emptying the refrigerator.

Make sure you don’t break the shelves when removing them.

If the shelves and drawers get frosted, then melt the ice and remove them.

4. Use towels/clothes to soak the drain water

When you remove the shelves and drawers by opening the refrigerator door, the ice inside the refrigerator starts melting.

This is because you find a lot of water draining from the refrigerator.

You need to soak the water using towels and clothes. Some refrigerators have drain hoses.

If your refrigerator has one, place the end on the low basin; water will drain through it.

5. Melt the ice

Now the most important part of the defrosting process is melting the ice. 

This part takes a long time, and you must do it patiently.

Make sure you use a towel or cloth to soak up the drained water.

You can melt the ice in your refrigerator in many ways.

These are some of the most common ways to defrost your refrigerator.

6. Allow air inside the refrigerator

In this step, you can simply open the refrigerator’s door and allow the air to flow inside your refrigerator.

The air temperature is the same as room temperature, so it will be warmer than the freezer temperature.

This is why the ice inside the temperature will start melting.

But it takes a long time to melt the ice.

If you want to speed up the process, follow the next steps.

  • Place a bowl of warm water: Take a bowl of hot water and place it into the refrigerator. Put a towel or thick cloth under the bowl, which will prevent the refrigerator’s surface from damaging. Ensure you keep closing the door and don’t open it until the water temperature reaches room temperature. This way, you can melt the ice.
  • Use a hair dryer: Another way you can melt your ice is by using a hair dryer. Run the hair dryer over the refrigerator in hot air mode. This way, it will melt even the most stubborn chunks.

To clean small ice particles:

  1. Keep a plastic spatula in your hand.
  2. Slide it thoroughly to clear the ice from the freezer.
  3. Don’t use metals like knives; ensure the spatula doesn’t chip into the surfaces.
  4. Keep in mind that the hair dryer doesn’t touch the appliance because the hair dryer can make an electric reaction in touch with the hair dryer.
  • Use a fan: Using a fan will speed up the defrosting process. It not only defrosts the refrigerator but also evaporates the water. To use a fan, first, you need to open the refrigerator door, place the fan in front of the refrigerator, and turn it on. You can also place the fan on the back side of the refrigerator if there is any ice.

7. Soak water and clean inside the refrigerator

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When you defrost, water will start melting and drain through the refrigerator.

You need to take a towel or thick cloth and mop it up inside the refrigerator.

It is also a great opportunity to properly clean your refrigerator from the inside.

8. Replace the items

Once all the ice melts and you mop up the refrigerator, you need to replace the items you removed inside the refrigerator.

First, start by installing the shelves and drawers one by one.

Then place the food items on the shelves and inside the drawers.

Now check if you replaced all the items properly that you removed before or not.

9. Turn on and plug in the refrigerator

Once you have installed all the items, close the refrigerator door and unplug it from the power supply of your house.

Now turn on the refrigerator.

Fix the problem with the defrost cycle

A typical defrost circuit in a refrigerator consists of a defrost timer or electronic control that supplies power to the heating circuit.

Now the heating circuit has a defrost thermostat or termination thermostat to cut the cycle off once the evaporator temperature is high enough that it should have melted all that frost off the evaporator. 

The thermostat is a safety device to make sure that it is here.

It does not stay too long.

At freezing, temperatures that defrost the thermostat should show zero continuity.

It may prove difficult to check if your refrigerator needs to be fixed or if you have had to remove the evaporator cover to access it.

It may have warmed up enough, making it difficult to test whether it is good.

The heater has very low continuity, typically between 10 and 50 ohms, which you can check with a multimeter

Now the mechanical timer can be advanced into a defrost cycle by using a flat-blade screwdriver and rotating that dial, which is typically accessible.

The timer is normally mounted in the control housing.

If you advance that timer in a clockwise direction until you hear an alert, clicking it should indicate that it is in the defrost cycle.

If you wait 20-30 minutes, you should see some steam from the evaporator area and some drained water. 

If you manually put the timer through a defrost cycle and the circuit works properly, and you do get to defrost, suspect that the timer is the issue.

If you advance it to defrost mode and do not get the defrost action, suspect that either the heater or the thermostat would be your problem.

Fix the refrigerator door seal

First, you need to open the door and pull the older door seal out from behind the door liner and remove it from the door.

Now use a putty knife to remove the excess foam from behind the liner. 

Make sure the putty knife stays within the liner.

Now you are ready to install the new door gasket.

Starting at the top, insert the lip of the seal or gasket behind the door liner and snap it into place, continuing along the sides and bottom until the gasket is fully installed.

Now close the door and check if the seal sets flush against the cabinet frame. 

If not, you can use a hair dryer set on low to make the gasket more pliable so that it will seal properly.

Final words

Defrosting is the best way to clean your refrigerator and keep it well-functioning. You must defrost it once or twice a year so that it works properly. You can easily defrost your Whirlpool refrigerator by following the steps I stated before.

To keep your Whirlpool refrigerator from frosting, you need to keep your refrigerator door closed for a short minute and not place warm food inside the refrigerator. First, cool the food, then place it inside the refrigerator.

After following the article, if you are still unable to defrost your refrigerator, then you can call the expert.

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Reference: Whirlpool Official Manual Top Mount, Whirlpool Official Manual French Door, Whirlpool Official Manual Side-by-Side.

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Jeniffer Smith

Hi, I am Jeniffer Smith, a housemaker and blogger, and I grew up in Shrewsbury, Massachusetts. I have been researching and fixing appliances and other things around the home and kitchen from a young age to help my single mother. Every time something went wrong, I couldn't rest until I fixed it. And ever since, I have enjoyed fixing things around my home, and I am always ready to help my friends and family with advice and hands-on help. Since we were always looking for affordable ways of fixing things, we rarely hired experts and tried to fix most things ourselves. That interest brought me to write for this blog, as I realized my knowledge could help many people trying to fix things around their homes on their own without spending hundreds of dollars.

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