5 Simple Steps To Defrost Frigidaire Refrigerator

Frigidaire refrigerator is among the best refrigerators that make your kitchen life easier. It comes with many features that keep your food fresh for a long time. But if the refrigerator is frosting up, it can be difficult to keep your food fresh or preserve it for a long time.

You can defrost your Frigidaire refrigerator by pressing the On/Off button for 3 seconds which activates the defrost cycle. You can also turn the temperature dial to zero to defrost the refrigerator. To speed up the process, use a hairdryer. If nothing works, try turning off the power supply.

In this article, I will explain 5 simple steps to defrost your Frigidaire refrigerator. So, keep reading.

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Why does the Frigidaire refrigerator frost?

The main reason your Frigidaire refrigerator frosts is the warm and humid air.

If the inner part of the refrigerator comes in touch with warm air, it will mix with cold air and form ice.

There are many reasons why your refrigerator comes in touch with warm or humid air.

  • If you keep your Frigidaire refrigerator door open for a long time, warm or humid air goes inside the refrigerator and makes frost.
  • If the refrigerator’s seal is damaged or not set properly, it can also cause frosting.
  • If you place hot food inside the refrigerator, then also it can cause frosting inside the refrigerator.

The thermostat helps in the cooling system of your refrigerator. 

If the refrigerator’s thermostat is damaged, the in-build defrost system does not work properly.

When the refrigerator frosts up, the automatic defrost system turns on the heater to defrost the refrigerator.

If the heater is broken, the system will not work properly, and the refrigerator won’t defrost.

The defrost timer is the main part of the defrost system of your refrigerator.

It helps to transfer the alarm.

If the refrigerator starts frosting up, the defrost timer sends signals to the defrost heater to start the heating up process for melting the ice.

5 simple steps to defrost Frigidaire refrigerator

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Let’s understand how to defrost the Frigidaire refrigerator:

1. Get rid of all the items and food

Before starting the defrosting process, you need to remove all the items and food from your refrigerator to get more space and clean the refrigerator properly.

It is time to remove unused items or foods from your refrigerator.

2. Remove the shelves and drawers

Once done, the next step is to remove the shelves and drawers from your refrigerator.

Now your refrigerator is empty, and you need to defrost it now.

3. Defrost it

There are two ways you can defrost your refrigerator.

One manually and the second forcefully.

Manually: There are 3 models you can find in Frigidaire refrigerators, and they have different types of defrosting processes that you can do manually.

If your model has temperature dial settings, then you need to follow the process to defrost your Frigidaire refrigerator.

  • First, open the refrigerator. You can find thermostat dials on the appliance’s refrigerator side along the refrigerator’s top edge. You can find two thermostat dials, one for the refrigerator and the other for the freezer.
  • Find the temperature dial labeled as the freezer.
  • Once you find that, rotate the dial to 0. Once you do that, the compressor will turn off and stop the cooling. The light will stay on inside the refrigerator as this doesn’t cut the appliance’s power.
  • When the defrost cycle starts, you can see a clicking noise once. Keep the cycle on for 30 minutes.
  • Now reset the dial of the freezer temperature to your preferred setting to start the cooling again.

If your refrigerator has electronic panel settings, you must follow the steps below to defrost it.

  • The first thing you need to do is open the refrigerator side door and try to find the temperature control panel, depending on the Frigidaire model. In most refrigerators, the control panel locates on the upper edge of the refrigerator side.
  • You can find the on/off button there. Press the button and hold it down for 3 seconds and the defrost cycle will start.
  • Keep the defrost cycle on for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, turn off the cycle by holding the “on/off” button for 3 seconds.

Third, another method you can apply to defrost your refrigerator with a control panel. 

  • First, open the refrigerator door of the fresh food side.
  • Confirm that the fresh food light is working. Now find the light switch for fresh food light. Use your finger to turn down and release the switch five times in six seconds. By manually doing it, start the defrost cycle.
  • Now let the cycle run for 24 minutes.
  • After 24 minutes, press and release the fresh food light switch 5 times in 6 seconds to bring the refrigerator into cooling mode.
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4. Use hot water or a hair dryer

Normally the defrosting method takes 8 hours to defrost your refrigerator.

But if you want to speed up the process, you must defrost it forcefully. 

You can use hot/boiled water to defrost the refrigerator first.

Fill a bowl with boiling water, place it into the refrigerator, and close the door.

The steam of the boiled water will melt the ice of the refrigerator.

Make sure you place a towel inside the refrigerator so that it can soak the water.

After some time, when the water becomes cold, open the refrigerator door and soak the remaining melted water using a towel.

And repeat the process if still needed.

Using a hair dryer also speeds up your defrosting process.

You need a hair dryer, which needs to be set on hot air mode.

Keep the refrigerator open and turn on the blow dryer to start the defrosting.

Turn the blow dryer around the refrigerator, which will help you melt all the ice.

Now soak the water using a towel.

Repeat the process until you do not melt all the ice.

5. Clean the refrigerator

You can use a damp cloth to clean surfaces inside the fridge that you cannot easily remove.

Make sure to clean all the surfaces on your refrigerator’s adjustable shelves.

If you have odor issues in your refrigerator, try wiping it down with baking soda or leaving a bowl of baking soda in the fridge overnight.

Many models of Frigidaire come with a smudge-proof stainless steel finish.

This will make your cleaning process simple.

You need white vinegar and some oil to clean the refrigerator.

Remove any caked-on grime by spraying the outside fridge with vinegar and wiping it down with paper towels.

To avoid streaking, make sure to follow the grain of the metal.

Buff with a soft cloth and a dab of olive oil or your preferred oil.

If your refrigerator doesn’t have this finish, you can use baking soda and water or a simple surface cleaner to clean it. 

How should I replace the defrost heater on my Frigidaire refrigerator?

If the defrost heater is faulty and you need to replace it, follow these steps:

  • Unplug your Fridigaire refrigerator by disconnecting the power cord from the house’s power supply.
  • Now open the refrigerator door and take the auger assembly and the ice bins out. Also, take out all the food and other items.
  • Now, remove the shelves and drawers, and bins.
  • Now remove the rails of the refrigerator walls with a nut driver.
  • Take a screwdriver and unscrew the screws of the back panel. Once the screws are removed, you will find the heater.
  • Now unscrew the screws that attach to the evaporator coils using a nut driver.
  • Take a plier and remove the heat shields’ bottom under the coils. Bring it forward until you cannot move it anymore. Now take out the copper tubing located on top of the coils.
  • Once the coils are removed, take the pliers and drag the heat shield until immobile.
  • Now detach the wire harness located near the copper tubing.
  • Once done, you will find the insulation between the walls and the coils. Use a screwdriver to take it out. Push the foam pieces behind the defrost heater.
  • Now you can find clips that hold the old heater’s bottom. Remove the clips and separate the heater from the coils.
  • Once the old heater is removed, put the new heater at the evaporator’s coils’ bottom. Move it until you can twist the wire terminal at the right through the evaporator coil.
  • Secure the base with the clips. Secure its wire terminals to the ones that are above the coils.
  • Again, follow the steps you applied before to open the refrigerator to assemble it again. Now switch back the refrigerator and check if the heater is working properly.

How to replace the thermostat on a Frigidaire refrigerator?

If the thermostat is faulty, you must replace it.

Follow these steps to do so:

  • Turn the refrigerator off or unplug the cord of the refrigerator.
  • Now you need to locate the thermostat. The thermostat might be placed in different places for different models. You might find it at the bottom of the fridge or the back of the freezer section. It is usually connected to the heater through the wire. Remove the clips or screws that hold the back or bottom panel in place.
  • Once the screws or clips are removed, you will find the thermostat. Take a piler and disconnect the wires that hold the thermostat in its place.
  • Now remove the thermostat.
  • Now take a new thermostat and place it in the place of the old one. 
  • Now connect the wires and put the clips or screws back.

Switch on the refrigerator and see if the thermostat is working again.

How do I replace the defrost timer of my Frigidaire refrigerator?

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If the defrost timer of your refrigerator is faulty, follow these steps:

  • Unplug the refrigerator from the power supply of your house.
  • Remove the top shelf.
  • Now, unscrew the screws that carry the defrost timer assembly.
  • Detach the wire harness and remove the defrost timer assembly.
  • Flip over the assembly, so the bulb remains upwards. Remove the two screws that secure the defrost timer. Rotate the assembly and disconnect the wire harness. 
  • Take out the timer and set it aside.
  • Now get the new timer. Connect it to the wire harness. To do that, place it inside the assembly and flip it. And secure it with the screws.
  • Now assemble the timer assembly.

Final words

There are many models of Frigidaire refrigerators, but the defrosting process is the same for all of them. Hopefully, you understood the process of how you can defrost the refrigerator in 5 simple steps.

Identify the parts mentioned in the article for your Frigidaire refrigerator model and implement them on your appliance. During this defrosting process, you can also identify which parts of your refrigerator are damaged, and you can replace the particular parts.

If, after following all of the steps, you cannot defrost the refrigerator or replace the parts on your own, you can seek the help of a professional.

Related articles:

How to defrost the Frigidaire bottom freezer?

To defrost the bottom freezer of your Frigidaire refrigerator, you must press the temperature alarm buttons and extreme freeze button at the same time for at least 10 seconds. This will initiate the defrost cycle.

How long does it take to defrost a refrigerator manually?

It will require at least 2 hours to defrost your Fridigaire refrigerator manually.


Reference: Frigidaire Official Troubleshooting Guide.

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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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