Defrosting is a procedure, performed periodically on refrigerators and freezers to maintain their operating effiency. Over time water vapour in the air condenses on the cooling elements within the cabinet.

The resulting ice inhibits heat transfer out of the cabinet increasing running costs. Furthermore as the ice builds up it takes increasing space from within the cabinet - reducing the space available for food storage.

Defrosting the unit is achieved by:-

• Temporarily removing all food from the cabinet.
• Turning off power to the unit.
• Leaving the doors to the unit open
• Waiting for the ice to melt and draining it appropriately. Using a towel is advisable when completing this step.

The process may be sped up by mechanical removal of ice, or the introduction of gentle heat into the cabinet.

It is generally recommended that defrosting should be done annually.

Many newer units are described as frost free and do not require manual defrosting in normal use.