It is an electric resistant heating element clipped to the evaporator in frost-free refrigerators and freezers. The purpose of the defrost heater is to melt…

A length of thin tubing connected to the high-pressure side (liquid line) from its inlet side and to the low-pressure side of the system (the…

When liquid refrigerant reaches the evaporator, it vaporizes (or boils) and absorbs heat from the freezer. Sometimes the evaporator is referred to as a cooling…

The compressor draws in low-pressure, cool refrigerant vapor from the evaporator. This cool vapor is compressed (squeezed) and changed to hot vapor within the compressor,…

Also known as a termination switch or defrost thermostat. (Not to be confused with the cold-control thermostat discussed earlier.) In frost-free refrigerators and freezers, every…

These are the pipes through which refrigerant is circulated throughout the system. The tubing used in household units is made of copper. Aluminum and steel…

A cylinder made of copper or brass (of varying sizes depending on the capacity of the unit) filled with alumina or silica gel. Its function…

Compressor. The compressor is the heart of the refrigeration unit. It is a motor-operated device that circulates refrigerant much as a pump would in a…

Overload protector. This is overheat/overload protection for the compressor in the form of a bimetal, reusable safety fuse. If, for any reason, the temperature of…

Because starting a compressor requires more torque and draws at least three times the amperage of its normal running speed, compressor motors are equipped with…