Frost and Defrosting Support

A: A couple of factors affect the speed in which frost builds up on the cooling plates:
1. the humidity of the air where the fridge is located
2. the number of door openings per hour
3. the duration the door is open when entering the fridge

If you have a two door unit with a separate door on the freezer, you will probably notice that the freezer does not build up frost as fast as the refrigerator. This is due in most cases to the freezer door openings less frequent than the fridge.

If you find you have frost build up on the cooling plate in a quicker than anticipated (1/8 (3mm) of frost on the plate per 24 hr period), it is often caused from the door seal not sealing completely around the door and the frame on the fridge. If you suspect this is the case look for the following:
1. something in the fridge is keeping the door open, even just a little
2. dirt or something magnetic has landed on the gasket or frame that affects the seal
3. the gasket has become out of shape
4. the gasket has pulled out of the door channel that it is designed to fit into

A: No - all Nova Kool units are manual defrost.

Manual defrost units require manual defrost by turning off the unit and allowing the ice on the plate to melt. (Never help it our with a knife or sharp object to remove quicker). This is different than the home refrigerator which is frost free. On home frost free refrigerators, the unit has 4 defrosts a day. With the use of a timer the compressor shuts down, and a high temperature (high amperage) heater melts the ice from the evaporator plate. Two other heaters heat around the freezer door and the drain pan to allow water to move freely from the freezer. This is convenient when you have grid power, but it can take up to 10 amps at 115volts (1150 watts) to defrost four times a day. Due to the high amperage required for self defrost we do not offer this.

A: Defrost units manually by turning off the unit (either at the breaker panel or by turning the thermostat counterclockwise to the OFF (0) position) and prop the door open to allow the ice on the plate to melt. Place a towel or absorbent material in the bottom of the fridge/freezer to prevent melted frost from running out of the unit. Never help it our with a knife or sharp object to remove quicker.

A: The frequency of defrost is dependant on the number of door openings, the ambient temperature and the humidity level. Typically, it is a good practice to defrost once there is ¼” of frost buildup on either side of the evaporator (cold plate).