Have you been wondering how to defrost a Westinghouse refrigerator quickly and easily? This article explains in detail.
Table of Contents
How to Replace the Defrost Heater in a Westinghouse Refrigerator
Below are the steps to replace the defrost heater in a Westinghouse refrigerator:
Step 1
Put your tools together. You will need work gloves, a pair of needle-nose pliers and a nut driver set. Be sure to keep them where you can easily reach them.
Step 2
Put on the work gloves. Then, disconnect the refrigerator from the wall socket if you can reach it. If not, shut off the circuit breaker if it is easily accessible.
Step 3
Open the door of the freezer and detach the spacer holding the shelf in place. Then, push the shelf slightly to the left to unhook it from the holding holes to the right. When it is free, remove it.
If there is more than one shelf, do the same for all of them. And if there are food bins or racks, lif them out of the freezer.
Step 4
Unscrew the screws holding the cover of the evaporator coils to the wall of the freezer. Pull the cover down from the top to disconnect the wire harness of the evaporator fan. After this, disconnect the wire harness of the ice maker and also the ground wire. Then, lift the cover out of the way.
Step 5
Disconnect these wires from the faulty defrost heater. Loosen the straps holding the heater flush to the bottom of the evaporator coils. Pull the coils a little toward you to make enough room to remove the heater from its place.
Step 6
Insert the new defrost heater in the place of the old one. Tighten the two straps to hold it flush to the bottom of the evaporator coils and push the coils back into place.
Reconnect all the wires to the defrost heater and also reconnect the wire harness of the ice maker and the ground wire. Then, reconnect the wire harness of the evaporator fan.
Step 7
Push the cover of the evaporator back into its position and screw it in place with the screws. Remount the shelf or shelves into place and attach the spacer or spacers. If you removed racks and bins, put them back into the freezer.
Step 8
Reconnect the refrigerator to the wall socket or turn on the circuit breaker in order to restore power to the unit.
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How to Defrost a Westinghouse Fridge Freezer
Below are steps to defrost a Westinghouse fridge freezer:
1. Clear Out the Freezer
Find a cooler or another freezer in which to store all the food in your freezer. If there is food that cannot be stored, eat it so it does not go to waste.
If you are inclined to, remove the racks, bins and shelves in the freezer. Doing this makes for easier cleaning after the defrosting process.
2. Switch the Unit Off
Switch off the unit by unplugging it from the wall socket or shutting off the circuit breaker that controls that part of the house.
3. Begin the Defrost Process
With the door open, begin defrosting the fridge freezer. It is important to place a shallow pan in front of the unit to collect water dripping from inside the unit. Additionally, place thick rags or towels around the edge of the unit to absorb water that escapes the pan.
If you would rather not have your fridge freezer turned off for many hours, you can speed up the defrosting process. Put pans or bowls of hot water inside the unit to melt the ice quickly. In addition, you can scrape the ice using the scraper that came with the unit or a plastic spatula.
As large chunks of ice melt off, lift them out of the unit so that they don’t increase the defrost time or increase the water dripping from the unit.
4. Clean the Unit
When all the ice has melted, mix mild soap in warm water and clean the unit thoroughly with a soft cloth, inside and outside. When this is done, dry it with a dry towel until there is no moisture left. Leave the door open so that the unit can air-dry.
5. Fix Everything Back
Reattach the shelve, bins and racks you removed earlier once the fridge freezer is completely dry. Then, plug the unit back into the wall socket or turn on the circuit breaker. But before putting food and drinks in the unit again, give it time to cool significantly.
For Chest Freezers…
The steps above work for chest freezers, too. The only difference is how to remove the water from the melted ice. Usually, there is a drain hole provided for this purpose. So check your chest freezer for this hole, open it and put a pan under it to collect the water.
If you can, connect a hose to the hole and channel it to a bucket. This is because it is easier and a pan fills up faster, meaning you will make several trips to empty before the defrost process is over.
However, most modern fridge freezers and chest freezers defrost automatically. They are less laborious to maintain. Some defrost for 15 to 20 minutes, twice a day. Others defrost for 25 to 30 minutes, once or twice a day.
Check out these other articles…
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How to Defrost a KitchenAid Refrigerator [Quick Guide]
How to Defrost a Bosch Fridge [Detailed Guide]
How to Defrost a Sub-Zero Refrigerator [In Minutes]
How to Defrost a Viking Refrigerator [Quick Guide]
Westinghouse Fridge Defrost Problem – How to Fix
If your Westinghouse fridge has a defrost problem, check the defrost components. There are the defrost timer, the defrost heater, the defrost thermostat and the defrost control board.
Start with the heater. It is the most likely defective component causing the defrost problem. With a multimeter, test it to check for continuity. If there is no continuity, replace the heater.
Next, check the timer if the heater is in good working condition. Turn the timer using a screwdriver until it clicks. If it clicks, then it is faulty; you don’t have to advance it manually before it works. Replace it.
But if the timer and the heater are not defective, test the defrost thermostat and the defrost control board. The board could be burnt or the thermostat could be defective. Replace any part that is no longer working.
However, if you are unable to solve the defrost problem, contact the Westinghouse service center to request service. Alternatively, you can chat with any of our qualified refrigerator technicians to advise you accordingly.
Recap
Defrosting a Westinghouse refrigerator or freezer is an easy process. And replacing faulty defrost components is also easy if you follow carefully laid-out steps. But if you cannot fix the unit yourself, contact a qualified refrigerator repair agent to fix it.
Remember to unplug the unit from the wall outlet before troubleshooting or fixing any part of it. Doing this will keep you safe from electrocution.
How to Defrost a Westinghouse Refrigerator – Related FAQs
Where Is the Defrost Drain on a Westinghouse Fridge?
The defrost is usually located at the base of the back of the freezer section. Sometimes, it is covered by a basket or a panel. But this is the easiest place to locate the drain since the freezer is the section that typically defrosts.
This video shows how to clean the defrost drain of a fridge…
Where Is the Defrost Heater on a Westinghouse Fridge?
You will find the defrost heater on a Westinghouse fridge under the evaporator coils, behind the back panel of the freezer section.
Some models have the evaporator coils under the floor of the freezer section. So that is where you will find the defrost heater for those models.
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