Automatic Defrost Refrigerator

Years ago, all refrigerators had to be defrosted manually. You would turn the refrigerator off, open the door(s), and allow any frost build-up to melt. When the frost had completely melted away, you would turn the refrigerator back on.

Today, all but the smaller, apartment-sized refrigerators are self-defrosting. Self-defrosting means what it implies--though frost continues to accumulate inside the refrigerator, it melts automatically. The self-defrosting system has three functional components: 

 automatic defrost