Hello,
I recently purchased a new refrigerator.  I put the new fridge in my
garage.  I live in Maryland, and it is currently very cold.  I was
disappointed to find out that the freezer portion of my fridge keeps
auto-defrosting.  The technician at Best Buy told me that what is
happening is that because it is so cold outside, the sensor in the
freezer thinks it is cold inside the fridge, and it activates the
auto-defrost.  So, everything in my freezer starts to thaw.  The
technician suggested that I wrap the whole fridge in insulation, but
that sounds risky (in that if it doesn't work, all the food in the
freezer will be ruined).  What I want to do is find a way to disable
the auto-defrost feature of the fridge, so it will always keep the
freezer frozen.  I am also sure that I do not have an electrical
problem; I had an electrician evaluate the circuit, and it is perfect.

The model number is "Frigidaire 20.5 Cu. Ft. Top-Mount Refrigerator
FRT21S6AW White". Attached is a link to the Best Buy website, with
product description:
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?id=1051384347740&skuId=4135741&type=product

Thanks so much!!!  Paul Tanenholz

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Request for Question Clarification by cynthia-ga on 10 Mar 2005 16:37 PST

Paul, there's hope.

This is at Frigidaire Web Site:

Troubleshooting Top Freezer Model Refrigerators
http://www.frigidaire.com/saveacall/Save-A-Call_files/frame.htm

Select "Unit Too Hot, Too Cold"
Select "Freezer And Refrigerator Compartments Too Warm"
Click "Low Ambient Operating Conditions" (Bottom Blue Button)

..."A service kit is available to allow a refrigerator to operate
properly within a temperature range of 34° F to 110° F..."

Would you like me to find out how to order it for you and post inthe Answer Box?

~~Cynthia

Hi Paul,

Can you access the sensor and insulate only it?

Phil

I would think twice on deactivation. Only because you will have to
thaw out the freezer manually every few days. If you do not, you risk
the ventilation system that cools the frig portion to become frozen to
the point that it is not able to blow cold air into the frig portion.
Better explained here:

 "From the introduction of frost-free home refrigerators around 1960
up until a few years ago, defrost systems were pretty simple. Today,
many new units use 'adaptive defrost controls', basically small
computers that measure compressor run times, door openings, and other
data, to determine how often the defrost heater should be turned on to
melt accumulated evaporator coil frost (This defrost water then runs
into a pan under your refrigerator and quickly evaporates away).

On 'standard' systems, a small timer turns off the compressor every 8
hours (in most ref's) that it runs, and turns on a heater in the
freezer's evaporator coil. The timer remains in the defrost cycle for
20 minutes or so, during which a small defrost limit thermostat turns
the heater off when the coil's temperature
reaches a preset temperature. This temperature is 45-70 degrees F,
depending on refrigerator design.

When the defrost system fails, it causes the evaporator coil to
continue accumulating frost until air can't get through it to do its
job of cooling (transferring heat from, actually) your groceries.

By the time you see frost in the freezer, coating the back wall in
most designs, the coil will be clogged with frost, and in need
of attention."

This was taken from here... although they were trying to fix a frig
that didnt defrost not break one that does
http://www.davesrepair.com/DRSNbackissues/drsn0904.htm

**** I know this to be true because somehow two wires became
disconnected last thanksgiving in my freezer. My husband went out of
town and I lost everthing that was in my freezer. I was able to
"defrost" it with a blow dryer, however I had to do soo every two days
till he was home to find the problem and fix it. All that great turkey
went to waste.

perhaps you can bond with these people??

http://www.ukwhitegoods.co.uk/modules.php?name=Forums&file=viewtopic&t=3067

Good luck!!

can you still change it for another one that does work in your garage?

http://www.ukwhitegoods.co.uk/modules.php?name=News&file=print&sid=494

Hello,
I work on commercial refrigeration, not domestic,but the first thing I
would do is to call the manufacturer. I tried but they are not in the
office of course.
Called too late, got a number: 1 800 444-4944, good luck! I tried the
web help at www.frigidaire.com , no help there.  The next thing, the
ad for your fridge says " does not require condenser cleaning" so is
the coil on the back or underneath? Most refrigerators are designed to
work in a 70 degree F ambient.
If the condenser coil is exposed to unusually lower temperatures, this
will also cause a low evaporating pressure simulating a frozen
evaporator. In commercial systems , to resolve this problem, the head
pressure/condenser temp is regulated by a head pressure control,by a
fan cycling pressure control or a head master to keep the head
pressure up and simultaneously the evaporator pressure up in the
design range.
In short: partially cover the condenser to keep the outlet temp at 70
to 100 degrees F,if the condenser is not visible, it is in the outside
skin of the fridge. This is the same thing that Truckers do in cold
weather to keep the engine warm ,by covering part of the radiator.
Hope this helps!

Forgot to ask?  Is the evaporator/freezer fan running?

Your problem is likely not related to the auto-defrost.  Refrigerators
have two compartments, the cold storage and the freezer sections. 
Only the cold section is temperature regulated.  The freezer section
has an adjustable shutter that varies the amount of cold air that
enters the freezer to regulate freezer temperature relative to the
cold section.  If the cold area is regulated at perhaps 38 degrees F
and the local temperature is below 38 F, the refrigerator thermostat
will not turn on the compressor that cools both sections and the
refrigerator runs too warm and both the freezer and the cold sections
will end up at the ambient temperature.  The design of the
refrigerator assumes it is located in a room with temperature above
perhaps 45 F.

It seems odd but one way to force the refrigerator to cool itself as
you desire is to put a source of heat in the cold section.  This heat
source mimics the flow of heat into the cold section when the
refrigerator is in a warm environment.  You could place an ordinary
light bulb in the cold section of the refrigerator.  You would need to
measure the temperature in the cold section and use perhaps twice the
minimum light wattage that stabilizes the temperature at 35 to 40 F as
measured in a glass of water in the cold section.  This method will
probably result in the freezer section being colder than needed but
this only makes frozen food last longer.