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A refrigerator is a large piece of kitchen equipment used to chill and freeze food. A refrigerator uses a compressor to push refrigerant through two sets of metal coils. The refrigerant turns into a gas and absorbs heat in one set of coils. The heat is dispersed into the kitchen air after the gas changes into a liquid in the other set of coils.

There is a method for the elimination of frost in refrigerators today. A defrost heater is turned on by a timer every 12 hours. The evaporator coils located on the back of the refrigerator are warmed by the defrost heater. You can purchase a refrigerator with a freezer that automatically defrosts rather than one where you have to defrost it manually. With either system, the frost melts and drips into a pan located under the refrigerator where it evaporates.

If you have problems with major parts of the refrigerator you will have to contact a professional refrigeration technician. In many cases though, the difficulty is simple and you can repair it yourself.

To adjust the controls:

Your refrigerator owner’s manual comes with instructions and photos for adjusting the controls.

To test and replace door gaskets, you must:

1. Put a piece of paper in the refrigerator door and close it. Then pull the paper out of the door. If the door is sealed properly, you should feel some resistance when you pull the paper out.
2. The old gasket should be removed one section at a time. You will find that some gaskets are held in place by screws, retaining strips, or adhesive.
3. Replace the worn gasket with an identical gasket and use the screws, retaining strips, or new adhesive to hold it in place.