TL;DR
A defrost heater is the electric element, a glass tube or metal rod clamped along the evaporator coil in a frost-free refrigerator or freezer, that melts accumulated frost when the defrost timer or control board energizes it several times a day. When it burns out, frost slowly entombs the coil, blocking airflow until the freezer stays cold but the fresh-food section warms, the classic complaint.
What it means
A defrost heater is the electric element, a glass tube or metal rod clamped along the evaporator coil in a frost-free refrigerator or freezer, that melts accumulated frost when the defrost timer or control board energizes it several times a day. When it burns out, frost slowly entombs the coil, blocking airflow until the freezer stays cold but the fresh-food section warms, the classic complaint. Technicians confirm the diagnosis with a continuity reading, and a frost pattern photo of the iced coil is the telltale evidence behind the quote.
Where it sits in the glossary
Defrost heater is part of the Trade jargon group inside the ProFix Directory glossary. Browse every term in this category from the glossary index.
Why Ohio homeowners should know it
This is a term Ohio homeowners encounter when reading contractor quotes, hiring paperwork, or inspection reports. Understanding it well enough to ask one good follow-up question is usually all the protection a homeowner needs.
ProFix Directory keeps definitions short on the index page and saves the longer context — Ohio-specific rules, where the term comes from, and which ProFix tools touch it — for these per-term pages so the term is easy to cite and easy to share.
ProFix tools that touch this term
See also
License: CC-BY-4.0 — quote freely with attribution to ProFix Editorial Team / ProFix Directory.