Ice on the Top Part of the Evaporator Coils on My Amana Side-by-Side Refrigerator

Manual Defrost

• The refrigerator should perform a self-defrost function several times in every 24-hour period, but if the evaporator coils are iced up, the defrost cycle may not be effective. Perform a test by removing all perishable food from the refrigerator and freezer. Turn the refrigerator and freezer temperature controls to “Off” and prop the doors open. Set some towels down in front of the refrigerator in case any water drips out and let the unit manually defrost for 24 to 48 hours. This allows the ice inside the refrigerator, including the evaporator coils, to melt.

Cleaning

• Once all of the ice has melted from inside the refrigerator and freezer, unplug the refrigerator. Hold the top of the toe grille with both hands near the ends and push in the top while pulling up on the bottom to remove the grille. Once the grille is removed, use a vacuum cleaner brush attachment to clean the coils inside the refrigerator as well as the open areas inside. Replace the grille by lining up the tabs on each side with the support tabs on the refrigerator and pushing the grille into place. Move to the rear of the refrigerator and use your vacuum cleaner brush to clean the coils and fan on the rear of the unit.

Reset

• After the coils are cleaned, reconnect power to the refrigerator and turn the thermostat back to normal settings. Allow the refrigerator cool for 12 to 24 hours before replacing the perishable food. Monitor the refrigerator for 24 to 48 additional hours and monitor whether the refrigerator operates correctly or if frost begins to develop inside the freezer section again.

Service Needed

• Contact Amana if frost starts to collect inside the freezer after performing a manual defrost and cleaning the coils. The defrost heater, thermostat or timer may not be working or the compressor may be broken. All of these issues require professional service and/or replacement.