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Hi Bill, What George stated is correct but you also have to consider that before a certian temperature, absolute zero, ice becomes a insulator giving up heat (Btu's) to the surrounding air. In this instance "ice" would be a heat source above absolute zero. In refrigeration therory "cold" only occurs at at absolute zero. Any temperature above absolute zero has heat content that needs to be removed. Example: A igloo in a amibent temperature of minus 60�, ice would heat the inside of the igloo to 32�, the point at which ice turns into water. Here ice is the heat source of the room. Example: A typical compressed refrigertion freezer with a forced air evaporator, will cause the froozen food to defrost if the evaporator fan stops but the compressor continues to run. Why? Simpley stated: because of ice build up on the evaporator surface. Long version: When the air stops moving over the evaporator coil, ice begins to form on the evaporator coil fin surface as the temperature of the refrigerant inside the evaporator continues to drop. As the ice totaly plugs the fins then the refrigeration effect of the evaporator stops inside the freezer cabinet as the ice becomes a insulator just like in the igloo example. So where does the heat come from inside the freezer cabinet? 90% of the heat comes from door gasket leakage. T_Bone
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