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Frequently Asked Questions About Domestic Refrigerator Repair:

Orange glow coming from the freezer

It's a side-by-side Kenmore with ice/water on the door, about 10 years old. I opened the freezer door last night and there was an "orange glow" coming from behind the plastic cover behind the bin at the bottom of the freezer. The glow didn't flicker - almost looked like a light although I'd never noticed one there before. There was also a dripping, then a hissing sound. I unplugged it and felt to see if it was hot in the freezer compartment. It wasn't. I pulled it out and looked to see if I could see anything unusual near the coils - nothing. I'm a single woman without much "refrigerator experience". Any ideas on what it could be? Thanks so much!

Nothing to be afraid of, what you just observed is the automatic defrost cycle and it's absolutely normal. You probably never saw it happen at night before. Now that you have unplugged it during the defrost cycle be aware that the timer still will have to reach the end of the cycle before it starts up again. So once you turn it back on leave it until it cuts back in.