Why does a refrigerator need a heating element?

This might sound counterintuitive – why would a cooling device need to be heated? The key lies in defrosting and preventing moisture.
1. Defrosting (for air-cooled refrigerators): The air-cooled refrigerator uses a fan to blow the cold air from the evaporator into the compartments. When the air flows over the low-temperature evaporator, the water vapor in it will condense and freeze on the surface of the evaporator, forming a layer of frost. If the frost is too thick, it will wrap around the evaporator like a quilt, hindering heat exchange, resulting in reduced cooling efficiency, increased power consumption, and even blockage of the air ducts. Therefore, it is necessary to remove this frost regularly.
2. Dew prevention: Around the refrigerator door seals and on the door frames, due to the large temperature difference between inside and outside the refrigerator, it is easy to reach the dew point temperature, causing water vapor in the air to condense into water droplets, which is known as “condensation”. This not only affects appearance but also will breed mold and cause rusting of metals over time.
The heating tube is the “secret weapon” that solves both of these problems.