[jaglae]

Our recently acquired Crosely refrig/freezer has a feature that we would like to disable. There seems to be a heating element in the refrigerator frame that the doors set in. It may be there to prevent condensation on the refrigerator gaskets but it operates well above room temperature and is "on" all the time. We would like to disable this feature as it will surely make the unit more expensive to operate and we want to keep our utility bills to a minimum. Thanks for any help you can provide.

[denman]

Here are your parts
Replacement parts for Crosley CT19X3V REF - TOP MOUNT | AppliancePartsPros.com

I could not find an operators manual for this unit but I think it can be turned off by the switch Item 12 in Section 2.
You may have to turn the switch to on if it is labelled ECO or something like that.
In other words you are turning economy on by turning the heater off.

Also check that the condenser coils are clean and that the condenser/compressor fan runs when the compressor runs.
On many units this can also cause the frame to heat up.