Red hot coil seen from inside bottom of freezer

Refrigerator & Freezer Repair
1

I am wondering if I need to replace my refrigerator or have it repaired. After hearing snapping sounds, I opened the freezer door and viewed a red hot coil through a vent at the bottom of the freezer. I immediately turned off the breaker.

I am wondering if it over-heated. Approximately one year ago a contractor replaced my kitchen cabinets. He left zero room between the refrigerator and the cabinets. Infact, he caulked the counter top to the appliance! I have not been able to get behind it since last year to keep it dust-free. To access the rear of the frige, I had to remove the counter next to it. When I did this the frige was wedged as tight as it could be against the back wall.

Having no knowledge of appliance repair what should I consider?
Does it sound like it over-heated?
Does it sound like I should repair it?
Could I attempt to repair/replace the malfunctioning part myself?

I tried to access the manual on-line but it is not available. I’m a single mom trying to make ends meet on unemployment so money is tight. I can’t afford to pay a tech to come to my house just to tell me it isn’t worth fixing.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you in advance for your help.

2

What you’ve seen is normal defrost operation. The heater coils melt the ice on the evaporator coils and the water drips on the hot surface making the noise.
If your freezer and fridge are cold enough you don’t need to do anything.

You may can clean the dust off the condenser coils from the front by removing the kick plate at the bottom and use something that will fit through there.

3

You have got to be kidding!!! I hope you are right but I sure will feel dumb! LOL

4

You’re not alone! I’ve just seen and heard the exact same thing in my apartment fridge (during our massive heatwave), and I’m honestly scared about it- I was considering unplugging my fridge, putting my stuff in a cooler, and calling my landlord, but it sounds like this is actually normal. Maybe I’ve just never noticed it before because I’ve always had a pretty full freezer until recently.