I ordered a new defrost thermostat from appliance parts pros, although I wasn't positive that my heating element was good. (I was having trouble getting it to register continuity or impedance). I decided to gamble on the thermostat as I could not get the circuit to close even after dunking it in ice water. The part arrived in about 2 days and the install was relatively quick. As I was putting on the thermostat, I did notice that the aluminum band that hold the heating element had let go also, so I replaced them with stainless steel zip ties to keep the element in contact witht the accumulator coils. Short story long the thermostat worked like a charm and fridge and freezer have worked flawlessly since