Abstract: An exemplary controller is configured to be operable for determining when to trigger a defrost cycle by employing a calculated limit for values at ??3? for a lower limit and ?+3? for an upper limit. Each temperature reading that is above the upper limit or less than the lower limit may be logged or recorded as a count. A defrost cycle may be triggered after a defined number of counts has been logged or recorded.

Abstract: A controller is configured to be operable for: triggering a defrost cycle when a gap between Control Temperature (CT) and Saturated Suction Temperature (SST) exceeds a defined threshold of an expected/learned gap between the Control Temperature (CT) and Saturated Suction Temperature (SST); following the defrost cycle, executing a machine learning process for a determined amount of time during which the controller learns a current expected/learned gap between the Control Temperature (CT) and Saturated Suction Temperature (SST); and averaging the current expected/learned gap with a previous expected/learned gap, which was machine learned by the controller following a previous defrost cycle, to thereby provide an average expected/learned gap usable by the controller as the previous expected/learned gap following the next defrost cycle.

Abstract: Exemplary embodiments are disclosed of methods and controllers configured to be operable for on demand initiation of a defrost cycle, e.g., demand defrost when necessary as opposed to automatically initiating defrost cycles according to a predetermined scheduled frequency of a set amount of defrost cycles per day.