Refrigeration heating assembly and method of operation

A defrost heater for a refrigeration assembly, the defrost heater comprising:

• an inner glass tube comprising a continuous inner wall defining a central passage extending from a first end to a second end;
• a resistive heating element disposed within the central passage;
• an outer glass tube comprising a continuous outer wall disposed about the inner glass tube, wherein a radial gap is defined between the outer glass tube and the inner glass tube;
• a first end cap positioned on the outer glass tube and the inner glass tube at the first end;
• a second end cap positioned on the outer glass tube and the inner glass tube at the second end;
• and
• a sensor assembly disposed in fluid communication with the radial gap.

A method of operating a refrigeration system, the refrigeration system comprising an electrical heater comprising a pair of an inner and an outer glass tube defining a radial gap therebetween, and a resistive heating element disposed within the inner glass tube, the refrigeration system further comprising a sensor assembly in operable communication with the electrical heater, the method comprising:

• receiving a condition signal from the sensor assembly;
• determining a heater condition value based on the condition signal;
• comparing the heater condition value to a threshold;
• determining an integrity state of the outer glass tube based on the comparing;
• and
• restricting activation of the resistive heating element based on the determined integrity state.