Before attempting any repairs or testing, check out the electrical safety pages.

The graphic below is a simplified view of the necessary components of the AC (120 volt) system.

The AC system is pretty simple. AC (120 volt) comes into the Power Supply Board through terminals J8 and J9. When AC is called for, 120 volt is applied to the heat element through terminals J6 and J7. Also, remember 12 volt is required for the circuit board, even for the refrigerator to operate on AC. Please note that the 8600 and 8700 series models use different terminals.

Troubleshooting
If you have a problem with AC operation, it's often a good idea to test the refrigerator on gas before going any farther. This lets you know that a few common components are working. After that, use a meter to insure that 120 volt is reaching the board through terminals J8 and J9. Test terminals J6 and J7 for 120 volt output to the AC heat element. If voltage is going to the heat element and it is not getting hot (as verified by placing your hand lightly on the insulation pack above the gas burner), the heat element is bad. Allow 15 minutes for the heat element to warm up the boiler before verifying. Also, touch the insulation pack lightly at first, because a plugged cooling unit can cause the boiler to get very hot. If the heat element is getting hot and the refrigerator is not cooling, you probably have a cooling unit problem.

If you don't have 120 volt at terminals J8 and J9 (AC in), then there's no 120 volt to the refrigerator, which obviously is a situation that needs to be corrected. If you don't have 120 volt at terminals J6 and J7 (AC out), when the refrigerator should be operating on AC, the first place to look would be the 5 amp fuse on the Power Supply Board. You need to take the cover off the board to get to the fuse. If the fuse is good and there's still no power to the heat element, the most likely problem is the Power Supply Board. However, the eyebrow board (where appropriate) shouldn't be overlooked. Go to the Eyebrow page for testing it.