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I have a Samsung four door flex. All of a sudden it stopped dispensing water. Then the water filter froze and cracked. Of course water flooded my kitchen. Long story short, i opened the panel in the back of the fridge to find that it was frosted over. manually defrosted (unplugged and used the hair dryer). i found the fan doesn’t turn on all the time. The fan only turns on when i restart the fridge. Then it stopped after it’s “initial cycle”(?). (I can tell it is on or not because i put a piece of plastic that it touches the fan blade.)
I turn off the fridge one in a while so that it defrosts. So far I had forced defrost manually using the FD option. (Once Last night and one this evening). The drain is not blocked Because water does drip down when I turn it off. Problem persists. I changed the temperature sensor behind the panel. Same problem. I’m asking if you have any suggestion or solution. i will have to call for service, (I just don’t like the fact that there is no guarantee that they will do it right the first time. No guarantee that the problem will not happen again.) i have the Ice maker Turn off because it freeze and therefore no water going thru the system. Thanks for your attention.
Hi @bkny Just to clarify, which sensor did you replace as there is temp sensor in the refrigerator compartment and also one in the freezer compartment? When the evaporator fan is not operating (is the compressor also stopped when the fan is stopped?) it may be because one of the compartments is indicating incorrectly that it is cool enough. The ice build up should not happen because the defrost heaters should melt the ice during the auto defrost cycle. According to the parts list - part 8-3 & 8-6 freezer section there are two heaters associated with the evaporator unit. Maybe one on its own isn’t good enough (as most fridges only have the one) I don’t know, but perhaps you should disconnect the power from the refrigerator and then disconnect and test them with an Ohmmeter to make sure that they’re both OK. Usually defrost heaters are between 10-70 Ohms but I’m not sure about Samsung. Also be safety aware if you go to test the heaters’ power supply (assuming that the heaters test OK with an Ohmmeter) as heaters normally operate at AC mains voltage supply Not sure with Samsung but with other makes they usually go into the auto defrost cycle once every 8 -11 hours (depends on maker) and the auto defrost cycle lasts about 20-25 minutes. During this time the compressor and evaporator fan are both turned off and the defrost heater is turned on to melt the accumulated ice on the evap unit. The temp in the freezer is allowed to rise to ~32F to aid the melting process. When it reachers ~32F the defrost thermostat operates to signal the control board to end the cycle, turn off the heater and start the compressor and evaporator fan again to drive the temps back down to the set temps. This process is repeated 8-11 hours later etc. If the auto defrost cycle doesn’t kick in then it may be a control board problem. As a precaution never use a hair dryer on hot to melt any ice on the evaporator unit as this can damage it as it is only thin aluminium working at very cold (0 deg. F) temp. Turn off the fridge and leave the door open and allow it to melt naturally. You can help it along a bit by the using a hair dryer on the coolest setting for brief periods at a time. Have plenty of towels handy as it may flood under the fridge if the evaporator pan overflows when the ice is melting. ;-)
@jayeff just to update you: Samsung service came today (Almost an hour late). Probed each sensor and connectors. Found the “room temperature sensor” to be defective. The ohm reading is off compared to whatever sensor he has. The fan is dead too. That is the diagnostic. The solution is to replace the entire cover/panel.
For others who might have question about the service call/visit: the fees are ridiculous: trip charge, labor, and parts. It’s estimated over $350.
