Thank goodness for this gentleman to take the time to post this valuable video! I have the SAME problem with our Samsung RF217ACBP refrigerator! I downloaded the 30+ page manual, but found NOTHING to help with this annoying problem that should NOT exist with a quality brand like this! This video will get to the root of the problem, but unfortunately doesn't fix the issue for good. Warning, I dented the lining of the interior lining of the fridge when taking the cover off! BE VERY TENDER when unclipping the white panel inside your fridge! Also, if you use a blow dryer to melt the ice plugging the drain hole, DO NOT get too close to the fridge interior as you enter will warp it! It's very thin plastic lining and warps very easily! Instead pour HOT water little by little and be patient. You WILL unplug the ice from the drain hole... It really is there! Good luck and thank the man who posted this video!
thank-you for this video Ray. After a few years our fridge made a terrible noise. We followed your video and realized we had an ice build up behind the panel. We could not even see the third screw as ice surrounded it. With patience and a blow dryer the ice melted and now no noise. Perfect!
I have RF265ABWP with same issue. I saved a service call by also seeking help online. Thank you Ray. I'm sure this helped many Samsung refrigerator owners. I went through this 6 months ago. What an inconvenience to do this now in the heat of summer! My back panel takes several hours to free it from the back of the fridge due to the fact it's frozen ON. What a shame that I am transferring my refrigerator items (from drainage failure again) to an over 20 year old refrigerator I keep in the pantry for beer, party platters, etc. that's actually working better than my new one. No more SAMSUNG refrigerators for me until they take responsibility for this engineering failure and do right by people. This is a HUGE inconvenience. Takes me over a day to get my drain de-iced and draining again. In fact, no phones either.
Have had this problem on our RF217 since almost day one (we bought it in Nov. 2013). Now the the warranty is up and the problem appeared to be getting worse, I am glad to have found your video and the recommendation of the copper wire hack so we didn't have to pay a technician to come out and fix a problem we could fix ourselves. We took the unit apart tonight and installed two 16-guage solid copper wires to the element and snaked them into the drain as recommended by one of your commenters. Here's to hoping it solves the ice buildup issue!
Thank you so much for your well done video!. I saw this several months ago when I knew I had the problem; but it took me a bit longer to get the courage to give it a try. I followed your instructions today. They were point on and I was successful! I was so excited when I heard the plunk of the last of the ice breaking loose and allowing the hot water to tunnel down the tube and land in the tray below. You are my hero! Thanks thanks.
Ray, thanks for this video - it helped me a lot. I am going to cancel my service call for tomorrow ;) A quick note about removing the panel: the styrofoam comes out WITH the panel and at first if you are having this problem it will very likely be quite frozen in place and it seems like it won't come out. Let the unit sit awhile or hit the area with a hairdryer and it'll eventually come loose. I have a RFG217 (counter depth) and the screws were in different places but overall the same idea.
Thank you. I asked a few people to help with mine as it was leaking from the back panel into the lower drawers, but they didn't know. Your video is what helped me for my Samsung RB 195 series.
Thanks for this. Your video (plus a couple of others and a few forum entries) helped me solve the problem, at least temporarily. I've written a complaint email to Samsung Canada on the subject as it seems hundreds of thousands of folks have had the same problem with their fridges. I'm going to write some appropriate reviews on reviewing sites in order to warn prospective buyers. I would encourage everyone here to do so also. Unless customers apply pressure, the company won't do anything to solve the problem long term.
Ray: Thanks for taking the time to make this video. I hope it helps many others. I find that I have to do this procedure about every 6 months on refrig to keep the condensation ice away.
Would like to thank you for taking the time to explain how to fix it. I saw your video and the hardest part was to take all our food out, other than that everything else was very easy. Thanks again.
THANKS! This works. It takes longer to empty the refrigerator than to repair it. I have this same model. I contacted Samsung to let them know that 61,821 people have viewed a video on TH-cam to help them fix this problem with this refrigerator. Samsung REFUSES TO ACKNOWLEDGE that there's is a design issue here. I spoke with 4 different people during 65 minutes. Their support was to offer me an extented warranty for $388 good for one year. Those of you who buy into this kind of corporate piracy are part of the problem. If you have a problem with your Samsung refrigerator call them so that they know about it. And for the record, my refrigerator compartment failed one year ago. I waited three weeks for Samsung to get Williston TV to come out and repair it; $360 with a (60) day warranty.
P Pac : Root cause: There is a metal clip on the defrost heater element, that has a tab that is supposed to keep the drain hole defrosted. It does not do the job due to poor engineering. It is also very easy to have the tab on the clip misaligned with the drain hole. Long term solution: To resolve this, take two 3 in. piece of solid copper wire, and attached this to the clip from both sides of the clip. After inserting the wire into the drain hole, it transfers enough heat from the defrost element to the hole to keep it clear from ice. This is working for me ever since I installed it about a year now, with no further clogs and water accumulations in the veggie bins
Thank you Ray! Samsung was no help. I looked at your video, followed your instructions and it worked. Now we shall see how long it takes before it freezes up again.
Larry Martel Root cause: There is a metal clip on the defrost heater element, that has a tab that is supposed to keep the drain hole defrosted. It does not do the job due to poor engineering. It is also very easy to have the tab on the clip misaligned with the drain hole. Long term solution: To resolve this, take two 3 in. piece of solid copper wire, and attached this to the clip from both sides of the clip. After inserting the wire into the drain hole, it transfers enough heat from the defrost element to the hole to keep it clear from ice. This is working for me ever since I installed it about a year now, with no further clogs and water accumulations in the veggie bins
Thank you for opening the discussion and trying to fix it as it allowed others with equal amounts of knowledge to weigh in. Very kind of you to upload this video.
Thanks! I followed your video and it worked. I also took a piece of thick aluminum wire, wrapped it around the heating element and put it an inch into the drain. I think aluminum oxidizes less than copper, but still conducts heat well.
Thanks so much to the original poster. I have a Samsung RB195ACPN (freezer on bottom, refrigerator on top) and this video worked for me as well. I was having the same issues: water accumulating in the crisper drawers AND under them. I guess my back panel was *very* frozen so you need to be patient. The styrofoam along the periphery of the panel was frozen stuck. We used a blow dryer several times to slowly defrost the ice that made the styrofoam stick to the refrigerator. Be patient or you might end of breaking off the styrofoam if you try to take the panel off too quickly. Also, our top-most screw on the panel was frozen in place with at least 1/4" of ice on top of it. In all, we waited 2-3 hours to defrost properly. Just got everything reassembled and food back in the fridge. We'll probably have to do this regularly. But overall, a success!
Great help!!!! Samsung was no help, while under warranty i called 3 times. The last time i called samsung to see if they found a fix. Samsung told me i was the first person with this problem and my warr ended last week. They offered to send a man to look at it for $200.00.
Thank you all - will be trying this on my fridge. Really annoying since I paid so much for this fridge and took such good care of it - no excuse for this problem so soon! Shame on Samsung - I will never buy another product of theirs again!
An appliance salesperson told me Samsung is an electronics company, not an appliance company, hence the POS design. I won't buy Samsung ever again. And lets not talk about the RF radiation flying out due to it's wireless transmitter...
Thank you for this excellent and bold piece of detective work - as another clever fellow commenting here said, there is supposed to be a heated aluminum strip that goes down into the drain hole and melts any ice that forms - it seems that this corrodes away causing the blockage. The part is available to replace (DA61-06796A) and it is better if you can use aluminum instead of copper if you make it yourself as there will be fast corrosion otherwise. With some sheet aluminum and a pair of shears you can make your own!
Ray S, is this your video? I want to thank you for your detailed video. It worked perfectly and our drain is free and clear. You just saved us a service call! Thank you!
Thanks man, you helped me greatly. Fridge fixed. But i made one slight mod, i wrapped a piece of copper wire around bottom of heater coil on bottom above drain and have end in drain. Now when that heating element comes on it also heats wire in drain. Just be careful to NOT have wire touching any plastic in Fridge any only go far enough into drain to stay right above metal plate over drain.
After working the same problem like I owned it (tore apart my fridge), I found the problem was not the drainage, it was the gasket where the water filter fits. Either way, I had to problem shoot to get to that conclusion and this video helped alot for me to get there.
Appreciate this video. Saved me a lot of money because this will be a recurring problem. Samsung has not provided any fixes and my fridge is now a few weeks out of warranty. Samsung is also not providing any solutions to the peeling paint on the handles. I regret not researching this fridge more thoroughly before buying. There is a class action suit against Samsung in the U.S., but for a different model, I think.
The main problem is actually not the freeze up in the drain tube as you show in your video, though this has to be thawed before the final repair. The actual problem as I found out in my fridge is at the bottom of the drain tube where it empties into the evaporator pan. This rubber tube has a narrow slot opening ( I don't know the wisdom behind this) right where it empties into the evaporator pan. This slot , since it is almost permanently wet can over time grow mold and other slimy stuff and gets completely plugged up and the water backs up. To fix it, one needs to open the cover on the back of the fridge where the compressor is and open the slot in this rubber drain hose. I just snipped this slotted end off and never had a problem since.
Ray! Thank you! Our Samsung 217 RF 217ACPN.... .yep....bottom shelf , below crisper.....1/4” ice, water on shelf, water in drawers.....sucks..man.... Ray...did exactly what you did, and......eventually...after much hot water, blow dryer....one hour! The water in the drain...which is only about 2-3” long...DRAINED! Yippee! FYI....our temperature issue were strange... thermostat set at recommended 38, freezer at 2, the temp on top ....w/ digital unit....38.4, Middle shelf....34.....bottom....31....same frig...3 areas. FINGERS CROSSED!
I have had the same issue and figured out this same technique. I found a trick to help with defrosting the downspout quicker by using a basting syringe or any device that can suck up the water. So you pour the hot water and then suck up the liquid immediately afterward so the process is quicker. Now I have a very narrow one I got in a kit (sea monkey kit) and I can stick it down the hole and suck up the water as I pour it down. I have heard, and I think I'm gonna try hooking up a thin copper wire to a part of the defroster and sticking it down the hole. Something to do with keeping the water warm so that it doesn't freeze. The copper wire stays sorta warm. Like I said, I'm gonna do a bit more research on that first. Thank you so much for posting this. I would have 2 years ago when I realized the problem, but I'm not as "video" smart.
Thank you for the information. I've had my Samsung for 2 years, and condensation started about two months ago. I look forward to correcting the drainage.
I followed Ray S' advice and defrosted the fridge, installed a small cooper wire in the drain hole to keep the hole from freezing up. We will see how that works. Thanks Ray S.
Have model RF217AC, 19.7 cubic feet, manufactured 5/2011. Was impressed that the estimated yearly operating cost was $48.00. Considering how many days it has to be unplugged and defrosted, I get it. I had thrown out my working older refrigerator because I liked the style and trusted the Samsung brand. I am afraid of removing panels and inserting copper wires myself. What a recurrent mess this refrigerator is.
Hi, thanks for the video. I have had the same issue with the water under the deli tray. I have gone through all the steps with replacing the two drain tubes which I purchased of Amazon along with the heating tray element that replaces the little aluminum tab that is currently on the heater coil and touches the drip tray behind the big panel. I've taken that off as noted when I replaced the heating element tab, insured the drain line was clean by running a small cleaner brush down the entire drain then pouring some water/bleach mix down to make sure all was clean. Put it all back together and about 3 weeks later I checked under the deli tray and found water still there. Well, I know it's none of the known issues or fixes at this point as I did them all. Reading thorough the comments on this video I found one that mentioned they had a Best Buy tech come out and said they had reports from Samsung techs if the fridge was not freezing the water in the drain line which mine was not then it could be the unit does not have a gradual lean from front to back. This is something they should have done at delivery but back then probably did not even know of the issue. Made some sense to me as what appears to be happening is the water is dripping down and around the drip tray behind the big back cover just slightly and this gradual offset with the level toward the rear will give it enough to ensure the water drips into the tray and not around the edges of it. Can this be the problem I've been fighting with for months now, I adjusted the level yesterday to an offset toward the back so will check again in about 3 to 5 days and see if I'm dry or still have water.
Thank you for sharing. We have the same problem with a lot of water in the left crisper drawer, but no idea where it was coming from. We will try to fix it. This was very helpful. Thanks!
I am never buying a Samsung again. It gave the same problem from the first month. It was expensive and difficult to return to warehouse. Useless refrigerators( my opinion). You shouldn't have to do repairs on something you just bought.
I called the service number on the book and the people that I spoke to on the phone and on line couldn't tell me what to look for or what may be causing the problem. They should pay you for providing the service. Thank you
Thank you, this video helped fix my problem. The only thing I will add that helped was using a medicine dropper that you get from the pharmacy when your kids get an antibiotic. ..im not sure what they are really called but thats the best way to describe it...anywho I used the dropper to suck out the water from inside the drain hole. After I did that the next cup of hot water I poured unfroze the rest of the ice that was in the line. Thanks again!
Hi Jon, Another long term fix is to find a tube with a syringe/siphon pump with the pipe taped around behind the front panel, all the way to the drain. On a periodic basis, you could turn off the fridge and then pump hot water through the tube. It is really working for me but just a workaround. Do write back and I can share some pic/drawings. Thanks!
thanks Ray, im finding this model of refrigerator to be very troublesome. since doing the fix i have already had to do it again. is there a setting on the fridge that keeps the drain tube from freezing up?
Hi pokokopo, I too bought it bcos of dimension. Coming to your question, if problem recurs, replacing the defrost kit is recommended. Keeping the temp level to 38 slows down the buildup. For me problem resurfaced in 4 mths again. Buying it with extended warranty is suggested
I very much appreciate your instruction. It seems to have fixed the problem, at least for the moment. I, too, called Samsung - no acknowledgement of the problem and was offered an extended warranted for $430. I will look into the class action suit. Thank you again
I'm experiencing the same problem and wish I would have known about this problem a couple years ago, before purchasing this problem. I've seen large number of customers report problem, but haven't seen anything about a class action suit....?
There was a class action lawsuit. But I believe it has expired now. Furthermore, we only had a certain number of months from purchase date to apply for the suit, and our nightmare didn't happen until after that. Well, at least the lawyers still got rich.
Thank you, Ray. I followed your instructions successfully. It some work, but it finally cleared the drain in about 3 tries. I used about about 1/2 cup of boiling water each time. Let the water sit until it cooled, then removed it with an ear wax rubber bulb. Repeated the process until all of the ice was melted and the drain cleared. For good measure, I repeated the boiling water process once after it cleared. Thanks again, let's see how long the drain stays clear.
It will stay for 6-7 months. Follow the copper wire solution for a more permanent solution. Read all comments to get better understanding of it. Thanks!
I had the same issue and I called Samsung. After 4 Samsung tech visits and a condenser issue later I had my first fridge replaced by Samsung because it was under manufacture warranty the same started to happen with the new fridge. Well, I got a GREAT tech to come out from Best Buy and he fixed the problem in 5 minutes something that had plagued me for a whole year and one refrigerator later. The tech informed me that a Samsung rep told him that these particular fridges( bottom mount freezer type) have a flaw YES a FLAW and they all have to be leveled when placed in the home. They have to have a slight tilt with the front of the fridge higher then the back so the water can drain in that very small drain hole that all these style of fridges have. He did this and fives years later I have not had this issue.
Ray, I am sure you have heard about this by now (or you may own a different fridge). There is a heating element in there that is suppose to prevent the drain from clogging. Get some 12 guage copper wire, wrap it around the element near the drain and insert a couple inches of the copper wire in the drain itself. Next time the fridge goes through a defrost cycle it will also melt any ice in the drain that might be there.
Thanks! I'm doing this now and it seems to be working. It seems like everything in our house has been breaking in rapid successesion, so it's nice to be able to fix something on m own.
Many thx to Ray S for posting this. I just got off a 'live chat' at Samsung and of course got no satisfaction. As Linda mentioned below, they won't even acknowledge this problem or design flaw. Fortunately my web search led me to this video and I can skip an expensive service call. Looking fwd to Ray's upcoming video on long term solutions to this problem. (I hope he still intends to post that)
tainto67 Root cause: There is a metal clip on the defrost heater element, that has a tab that is supposed to keep the drain hole defrosted. It does not do the job due to poor engineering. It is also very easy to have the tab on the clip misaligned with the drain hole. Long term solution: To resolve this, take two 3 in. piece of solid copper wire, and attached this to the clip from both sides of the clip. After inserting the wire into the drain hole, it transfers enough heat from the defrost element to the hole to keep it clear from ice. This is working for me ever since I installed it about a year now, with no further clogs and water accumulations in the veggie bins
Normand Charron Root cause: There is a metal clip on the defrost heater element, that has a tab that is supposed to keep the drain hole defrosted. It does not do the job due to poor engineering. It is also very easy to have the tab on the clip misaligned with the drain hole. Long term solution: To resolve this, take two 3 in. piece of solid copper wire, and attached this to the clip from both sides of the clip. After inserting the wire into the drain hole, it transfers enough heat from the defrost element to the hole to keep it clear from ice. This is working for me ever since I installed it about a year now, with no further clogs and water accumulations in the veggie bins
It would be nice if corporations built products that lasted. I moved in a house with a 23 year old Sub Zero, it lasted another 10 years before it needed more repairs but it was old, dirty and time to go. We replaced with a Samsung RF18 because of dimensions. One year later and the crisper drawers fill with water every few days, ugh. Thanks for the video and copper tip from the commentator below.
Thank you, I suspected this might have been the issue since I had a similar issue with an older unit.. I decided to raise the internal temp of the refrigerator and see if it reduces the occurrence of condensation and ice accumulation. Nice job, thanks.
I worked this problem and installed the factory part and the problem went away for about a month. Opened it up again and found everything was OK EXCEPT - on the inside of the panel that you remove for access to the cooling coil, on top of the styrofoam insulation is a light galvanized steel panel that (when the cover is in place) covers the cooling coil. Note that the bottom edge is formed so that it bends inward towards the cooling coil. This deflects the defrost water towards the back and ensures it collects in the narrow tray at the bottom where the drain hole is. My unit's bottom "turned in" edge had corroded where it touched the aluminum fins due to moisture and galvanic corrosion and the water dripped down past the lip of the drain tray and into the refrigerator again. . I put a strip of metal foil "duct tape" (permenant stuff") along this bottom edge so no galvanized to aluminum contact and when I reinstalled the cover panel, tipped the BOTTOM edge in first and then tipped the top edge into place. I'll see if this works over the long run.
I bought a house with this same model 217 fridge. I noticed right away we had water accumulated in vegetable drawers and under them too. I thought it was a fluke maybe had the door open too long filling it when we moved in. When it happened again I knew something was wrong. Called Samsung and got no help. Went on the net and found thousands of complaints about Samsung fridge. I ordered the part ( Samsung evaporate clip) and when we finally got the back off (took us all day to complete this job as it was frozen solid behind that panel) guess what we found? There was a 3 in. copper wire already there frozen solid in the drain hole. Fridge bought in 2010 and now 2015. Twice in five years, maybe more as I don't know how many times previous owners worked on this! I will never buy any Samsung product! They treat consumers badly for not acknowledging they produce terrible appliances!
Thanks Ray for your video. I think a more permanent fix might be to replace the defrost sensor. See this video for more information: Refrigerator Repair - Fresh food section is leaking water - Samsung - RF268ABBP
No need to do all this, just defrost refrigerator like in old times, unplug it or turn off the breaker, remove the food to another refrigerator, leave all the doors opened (at least one inch) and wait 24hrs. Meanwhile, go to the back panel at the compressor area, remove the rubber grommet from the defrost drain pipe (there are two rubber tubes that drain to the bottom of the refrigerator, inside them, there are grommets), clean them and put them back, that's it. I'm a refrigerator technician, I have at least 5 calls per week like this, we don't do the 24 hrs, but we do dismantle the evaporator cover like in this video, we use a steamer to defrost the ice, DO NOT USE A HEAT GUN OR HAIR BLOWER!! the plastic melt very easy and can make your refrigerator useless after that. We install a new metal clip designed to prevent part of this issue, from Samsung DA61-06796A. If you do that, please be very careful, evaporator fins are very sharp. PLEASE, NOTE THAT THE AUTHOR OF THE VIDEO DIDN'T UNPLUG THE CONNECTORS FOR THE EVAPORATOR FAN AND SENSOR, THAT'S A BIG MISTAKE, CONNECTORS CAN BE DAMAGED AT WALL AND THE REFRIGERATOR IS GONE, YOU'LL NEED A NEW ONE, THOSE WALL PLUGS ARE UNREPAIRABLE. Anyway, no need to all this, just defrost it and check the drain grommets by the compressor area. Just need a Philips screwdriver to remove the panel. ALWAYS UNPLUG THE REFRIGERATOR!
Thanks for the video and the comment on the copper wire. I watched another video, done by some appliance repair company. First thing they do is to start replacing parts...Typical. Anyway, I'll give this a shot. Thank you.
I thank you for this because I'm still trying to remove the back because the people who installed the fridge left the Styrofoam in the crisper so now it's frozen on ugh so now I guess I know what was causing my leakage
Thank you I will try this on ours we have the same model . Does your fridge also make popping and cracking noises day and night ? If so did this deicing stop those noises ? Did the ice return again days or weeks later ?one more quest. Was the drip tray big enough or did water get on the floor . I wonder if I should take the fridge out side ? Thx again.
For those of you that have tried everything to fix the water/ice build up under the bin compartments but have not had any success, I also tried everything including a new long heating clip, replaced sensors, add a copper wire (tied to the heating element) into the drip tube, etc. But nothing worked. The water would not go down the drip tube. I then pulled everything out of the refrigerator and freezer, unplugged the refrigerator for 5 hours, put a heat lamp on the back wall where the drip tube is, and still no luck. I couldn't imaging how the drip tube could be frozen so badly. Then on a quirk, I pulled the panel on the bottom back of the refrigerator. I noticed two water tubes over the drip pan. I pulled both. Once the second was pulled off, a gush of water came out. I then realized that it wasn't frozen but clogged in this portion of the drip tube. Each of these sections of the drip tube have a cap. If you pull the cap off you will see that the tube has an inserted piece that had only a small opening. This was clogged. I clean out this insert and opened the hole up. I put everything back together and it works. No more water backup and no more ice build up. Hope this helps some others that have been frustrated over not being able to solve this problem.˛ˇ
Bob R you nailed it bro, watched the video and was about to pull the panel then read your comment and looked right where you were saying same situation clogged drain tube at bottom right. Great stuff! Thanks
I have removed the ice, squeezed hot water with the turkey baster inside the fridge itself, still not draining. I then removed the lower panel on the back and identified the 2 drain tubes that you guys are talking about. I removed them and inspected them. I was hoping for a big splooge of dirty water but no, they 2 drain tubes seem to be working as designed. I then took a flexible plastic tube and was able to stick it up about 18 inches. I sucked and blew on both and it seems like they are clear. I did the same from the inside of the fridge and again was able to get it down a bit over 12 inches and blew air in there but I don't think it reached the other side. Getting frustrated to say the least.
+Plano Person I did not get to fix this issue with my refrigerator even after reading your very detailed comments. I did not have the time to drain out all the ice that was probably in the draining area. I had let it go for so long without realizing what was happening inside the fridge. How long did it take you to defrost the condensation catch-all? I will need to do it when I have no food in the fridge or freezer!
The Problem Might Simply be a Clogged Venting Nipple Above the Drip Tray: I went through this video routine with an RFG298HDS side by side over a freezer, found that there was no frozen water in the drain, and after probing that drain first with stiff but pliable 1/16th inch stainless steel cable, and then standard four conductor telephone wire, I found that neither probe could reach the bottom tray and was blocked by something. Pulling the fridge out from the wall and popping off the cowling at the bottom, I found a dry tray and two soft rubber downspouts leading into it. The left one was pulled and reapplied easily and there was no obstruction. The right one, facing the fridge from the back, had the same soft rubber downspout, and when that was pulled it revealed a one inch in length tapered nipple, much like you would find the shape of the end of the bottom of a tube of toothpaste. Squeezing that soft rubber resulted in a stream of cold water entering the tray below. After the flow stopped, I pulled the nipple off and found a small ball of lint blocking both of the 1 X 4mm openings of the nipple. Clearly nothing was going to go up the nipple, but with lint in place, nothing was going to go down. End of problem, for now. Enjoy. Best, Rich
Hi ray, I modified with copper wires yesterday. The clip on drain was very short that even does not touch the hole. I used 2 copper wires solid and stranded that I used the end of stranded wire to clip, the other end the hole and solid one , one end to heater coil and other end to the hole and I am planning once a month to check under crisper to see any leakage . your recommendation regarding using syringe/siphon pump is not clear to me if you provide more pic. or drawing it should be helpful . Thanks
Great information regarding the cause of the blockage however, what about next time? Looks to be a design concern. Is Samsung offering a solution to permanently correct this drain blockage?
I wrapped a thick gauge piece of solid copper wire around the bottom of the defrost coil and let about 10 inches hang down into the drain hole. That fixed the problem
We have the same problem. Even our door hinge fell apart (ordered a replacement for that) It doesn't seem like an de-icing issue as we had let it completely defrost even sticking a plastic tube all the way in the hole and no ice was blocking it. We have to use a plastic tube to suck out all the water collecting at the bottom every few months - very annoying and can't use the snack drawers anymore because everything will just get wet.
Great video thanks! I went one stop further and removed the metal catch basin inside the fridge, below the condenser. I had so much ice build over the months of leaking (procrastinated the fix) that I removed inches of ice above and under the catch basin. Then I poured hot water into the drain hole. I have 2 questions: 1) The metal catch basin is wired to what looks like hot/cold elements. Is that too keep the catch basin cold or warm? If it's to keep the catch basin warm then it doesn't work. 2) The catch basin was fixed to the fridge with aluminum adhesive tape. I removed it. Where can I by some? I haven't started the fridge yet.
The metal catch basin, if I understand it correctly is the one which is supposed to remain warm and prevent ice formation near the drainage hole. Do you have pics that you can send it over to me? Regarding the part, you can search DA61-06796A on eBay. Thanks!
Ray S I'm sorry but I didn't take pictures of the part, and I have reassembled the refrigerator. If that metal catch basin is supposed to be warm to prevent ice from forming, then it's faulty. There was a few inches of ice on top, and under, the metal catch basin. I guess I'll have to wait after a few defrost cycles to see if my fix was successful, but at least will know exactly what is wrong with it and what part I have to replace. If I have to take it apart again, I'll be sure to post a video. Thank you very much for your advice. Your video saved me a couple of hundred dollars.
Also, get a big cooler, put all of your stuff in it. Unplug the fridge for a day or however long it takes for the ice to melt. Then do the fix and turn it all back on again. Letting it warm up naturally to room temperature is the least damaging way for it to warm up and melt the ice. It just sucks, I get it, the McDonald's generation of instant gratification, me included, doesn't like waiting for anything. If there isn't a power tool or lego piece that can fix it, it takes too long :) Good luck!
Hi Lilmountainlady1, I did not find a reply button of your comment, but I'd like to know what is your research result of "hooking up a thin copper wire to a part of the defroster and sticking it down the hole." Is the idea feasible? Do you have a vedio demo on how to do that?
Ray thank you show much for posting this video. We have been dealing with the water issue for at least a year and had no idea what it was from. Unfortunately we brought this as a floor model and are now noticing a few things. Just now the right door doesn't shut all the way... Any ideas? Also I hate the ice maker. If you don't use the ice it gets backed up and when open the freezer door it pops off that plastic thing
Are you keeping Ice On setting all the time? If no, then it probably means that the condensation is happening in the ice section. You would be required to open the ice section, assess the clogged area and at a minimum clear the clogged drain. As an illustration, watch this: Refrigerator Repair - Ice build up in the bottom freezer - Whirlpool ,Maytag, Sears GX5FHDXVQ02
Mine (RF217ACPN ) had the same issue. Thanks for the opening tip. Otherwise, I might ended up spending much longer time then I did and broke something. I noticed that as a metal clip on the defrost heater element located above (not touching) the drain hole, it appears useless. Hence I attached a 3 in. piece of solid copper wire to the heater element on one end and ran the other end into the drain hole. Hope it will work.
We have the same fridge. Ice continues to for and Samsung wants to send a service tech at $275.00 to replace evaporator cover and drain clip. Sounds like they knew about this and now want to try and fix. Only a 90day warranty on repairs. I thought about the wire trick but was not sure where the issue starts in the freezer or the fridge. There is a link below that has you in the freezer so I am not sure of where to go with this. In the mean time we store our glass jars in the crispers.
Samsung is very much aware about the issue. If you are in the warranty period, they are NOT fixing it, instead issuing pro-rated refunds. It is a design flaw. I fear replacing evaporator cover and drain clip won't help more than a year.
I will contact the better business bureau here in Connecticut and try and warn as many people as I can about this. If I can help 1 person not deal with this issue I will feel better.
I think I found a permanent solution to the drain hole getting iced up. There is a metal clip on the defrost heater element, that has a tab that is supposed to keep the drain hole defrosted. It does not do the job due to poor engineering. It is also very easy to have the tab on the clip misaligned with the drain hole. To resolve this, I stripped the insulation from a 3 in. piece of solid (not stranded) copper wire, and attached this to the clip. After inserting the wire into the drain hole, it transfers enough heat from the defrost element to the hole to keep it clear from ice. This has worked for about a year now, with no further clogs and water accumulations in the veggie bins.
I understand exactly - not sure if the original heat-transfer tab corroded away - it was aluminum and so with the copper wire that's a potential corrosion problem but you are evidently a very practical person and I am going to follow your suggestion as I am quite like you! Thanks
This is NOT a long term fix but setting the temp to 38 slows it down to ~7-8 months. For long term, suggested solution is replacing the defrost kit. However, because of the design flaw and ineffective defrost kit, the problem surfaces after an year/year and a half. This is inline with Customer experience reported that these refrigerators are failing after the expiration of 1 year warranty. Hope this helps!
Before tearing your fridge apart, trying doing as your manual instructs-don't stack food high directly under the LED light area. The air sensor is located around the light, and cannot work properly if it is blocked. Since following this instruction, there has been NO ISSUE with water or ice accumulation under the drawer.
Thank goodness for this gentleman to take the time to post this valuable video! I have the SAME problem with our Samsung RF217ACBP refrigerator! I downloaded the 30+ page manual, but found NOTHING to help with this annoying problem that should NOT exist with a quality brand like this! This video will get to the root of the problem, but unfortunately doesn't fix the issue for good. Warning, I dented the lining of the interior lining of the fridge when taking the cover off! BE VERY TENDER when unclipping the white panel inside your fridge! Also, if you use a blow dryer to melt the ice plugging the drain hole, DO NOT get too close to the fridge interior as you enter will warp it! It's very thin plastic lining and warps very easily! Instead pour HOT water little by little and be patient. You WILL unplug the ice from the drain hole... It really is there! Good luck and thank the man who posted this video!
thank-you for this video Ray. After a few years our fridge made a terrible noise. We followed your video and realized we had an ice build up behind the panel. We could not even see the third screw as ice surrounded it. With patience and a blow dryer the ice melted and now no noise. Perfect!
I have RF265ABWP with same issue. I saved a service call by also seeking help online. Thank you Ray. I'm sure this helped many Samsung refrigerator owners.
I went through this 6 months ago. What an inconvenience to do this now in the heat of summer! My back panel takes several hours to free it from the back of the fridge due to the fact it's frozen ON.
What a shame that I am transferring my refrigerator items (from drainage failure again) to an over 20 year old refrigerator I keep in the pantry for beer, party platters, etc. that's actually working better than my new one.
No more SAMSUNG refrigerators for me until they take responsibility for this engineering failure and do right by people. This is a HUGE inconvenience. Takes me over a day to get my drain de-iced and draining again. In fact, no phones either.
Have had this problem on our RF217 since almost day one (we bought it in Nov. 2013). Now the the warranty is up and the problem appeared to be getting worse, I am glad to have found your video and the recommendation of the copper wire hack so we didn't have to pay a technician to come out and fix a problem we could fix ourselves. We took the unit apart tonight and installed two 16-guage solid copper wires to the element and snaked them into the drain as recommended by one of your commenters. Here's to hoping it solves the ice buildup issue!
Thank you so much for your well done video!. I saw this several months ago when I knew I had the problem; but it took me a bit longer to get the courage to give it a try. I followed your instructions today. They were point on and I was successful! I was so excited when I heard the plunk of the last of the ice breaking loose and allowing the hot water to tunnel down the tube and land in the tray below. You are my hero! Thanks thanks.
Ray, thanks for this video - it helped me a lot. I am going to cancel my service call for tomorrow ;)
A quick note about removing the panel: the styrofoam comes out WITH the panel and at first if you are having this problem it will very likely be quite frozen in place and it seems like it won't come out. Let the unit sit awhile or hit the area with a hairdryer and it'll eventually come loose. I have a RFG217 (counter depth) and the screws were in different places but overall the same idea.
Thank you. I asked a few people to help with mine as it was leaking from the back panel into the lower drawers, but they didn't know. Your video is what helped me for my Samsung RB 195 series.
Thanks for this. Your video (plus a couple of others and a few forum entries) helped me solve the problem, at least temporarily. I've written a complaint email to Samsung Canada on the subject as it seems hundreds of thousands of folks have had the same problem with their fridges. I'm going to write some appropriate reviews on reviewing sites in order to warn prospective buyers. I would encourage everyone here to do so also. Unless customers apply pressure, the company won't do anything to solve the problem long term.
Thanks for the how-to. Much appreciated. I'm sure you saved me the cost of a new fridge. My wife was already shopping.:)
Ray:
Thanks for taking the time to make this video. I hope it helps many others. I find that I have to do this procedure about every 6 months on refrig to keep the condensation ice away.
Thanks for this video. I have the RF217 with this issue and this so far has been the most detailed help video. Thank again for sharing!
Would like to thank you for taking the time to explain how to fix it. I saw your video and the hardest part was to take all our food out, other than that everything else was very easy.
Thanks again.
THANKS! This works. It takes longer to empty the refrigerator than to repair it. I have this same model.
I contacted Samsung to let them know that 61,821 people have viewed a video on TH-cam to help them fix this problem with this refrigerator. Samsung REFUSES TO ACKNOWLEDGE that there's is a design issue here. I spoke with 4 different people during 65 minutes. Their support was to offer me an extented warranty for $388 good for one year. Those of you who buy into this kind of corporate piracy are part of the problem.
If you have a problem with your Samsung refrigerator call them so that they know about it.
And for the record, my refrigerator compartment failed one year ago. I waited three weeks for Samsung to get Williston TV to come out and repair it; $360 with a (60) day warranty.
P Pac :
Root cause:
There is a metal clip on the defrost heater element, that has a tab that is supposed to keep the drain hole defrosted. It does not do the job due to poor engineering. It is also very easy to have the tab on the clip misaligned with the drain hole.
Long term solution:
To resolve this, take two 3 in. piece of solid copper wire, and attached this to the clip from both sides of the clip. After inserting the wire into the drain hole, it transfers enough heat from the defrost element to the hole to keep it clear from ice. This is working for me ever since I installed it about a year now, with no further clogs and water accumulations in the veggie bins
T.u u yt? Yt?+Sy instead. NoI on myo Va kook and Cory and justby ext.you
P Pac You should join the class action law suit. See my earlier comment with the link
Elizabeth Carty
I can't find your earlier post regarding the class action law suit. Could you post it here. Thanks
Elizabeth Carty Liz, there's no "earlier" comment. please post it again.
Thank you Ray!
Samsung was no help. I looked at your video, followed your instructions and it worked.
Now we shall see how long it takes before it freezes up again.
Larry Martel
Root cause:
There is a metal clip on the defrost heater element, that has a tab that is supposed to keep the drain hole defrosted. It does not do the job due to poor engineering. It is also very easy to have the tab on the clip misaligned with the drain hole.
Long term solution:
To resolve this, take two 3 in. piece of solid copper wire, and attached this to the clip from both sides of the clip. After inserting the wire into the drain hole, it transfers enough heat from the defrost element to the hole to keep it clear from ice. This is working for me ever since I installed it about a year now, with no further clogs and water accumulations in the veggie bins
Thank you for opening the discussion and trying to fix it as it allowed others with equal amounts of knowledge to weigh in. Very kind of you to upload this video.
Thanks! I followed your video and it worked. I also took a piece of thick aluminum wire, wrapped it around the heating element and put it an inch into the drain. I think aluminum oxidizes less than copper, but still conducts heat well.
Thanks so much to the original poster. I have a Samsung RB195ACPN (freezer on bottom, refrigerator on top) and this video worked for me as well. I was having the same issues: water accumulating in the crisper drawers AND under them. I guess my back panel was *very* frozen so you need to be patient. The styrofoam along the periphery of the panel was frozen stuck. We used a blow dryer several times to slowly defrost the ice that made the styrofoam stick to the refrigerator. Be patient or you might end of breaking off the styrofoam if you try to take the panel off too quickly. Also, our top-most screw on the panel was frozen in place with at least 1/4" of ice on top of it. In all, we waited 2-3 hours to defrost properly. Just got everything reassembled and food back in the fridge. We'll probably have to do this regularly. But overall, a success!
Great help!!!! Samsung was no help, while under warranty i called 3 times.
The last time i called samsung to see if they found a fix. Samsung told me i was the first person with this problem
and my warr ended last week. They offered to send a man to look at it for $200.00.
Thank you all - will be trying this on my fridge. Really annoying since I paid so much for this fridge and took such good care of it - no excuse for this problem so soon! Shame on Samsung - I will never buy another product of theirs again!
An appliance salesperson told me Samsung is an electronics company, not an appliance company, hence the POS design. I won't buy Samsung ever again.
And lets not talk about the RF radiation flying out due to it's wireless transmitter...
Thank you for this excellent and bold piece of detective work - as another clever fellow commenting here said, there is supposed to be a heated aluminum strip that goes down into the drain hole and melts any ice that forms - it seems that this corrodes away causing the blockage. The part is available to replace (DA61-06796A) and it is better if you can use aluminum instead of copper if you make it yourself as there will be fast corrosion otherwise. With some sheet aluminum and a pair of shears you can make your own!
Ray S, is this your video? I want to thank you for your detailed video. It worked perfectly and our drain is free and clear. You just saved us a service call! Thank you!
Thanks man, you helped me greatly. Fridge fixed. But i made one slight mod, i wrapped a piece of copper wire around bottom of heater coil on bottom above drain and have end in drain. Now when that heating element comes on it also heats wire in drain. Just be careful to NOT have wire touching any plastic in Fridge any only go far enough into drain to stay right above metal plate over drain.
After working the same problem like I owned it (tore apart my fridge), I found the problem was not the drainage, it was the gasket where the water filter fits. Either way, I had to problem shoot to get to that conclusion and this video helped alot for me to get there.
+FishHeadSalad Good to know. I don't think ours is the drainage either. Do you have a pic of where this gasket is?
Appreciate this video. Saved me a lot of money because this will be a recurring problem. Samsung has not provided any fixes and my fridge is now a few weeks out of warranty. Samsung is also not providing any solutions to the peeling paint on the handles. I regret not researching this fridge more thoroughly before buying. There is a class action suit against Samsung in the U.S., but for a different model, I think.
The main problem is actually not the freeze up in the drain tube as you show in your video, though this has to be thawed before the final repair. The actual problem as I found out in my fridge is at the bottom of the drain tube where it empties into the evaporator pan. This rubber tube has a narrow slot opening ( I don't know the wisdom behind this) right where it empties into the evaporator pan. This slot , since it is almost permanently wet can over time grow mold and other slimy stuff and gets completely plugged up and the water backs up. To fix it, one needs to open the cover on the back of the fridge where the compressor is and open the slot in this rubber drain hose. I just snipped this slotted end off and never had a problem since.
Ray! Thank you! Our Samsung 217 RF 217ACPN....
.yep....bottom shelf , below crisper.....1/4” ice, water on shelf, water in drawers.....sucks..man....
Ray...did exactly what you did, and......eventually...after much hot water, blow dryer....one hour! The water in the drain...which is only about 2-3” long...DRAINED! Yippee!
FYI....our temperature issue were strange... thermostat set at recommended 38, freezer at 2, the temp on top ....w/ digital unit....38.4, Middle shelf....34.....bottom....31....same frig...3 areas. FINGERS CROSSED!
I have had the same issue and figured out this same technique. I found a trick to help with defrosting the downspout quicker by using a basting syringe or any device that can suck up the water. So you pour the hot water and then suck up the liquid immediately afterward so the process is quicker. Now I have a very narrow one I got in a kit (sea monkey kit) and I can stick it down the hole and suck up the water as I pour it down.
I have heard, and I think I'm gonna try hooking up a thin copper wire to a part of the defroster and sticking it down the hole. Something to do with keeping the water warm so that it doesn't freeze. The copper wire stays sorta warm.
Like I said, I'm gonna do a bit more research on that first.
Thank you so much for posting this. I would have 2 years ago when I realized the problem, but I'm not as "video" smart.
Thank you for the information. I've had my Samsung for 2 years, and condensation started about two months ago. I look forward to correcting the drainage.
I followed Ray S' advice and defrosted the fridge, installed a small cooper wire in the drain hole to keep the hole from freezing up. We will see how that works. Thanks Ray S.
Thanks Troy. Keep us posted if this workaround works!! Thanks again!
Thank you for taking the time to do this. Going to try it on my fridge. Cheers Ray.
Have model RF217AC, 19.7 cubic feet, manufactured 5/2011. Was impressed that the estimated yearly operating cost was $48.00. Considering how many days it has to be unplugged and defrosted, I get it. I had thrown out my working older refrigerator because I liked the style and trusted the Samsung brand. I am afraid of removing panels and inserting copper wires myself. What a recurrent mess this refrigerator is.
Hi, thanks for the video. I have had the same issue with the water under the deli tray. I have gone through all the steps with replacing the two drain tubes which I purchased of Amazon along with the heating tray element that replaces the little aluminum tab that is currently on the heater coil and touches the drip tray behind the big panel. I've taken that off as noted when I replaced the heating element tab, insured the drain line was clean by running a small cleaner brush down the entire drain then pouring some water/bleach mix down to make sure all was clean. Put it all back together and about 3 weeks later I checked under the deli tray and found water still there. Well, I know it's none of the known issues or fixes at this point as I did them all. Reading thorough the comments on this video I found one that mentioned they had a Best Buy tech come out and said they had reports from Samsung techs if the fridge was not freezing the water in the drain line which mine was not then it could be the unit does not have a gradual lean from front to back. This is something they should have done at delivery but back then probably did not even know of the issue. Made some sense to me as what appears to be happening is the water is dripping down and around the drip tray behind the big back cover just slightly and this gradual offset with the level toward the rear will give it enough to ensure the water drips into the tray and not around the edges of it. Can this be the problem I've been fighting with for months now, I adjusted the level yesterday to an offset toward the back so will check again in about 3 to 5 days and see if I'm dry or still have water.
Thank you for sharing. We have the same problem with a lot of water in the left crisper drawer, but no idea where it was coming from. We will try to fix it. This was very helpful. Thanks!
Any luck on fixing it?
I am never buying a Samsung again. It gave the same problem from the first month. It was expensive and difficult to return to warehouse. Useless refrigerators( my opinion). You shouldn't have to do repairs on something you just bought.
me too never agen Samsung
hans lombard same problem here. Samsung never more.
I called the service number on the book and the people that I spoke to on the phone and on line couldn't tell me what to look for or what may be causing the problem. They should pay you for providing the service. Thank you
Thanks for the post! Just cleaned mine up with no problems.
Thank you, this video helped fix my problem. The only thing I will add that helped was using a medicine dropper that you get from the pharmacy when your kids get an antibiotic. ..im not sure what they are really called but thats the best way to describe it...anywho I used the dropper to suck out the water from inside the drain hole. After I did that the next cup of hot water I poured unfroze the rest of the ice that was in the line.
Thanks again!
Hi Jon, Another long term fix is to find a tube with a syringe/siphon pump with the pipe taped around behind the front panel, all the way to the drain. On a periodic basis, you could turn off the fridge and then pump hot water through the tube. It is really working for me but just a workaround. Do write back and I can share some pic/drawings. Thanks!
thanks Ray, im finding this model of refrigerator to be very troublesome. since doing the fix i have already had to do it again. is there a setting on the fridge that keeps the drain tube from freezing up?
jon hill I will be posting a new video in few weeks. That should help you. Meanwhile, set the set to 38F. Keep you posted.. thx!
jon hill Samsung DA61-06796A or Whirlpool 819043 Heat Probe can be used.
Hi pokokopo,
I too bought it bcos of dimension. Coming to your question, if problem recurs, replacing the defrost kit is recommended. Keeping the temp level to 38 slows down the buildup. For me problem resurfaced in 4 mths again. Buying it with extended warranty is suggested
I very much appreciate your instruction. It seems to have fixed the problem, at least for the moment. I, too, called Samsung - no acknowledgement of the problem and was offered an extended warranted for $430. I will look into the class action suit. Thank you again
beth Rourke replacing,upgrading or adding Side-by-side freezer/refrigerator.
visit here amzn.to/1KsCbsB
I'm interested in a lawsuit...ridiculous. Poor design.
lvswysteria Im interested in a law suit too. and also for the sales person that sold me this horrible ref ridge.
I'm experiencing the same problem and wish I would have known about this problem a couple years ago, before purchasing this problem. I've seen large number of customers report problem, but haven't seen anything about a class action suit....?
There was a class action lawsuit. But I believe it has expired now. Furthermore, we only had a certain number of months from purchase date to apply for the suit, and our nightmare didn't happen until after that. Well, at least the lawyers still got rich.
This was super helpful - we fixed our fridge! Thank you!
Thank you, Ray. I followed your instructions successfully. It some work, but it finally cleared the drain in about 3 tries. I used about about 1/2 cup of boiling water each time. Let the water sit until it cooled, then removed it with an ear wax rubber bulb. Repeated the process until all of the ice was melted and the drain cleared. For good measure, I repeated the boiling water process once after it cleared. Thanks again, let's see how long the drain stays clear.
It will stay for 6-7 months. Follow the copper wire solution for a more permanent solution. Read all comments to get better understanding of it. Thanks!
I had the same issue and I called Samsung. After 4 Samsung tech visits and a condenser issue later I had my first fridge replaced by Samsung because it was under manufacture warranty the same started to happen with the new fridge. Well, I got a GREAT tech to come out from Best Buy and he fixed the problem in 5 minutes something that had plagued me for a whole year and one refrigerator later. The tech informed me that a Samsung rep told him that these particular fridges( bottom mount freezer type) have a flaw YES a FLAW and they all have to be leveled when placed in the home. They have to have a slight tilt with the front of the fridge higher then the back so the water can drain in that very small drain hole that all these style of fridges have.
He did this and fives years later I have not had this issue.
Ray, I am sure you have heard about this by now (or you may own a different fridge). There is a heating element in there that is suppose to prevent the drain from clogging. Get some 12 guage copper wire, wrap it around the element near the drain and insert a couple inches of the copper wire in the drain itself. Next time the fridge goes through a defrost cycle it will also melt any ice in the drain that might be there.
That sounds like a great idea
Thanks! I'm doing this now and it seems to be working. It seems like everything in our house has been breaking in rapid successesion, so it's nice to be able to fix something on m own.
Thanks for your video! I had the same problem and it's fine now.
Many thx to Ray S for posting this. I just got off a 'live chat' at Samsung and of course got no satisfaction. As Linda mentioned below, they won't even acknowledge this problem or design flaw. Fortunately my web search led me to this video and I can skip an expensive service call. Looking fwd to Ray's upcoming video on long term solutions to this problem. (I hope he still intends to post that)
tainto67
Root cause:
There is a metal clip on the defrost heater element, that has a tab that is supposed to keep the drain hole defrosted. It does not do the job due to poor engineering. It is also very easy to have the tab on the clip misaligned with the drain hole.
Long term solution:
To resolve this, take two 3 in. piece of solid copper wire, and attached this to the clip from both sides of the clip. After inserting the wire into the drain hole, it transfers enough heat from the defrost element to the hole to keep it clear from ice. This is working for me ever since I installed it about a year now, with no further clogs and water accumulations in the veggie bins
Excellent info. Thanks for posting.
Hello Ray,
Thank you some much for your video, from your instructions I was able to solve the problem and avoid a service call
Thanks for sharing
Norm
Normand Charron
Root cause:
There is a metal clip on the defrost heater element, that has a tab that is supposed to keep the drain hole defrosted. It does not do the job due to poor engineering. It is also very easy to have the tab on the clip misaligned with the drain hole.
Long term solution:
To resolve this, take two 3 in. piece of solid copper wire, and attached this to the clip from both sides of the clip. After inserting the wire into the drain hole, it transfers enough heat from the defrost element to the hole to keep it clear from ice. This is working for me ever since I installed it about a year now, with no further clogs and water accumulations in the veggie bins
Thanks for the tip, so far it seems to have worked!
thank you - this guide was really helpful. It does take a long time for the ice to melt though!
Thank you, very helpful! It's a damn shame they did not have a recall. My frig is just over a year old. I will NEVER buy a samsung product again!!!!!
It would be nice if corporations built products that lasted. I moved in a house with a 23 year old Sub Zero, it lasted another 10 years before it needed more repairs but it was old, dirty and time to go. We replaced with a Samsung RF18 because of dimensions. One year later and the crisper drawers fill with water every few days, ugh. Thanks for the video and copper tip from the commentator below.
This video saved my fridge! Thank you!!!!
Thank you, I suspected this might have been the issue since I had a similar issue with an older unit.. I decided to raise the internal temp of the refrigerator and see if it reduces the occurrence of condensation and ice accumulation. Nice job, thanks.
Have exact problem!! Thank you so much for sharing!!!
Thanks. Saved us about 300 bucks
Thank you so much for these instructions. I did as you instructed and added the copper wire. I'm surprised there isn't a class action lawsuit!
Daniela D'agnillo There is a class action suit--see my earlier comment. The more people that give their info the more likely the suit will go to trial
Elizabeth Carty thank you Elizabeth. I can't seem to find your earlier comment with the link. Do you mind reposting it please?
Daniela D'agnillo I am also looking for the class action suit link. Can you please repost. thank you
I worked this problem and installed the factory part and the problem went away for about a month. Opened it up again and found everything was OK EXCEPT - on the inside of the panel that you remove for access to the cooling coil, on top of the styrofoam insulation is a light galvanized steel panel that (when the cover is in place) covers the cooling coil. Note that the bottom edge is formed so that it bends inward towards the cooling coil. This deflects the defrost water towards the back and ensures it collects in the narrow tray at the bottom where the drain hole is. My unit's bottom "turned in" edge had corroded where it touched the aluminum fins due to moisture and galvanic corrosion and the water dripped down past the lip of the drain tray and into the refrigerator again. . I put a strip of metal foil "duct tape" (permenant stuff") along this bottom edge so no galvanized to aluminum contact and when I reinstalled the cover panel, tipped the BOTTOM edge in first and then tipped the top edge into place. I'll see if this works over the long run.
I bought a house with this same model 217 fridge. I noticed right away we had water accumulated in vegetable drawers and under them too. I thought it was a fluke maybe had the door open too long filling it when we moved in. When it happened again I knew something was wrong. Called Samsung and got no help. Went on the net and found thousands of complaints about Samsung fridge. I ordered the part ( Samsung evaporate clip) and when we finally got the back off (took us all day to complete this job as it was frozen solid behind that panel) guess what we found? There was a 3 in. copper wire already there frozen solid in the drain hole. Fridge bought in 2010 and now 2015. Twice in five years, maybe more as I don't know how many times previous owners worked on this! I will never buy any Samsung product! They treat consumers badly for not acknowledging they produce terrible appliances!
excellent instructions - fixed problem
Thanks Ray for your video. I think a more permanent fix might be to replace the defrost sensor. See this video for more information: Refrigerator Repair - Fresh food section is leaking water - Samsung - RF268ABBP
this really helped out and saved me money to thank you.....
No need to do all this, just defrost refrigerator like in old times, unplug it or turn off the breaker, remove the food to another refrigerator, leave all the doors opened (at least one inch) and wait 24hrs. Meanwhile, go to the back panel at the compressor area, remove the rubber grommet from the defrost drain pipe (there are two rubber tubes that drain to the bottom of the refrigerator, inside them, there are grommets), clean them and put them back, that's it. I'm a refrigerator technician, I have at least 5 calls per week like this, we don't do the 24 hrs, but we do dismantle the evaporator cover like in this video, we use a steamer to defrost the ice, DO NOT USE A HEAT GUN OR HAIR BLOWER!! the plastic melt very easy and can make your refrigerator useless after that. We install a new metal clip designed to prevent part of this issue, from Samsung DA61-06796A. If you do that, please be very careful, evaporator fins are very sharp. PLEASE, NOTE THAT THE AUTHOR OF THE VIDEO DIDN'T UNPLUG THE CONNECTORS FOR THE EVAPORATOR FAN AND SENSOR, THAT'S A BIG MISTAKE, CONNECTORS CAN BE DAMAGED AT WALL AND THE REFRIGERATOR IS GONE, YOU'LL NEED A NEW ONE, THOSE WALL PLUGS ARE UNREPAIRABLE. Anyway, no need to all this, just defrost it and check the drain grommets by the compressor area. Just need a Philips screwdriver to remove the panel. ALWAYS UNPLUG THE REFRIGERATOR!
+Santiago Perez
Thank you Santiago. I did exactly what you said. Waiting to turn it back on. Hope it works.
+Julie Reeves Same issue here too. How'd it go Julie?
Defrosted for 24 hours cleaned drains behind metal panel on back of fridge at bottom and problem fixed. Super easy.
+Julie Reeves Excellent. Thank you for the response!
+Santiago Perez Thanks very helpful tips
Thanks for the video and the comment on the copper wire. I watched another video, done by some appliance repair company. First thing they do is to start replacing parts...Typical. Anyway, I'll give this a shot. Thank you.
It's always good to have more knowledge. What link is that?
I thank you for this because I'm still trying to remove the back because the people who installed the fridge left the Styrofoam in the crisper so now it's frozen on ugh so now I guess I know what was causing my leakage
Thank you for your help! We are going to try this solution.
Many thanks for the video, this solved my problem.
Thanks, I'm going to give it a try this weekend.
Thank you. This is helpful!
thank you sir you were a big help....Skip
Thanks for the video. I'm having the same problem and I will try this tonight.
Worked. Thanks again.
@@JamesStrassburg haha seen this comment on a cbc marketplace video -7:01 mark of this video th-cam.com/video/hk2TfF1M4r8/w-d-xo.html
Thank you for doing this!!
thank you this was very helpful
OMG! Thanks so much!
Thank you I will try this on ours we have the same model . Does your fridge also make popping and cracking noises day and night ? If so did this deicing stop those noises ? Did the ice return again days or weeks later ?one more quest. Was the drip tray big enough or did water get on the floor . I wonder if I should take the fridge out side ? Thx again.
Thnx mate. You are a Hero.
For those of you that have tried everything to fix the water/ice
build up under the bin compartments but have not had any success, I also tried everything
including a new long heating clip, replaced sensors, add a copper wire (tied to
the heating element) into the drip tube, etc. But nothing worked. The water would not go down the drip tube. I then pulled everything out of the refrigerator and freezer, unplugged the refrigerator for 5 hours, put a heat lamp on the back wall where the drip tube is, and still no luck. I couldn't imaging how the drip tube could be frozen so badly. Then on a quirk, I pulled the panel on the bottom back of the refrigerator. I noticed two water tubes over the drip pan. I pulled both. Once the second was pulled off, a gush of water came out. I then realized that it wasn't frozen but clogged in this portion of the drip tube. Each of these sections of the drip tube have a cap. If you pull the cap off you will see that the tube has an inserted piece that had only a small opening. This was clogged. I clean out this insert and opened the hole up. I put everything back together and it works. No more water backup and no more ice build up. Hope this helps some others that have been frustrated over not being able to solve this problem.˛ˇ
Bob R you nailed it bro, watched the video and was about to pull the panel then read your comment and looked right where you were saying same situation clogged drain tube at bottom right. Great stuff! Thanks
I have removed the ice, squeezed hot water with the turkey baster inside the fridge itself, still not draining. I then removed the lower panel on the back and identified the 2 drain tubes that you guys are talking about. I removed them and inspected them. I was hoping for a big splooge of dirty water but no, they 2 drain tubes seem to be working as designed. I then took a flexible plastic tube and was able to stick it up about 18 inches. I sucked and blew on both and it seems like they are clear. I did the same from the inside of the fridge and again was able to get it down a bit over 12 inches and blew air in there but I don't think it reached the other side. Getting frustrated to say the least.
Oh, I like Public Image.... great band .... sorry for off subject comment.
+Plano Person I did not get to fix this issue with my refrigerator even after reading your very detailed comments. I did not have the time to drain out all the ice that was probably in the draining area. I had let it go for so long without realizing what was happening inside the fridge. How long did it take you to defrost the condensation catch-all? I will need to do it when I have no food in the fridge or freezer!
The Problem Might Simply be a Clogged Venting Nipple Above the Drip Tray: I went through this video routine with an RFG298HDS side by side over a freezer, found that there was no frozen water in the drain, and after probing that drain first with stiff but pliable 1/16th inch stainless steel cable, and then standard four conductor telephone wire, I found that neither probe could reach the bottom tray and was blocked by something. Pulling the fridge out from the wall and popping off the cowling at the bottom, I found a dry tray and two soft rubber downspouts leading into it. The left one was pulled and reapplied easily and there was no obstruction. The right one, facing the fridge from the back, had the same soft rubber downspout, and when that was pulled it revealed a one inch in length tapered nipple, much like you would find the shape of the end of the bottom of a tube of toothpaste. Squeezing that soft rubber resulted in a stream of cold water entering the tray below. After the flow stopped, I pulled the nipple off and found a small ball of lint blocking both of the 1 X 4mm openings of the nipple. Clearly nothing was going to go up the nipple, but with lint in place, nothing was going to go down. End of problem, for now. Enjoy. Best, Rich
tks richard chefetz
Hi ray, I modified with copper wires yesterday. The clip on drain was very short that even does not touch the hole. I used 2 copper wires solid and stranded that I used the end of stranded wire to clip, the other end the hole and solid one , one end to heater coil and other end to the hole and I am planning once a month to check under crisper to see any leakage . your recommendation regarding using syringe/siphon pump is not clear to me if you provide more pic. or drawing it should be helpful . Thanks
Great information regarding the cause of the blockage however, what about next time? Looks to be a design concern. Is Samsung offering a solution to permanently correct this drain blockage?
Thank you, very helpful
Great video! Thanks
great video and explanation
I wrapped a thick gauge piece of solid copper wire around the bottom of the defrost coil and let about 10 inches hang down into the drain hole. That fixed the problem
@Ray, Thanks for the video it did help me, I was wondering where does the water eventually go?
Bhakti Mehta There is a plastic drain pipe that has an outlet into the drainage. This has been taken care when the installation was done
We have the same problem. Even our door hinge fell apart (ordered a replacement for that) It doesn't seem like an de-icing issue as we had let it completely defrost even sticking a plastic tube all the way in the hole and no ice was blocking it. We have to use a plastic tube to suck out all the water collecting at the bottom every few months - very annoying and can't use the snack drawers anymore because everything will just get wet.
Great video thanks!
I went one stop further and removed the metal catch basin inside the fridge, below the condenser. I had so much ice build over the months of leaking (procrastinated the fix) that I removed inches of ice above and under the catch basin. Then I poured hot water into the drain hole.
I have 2 questions: 1) The metal catch basin is wired to what looks like hot/cold elements. Is that too keep the catch basin cold or warm? If it's to keep the catch basin warm then it doesn't work. 2) The catch basin was fixed to the fridge with aluminum adhesive tape. I removed it. Where can I by some?
I haven't started the fridge yet.
The metal catch basin, if I understand it correctly is the one which is supposed to remain warm and prevent ice formation near the drainage hole. Do you have pics that you can send it over to me?
Regarding the part, you can search DA61-06796A on eBay.
Thanks!
Ray S I'm sorry but I didn't take pictures of the part, and I have reassembled the refrigerator. If that metal catch basin is supposed to be warm to prevent ice from forming, then it's faulty. There was a few inches of ice on top, and under, the metal catch basin. I guess I'll have to wait after a few defrost cycles to see if my fix was successful, but at least will know exactly what is wrong with it and what part I have to replace. If I have to take it apart again, I'll be sure to post a video.
Thank you very much for your advice. Your video saved me a couple of hundred dollars.
Also, get a big cooler, put all of your stuff in it. Unplug the fridge for a day or however long it takes for the ice to melt. Then do the fix and turn it all back on again. Letting it warm up naturally to room temperature is the least damaging way for it to warm up and melt the ice. It just sucks, I get it, the McDonald's generation of instant gratification, me included, doesn't like waiting for anything. If there isn't a power tool or lego piece that can fix it, it takes too long :) Good luck!
Thanks! Same fridge, same problem.
We have a Samsung and no problem like this.........hang on .... Ours is a telly. :-)
Hi Lilmountainlady1, I did not find a reply button of your comment, but I'd like to know what is your research result of "hooking up a thin copper wire to a part of the defroster and sticking it down the hole." Is the idea feasible? Do you have a vedio demo on how to do that?
Ray thank you show much for posting this video. We have been dealing with the water issue for at least a year and had no idea what it was from. Unfortunately we brought this as a floor model and are now noticing a few things. Just now the right door doesn't shut all the way... Any ideas? Also I hate the ice maker. If you don't use the ice it gets backed up and when open the freezer door it pops off that plastic thing
Are you keeping Ice On setting all the time? If no, then it probably means that the condensation is happening in the ice section. You would be required to open the ice section, assess the clogged area and at a minimum clear the clogged drain. As an illustration, watch this: Refrigerator Repair - Ice build up in the bottom freezer - Whirlpool ,Maytag, Sears GX5FHDXVQ02
Ray s, you did fix the problem, but it will happen in the next month, so you need to change the defrost sensor
Hi Ray,
I have model RFG297HDRS/XAA01 - is the solution for fixing the water leak in the drawer the same or different?
Thanks,
Phil
Thanks Ray!
Mine (RF217ACPN ) had the same issue. Thanks for the opening tip. Otherwise, I might ended up spending much longer time then I did and broke something. I noticed that as a metal clip on the defrost heater element located above (not touching) the drain hole, it appears useless. Hence I attached a 3 in. piece of solid copper wire to the heater element on one end and ran the other end into the drain hole. Hope it will work.
We have the same fridge. Ice continues to for and Samsung wants to send a service tech at $275.00 to replace evaporator cover and drain clip. Sounds like they knew about this and now want to try and fix. Only a 90day warranty on repairs. I thought about the wire trick but was not sure where the issue starts in the freezer or the fridge. There is a link below that has you in the freezer so I am not sure of where to go with this. In the mean time we store our glass jars in the crispers.
Samsung is very much aware about the issue. If you are in the warranty period, they are NOT fixing it, instead issuing pro-rated refunds. It is a design flaw. I fear replacing evaporator cover and drain clip won't help more than a year.
I will contact the better business bureau here in Connecticut and try and warn as many people as I can about this. If I can help 1 person not deal with this issue I will feel better.
I think I found a permanent solution to the drain hole getting iced up. There is a metal clip on the defrost heater element, that has a tab that is supposed to keep the drain hole defrosted. It does not do the job due to poor engineering. It is also very easy to have the tab on the clip misaligned with the drain hole. To resolve this, I stripped the insulation from a 3 in. piece of solid (not stranded) copper wire, and attached this to the clip. After inserting the wire into the drain hole, it transfers enough heat from the defrost element to the hole to keep it clear from ice. This has worked for about a year now, with no further clogs and water accumulations in the veggie bins.
you better show in video...
A demonstration would be cool.
I understand exactly - not sure if the original heat-transfer tab corroded away - it was aluminum and so with the copper wire that's a potential corrosion problem but you are evidently a very practical person and I am going to follow your suggestion as I am quite like you! Thanks
Use aluminum not copper
I resolved my issue by cleaning the gunk that was clogging the rubber drainage tubing near the evaporator.
Thanks you for your exhibition, awesome but is this will fix for the long term or we have to do it again every few months or so ? Again thanks
This is NOT a long term fix but setting the temp to 38 slows it down to ~7-8 months. For long term, suggested solution is replacing the defrost kit. However, because of the design flaw and ineffective defrost kit, the problem surfaces after an year/year and a half. This is inline with Customer experience reported that these refrigerators are failing after the expiration of 1 year warranty.
Hope this helps!
Thanks Ray.
Before tearing your fridge apart, trying doing as your manual instructs-don't stack food high directly under the LED light area. The air sensor is located around the light, and cannot work properly if it is blocked. Since following this instruction, there has been NO ISSUE with water or ice accumulation under the drawer.