Watched your video yesterday morning and ordered part yesterday afternoon. Got the part today and in 15 minutes was able to install it. 72yo woman did it herself. As my 7yo grandson told me school is not necessary because you can learn everything you need to learn from you tube Thanks for your lesson.
This was *fantastic*. Clear, easy to follow, and I found the blocked drain tube from my freezer that was causing the build-up. A few hours well spent. Thank you very much for posting this!
This is the best video I've seen on fridges and freezers. I did exactly what you showed, and it solved my problem, thanks so much! A few other vids I watched said things like "you take the back panel off and..." hey presto, the back panel's off.....wait, what, how do I do that ? You walked us through every step to avoid doing any damage. I can't thank you enough.
Very well done video Jeff! I will add a trick I have used regarding keeping the drain itself clear of ice. This method works on many brands not just Samsung. In your case, you happened to have the longer clip you installed on hand. Most of the time during troubleshooting, a DIYer won't have pre-ordered that longer improved clip to install. What I do is make my own. I take a length of 14 guage electrical wire and strip it down to bare copper wire. Then I wrap it several times around the defrost coil just above the drain with the wire hanging straight down into the drain hole but not touching the sides and above the air restricting nozzles. That copper wire will easily conduct enough heat from the defrost coil and direct it into the drain hole to keep ice from solidifying and blocking the drain. Best wishes.
Hey Jeff, thank you for taking the time and effort to product this excellent, easy to follow, video tutorial on how to diagnose and repair an ice buildup below a bottom freezer. Your instruction and demonstration should be a model for anyone interested in the making of a DIY repair project.
I have a 1976 fridge/freezer that still works perfectly. Just had to clean out the defrost timer today since it was building up ice inside. Works perfectly again. Only $$ my family ever had to put into it was to change out one of the fan motors ($20 part). Funny how the old ones go forever but the new fridges die after like 6 yrs. The R12 freon does a much better job and is under far less pressure so less chance of leaking out and the compressor failing than the new refrigerants.
I have 30 year old Woods Freezer, Canadian made, and I have never ever had a problem. Powers that be decided to send all manufacturing to China now we have land fill that breaks down continuously with a very short life. We want Canadian made products again! Quality products that last forever, do not contribute waste to landfill nor add to global warming.
@@g.borgia5100 Global warming is a myth....unless you think carbon dioxide escapes from the earth's atmosphere and heats up the rest of the planets in the solar system at the same time the earth goes through hot phases. Wake up.
I also found this very helpful many thanks this has been haunting me for ages.I found a easy way to clear the drain tube without the risk of damage get a 100 ML syringe that comes with 300 mm of 6mm tubing from Ebay about $5 fill it with hot water and feed the tube into the drain.Work the syringe back and forth and feed into drain as ice melts replace hot water several times and drain is cleared within minutes.Use the syringe to suck out cold water so you do not flood fridge.
YOU SIR ARE A LEGEND!!!! THANK YOU SOO MUCHH!!! This was EXACTLY the video I needed for the exact problem! It's sad that they really design these things to fail. The smallest possible drain hole into a rubber grommet with the two tiniest slits possible so they can positively be blocked by sediment. Thank you so much once again!!!
Jeff, I did just what you said 2 months ago including ordered the part off Amazon that helps defrost and fits on the defrost coil and into drain line. No issues since. I also force defrost each week. Not sure if I need to keep doing that but thanks. You did a great instructional job. David in NC.
Thanks so much for this video. My fridge is a different model, but similar enough that I was able to fix mine. Not too shabby for a 50 something woman!
Thanks for the vodeos Jeff. Did the fridge part as per you video, and almost a week now without any water buildup under the drawers- touch wood! Today did the freezer part, there was a ton of ice in the drain. "Basting" the drain several times, until you hear the water draining is the key. Although, I could not remove the old drain clip, it was stuck, and I didnt want to risk any damage. So had to make do with placing the new one over the top.
Good video! I have fought this exact fridge for 13 years. One suggestion is to use a small clothes steamer to blow steam up the drain tubes and down the drains. It also works wonders on all the ice. Safer than a heat gun!
Jeff, thank you so much. I have defrosted three times in last 3 months. Could not find any info until today when I found your production. Since I just defrosted and cleaned out ice 2 days ago, I will go to the rear of the frig to check the drain tubes.
Great video! I appreciate that you showed all of the steps instead of pausing and coming back with the step completed. Lots of how to videos do that. It helps to know what to expect. Seeing the full process is crucial. I actually cleaned the drain the last time this happened but, I wasn't aware that there were two of them and the one for the freezer was the one that I neglected so, I was back at it a month later. You solved this issue for me today! The next time I was going to get a new fridge. Thanks for saving us the expense!
Jeff, the pinched restrictions in the rubber drain tube caps are there for a reason. They restrict the freezing cold air flow through the drain. An unrestricted drain will have too much air flowing through it and will actually impede the water flow. In this situation, any water flow will be small and will freeze on the inner walls of the drain tubing eventually blocking the entire drain. So you need to have some sort of air flow restriction in the drain. To solve this I try to modify the tubing with some sort of P trap or loop seal. You have to be creative given the room that you have. This works every time. This won’t let any air escape and the drain wont freeze. Locate the trap as far away from the drain pan as possible. Even with a functioning defrost system; too much air flow can still result in a frozen drain. Just look at the drain in your home’s central air conditioner coil - It has a P-trap. These cheap pinched rubber caps are very common and you will find them on most automobile a/c drains.
Hello, Hey thanks for your additional comment on the P trap. You commited that it takes a little creativety. Do you have any suggestions or ideas on creating this for a DIY? Thanks any sugestions would be appreciated.
I have the same problem in a Samsung freezer (different than yours) but with exactly the same problem. Thaks to your video now I know what piece I need to buy to solve the problem. Thanks
Hey Jeff, thank you so much! I took off the back and sure enough those little rubber valves were clogged. You’re my hero that save me so much time and trouble I had almost an inch of ice on a monthly basis on the bottom of my freezer. All you really have to do is just clean those rubber valves. I did not have to take the front door off or go deep inside the refrigerator freezer like you did.
I love this man and his videos. Your videos saved me a bunch of money. My frig stopped working, too. The hardest part for me was getting the back panel off because everything was frozen together and the center screw had ice covering it. I used a heat gun (which I probably shouldn't have since I semi-melted a few of the fins together), but I had already had it unplugged and open for a couple of days and it was still frozen. Once I got the panel off it was smooth sailing from there and the heat gun worked very well. I had to unscrew the fan panel to get the ice out of there.
This is a permanent solution to the ice build up, so sit tight and enjoy the analysis. The root cause of the problem is ice built up and then clogged up the cold air vent holes and jammed the fan by ice. There are multiple reasons for ice build up: 1. Where did the ice come from? To minimize the ice we need to keep moisture inside to the minimum, which means covering up glasses of water, milk, opened sod cans, soup, cut open water melon, mango, fruits, wet vegetable, raw meat, etc. . The humidity inside the refrigerator is quite low, and so anythings that can be dried up will release moiture and this will form ice, and too much ice will out win the defrost heater short heating cycle (Samsung designed short defrost cycle to achieve the Energy Star) and the net result is a slowly ice build up if too much moisture inside. 2. The other moisture source is the bottom Pantry tray that collected water. You need to pull out the pantry and clean this bottom tray every month or so, or after a spill from trays above. Any liquid spill not cleaned up will ended up as ice inside the fan box -- no magic about this. 3. The bottom drainage hole is clogged up with ice. Once this happened, every degrost cycle will release the water down into the bottom Pantry and pool there. This water then evaporate and form ice inside the fan box eventually. (Hint: to melt the drain hole ice fast, fill up the "pond" above the clogged drain hole with water then place a 15 watts soldering iron hot tip into the water and make sure to keep the hot tip from directly touching the plastic part that can be melted. Add more water if the "pond" is dried up and expose the hot iron tip. The hot water will melt the ice and clear up the drain hole. This method is faster than hair dryer or adding hot water spoon by spoon. You need to keep an eye on this and remove the iron as soon as the hole is cleared. 4. Due to Energy Star regulation, Samsung and others have tried to design their products with low electrical consumption, which means they run the defrost heating cycle in much shorter time. If there is not much ice built up then the short defrost cycle is enough to melt all ice, but if the ice is too much then it ended up winning the battle and jammed up the fan or clogged up the cooling vent holes and the unit cannot get cold. So how do we solve these problems? It is unrealistic to have zero moisture inside the refrigerator, but if we can keep it to the minimum as I pointed out in (1) and (2) above, and with a modification to the design that prevents the drain hole clogged up then the problem will be eliminated permanently. To solve the problem (3), I used a 6 inches long, 3mm diameter copper (or aluminum) wire, wrapped around the black heater pipe (just above the drain hole and running across left to right) 3 turns, and extended the wire down into the drain hole. If you don't have large gauge wire then just use two smaller gauge wires, wrap them on the left and right side of the heater pipe and extend the wires down into the drain hole about 1.5 to 2 inches. This should carry the heat from the back heat pipe down deep into the drain hole and helps to prevent ice building up inside the hole. I used to fix the ice build up issue every year, but after implementing the 3 steps above, it has been running over 2 years and still no problem. My unit is RF266AB.
Man thanks for typing all this useful information. I appreciate you so much for sharing your knowledge with us. Please do a video about this if you don’t mind.
Hi. I loved your videos. Thank you for giving me the knowledge to fix my own fridge and freezer. But I still got one question how do you turn the freezer back on? Thanks
Hi Jeff I am a master technician of forty years and I agree with much of your video, however there is one area of your video that I must comment on. This is the section regarding the testing of the bimetal sensor at the top corner of the evaporator. This bimetal is supposed to go open around 50 to 75 degrees F and it must not be a really warm temp. in order to go open. It is a really bad bimetal even dangerous bimetal that has to be heated way up in order to go open. I have seen a bimetal be like this just once in the past and it had actually allowed every thing in the entire freezer section to be cooked very slowly. I am also a fire fighter and this could be a dangerous scenario. SO warmed up to room temp with a hair dryer ( not even warm to the touch) is warm enough. The other point is that a hot air gun can and will warp the plastic at the back wall of the freezer. It could get warped so badly that the evaporator might be interfered with as far as mounting is concerned. I hope this helps some people and again much of what you are demonstrating in your video is good information.
I'm a Samsung tech...great advice, specially on the hot air blower, I commented also, if warping acoures, Samsung will void warranty for customer damage if warping is at a degree that assemble/reassembling is impossible...and they are right...its customer damage, and unrepairable...
@@projardgreen2568 Good, useful and fully warranted comments. My only observation, being a Samsung refrigerator owner, is that there are a number of very poorly engineered systems that need to have been done better. Several are of the systems for creating defrost water and eliminating it from the collection trays. I have had to do right much to mine over these last 13 years or so, to keep this baby going. My biggest maintenance item is keeping the evaporator coil and its airways clear. We have always had a dog, so consequently this is where the fur and dog hair gravitate. I clean mine every three months, and the area is always filthy. After I do that, the fridge actually starts turning off for long periods if it isn't opened very much.
Thanks for this video! Looks easy enough with your instructions. However, this fridge is in my RV and we cannot get to the back of the fridge like you did to clean it out. I have an island in front of the fridge and it sits about 4 inches off the ground level bc it’s on one of the slides. So it’s impossible for us to bring the fridge forward to get to the back of it. Is it possible for us to still fix this issue ourselves without that step? Looking forward to hearing from you. Thanks again! 😊
Thanks -Not sure yet cause did not check electric elements but cleaned filters and entire back and inside of freezing up freezer. What is your advice on freezer door rubber liner which is impossible to buy new one. Not sealing well and hair heater did not work. Already tried reversing top bottom once too. Great to the point advice and hope you will answer this question too. Really helpful.
Yeah these fridges are horrible mostly all drain tube issues. Replace the drain tubes with the new ones in the link. The magnetic strip if you can find the exact part you could buy a universal kit just measure the linear feet and inches.
Just a thought while in Service mode, wouldn't fD stand for Freezer Defrost and rD Refrigerator Defrost? One could defrost the Fridge or Freezer as required, the other won't enter this mode keeping temperature as per that compartment.
Outstanding video and was the exact same model I had the issue with. I do have one recommendation I have for this and all your DYI videos. This fridge was at my rental property, not my home, so I only have the tools I brought. If you had started the video with a tools and materials list for the project, it would have saved me a couple trips back to the house to get the tools I didn't realize I needed to have. Other than that, keep up the fantastic work! Annnnd I just realized that you did so in the description!! 😂😂 Disregard, nevermind me, I'm still learning to read and not rush! 🤣🤣
Love your videos! But is there a way to clear a R1-g code. I replaced the htr thinking that was what it was calling out but that code is still displayed?
Good video, was wondering why you would have to check bi-metal & or defrost heater if the Evap was clear of ice? I also like how u cleaned out drain tubes very helpful.
Great video, but what are the reset steps on the display. Mine say OF and I set the temperature I wanted but still shows of. any advice would be appreciated, thank you.
When checking the defrost element which wire on the left plug to you connect the meter to? Or would it be best before opening the freezer drawer to find or download the wiring diagram to find out where on the plug the defrost element wire originates?
Thanks Jeff. I have same problem that ice is getting freezes. The Fan is spinning at intervals as normal, but was making noise, then later stopped after defrosting it. In your case, the heating element and the Bi-metal thermostat.. both are working, then what was that causing the frosting in your case. ?
Chances are the frost buildup is because the freezer fan is not working. I have been struggling with frost buildup on the roof and top tray of the freezer in my Samsung French Door unit. Doing a Forced Defrost did not do anything as I tried it several times. I finally called for a repair and the guy said that the fan was not working as soon as he looked inside the freezer. The fan is located behind the vent panel in the back of the freezer which requires removal of the top tray and freezer tub. There are a few screws that attach the panel but once removed there were two fans...one that moves air in the freezer and another on the left that moves air to the ice maker in the fridge to keep ice frozen. Once the freezer fan was replaced I have not had the buildup of frost. My thought is that the heater element was not working but that was not the case.
What happens to the water that is discharged to the little pan in the back bottom of the refrigerator? Does the refrigerator evaporates it or there is some king of discharge pipe?
good video however i have the samsung mod rb1855sw my heating element is not same, it's has an element wire running back fort on the drip tray is there a fuse for it also there's no by metal going into the drain line what would you recommend?
How would you fix the temperature on this exact refrigerator? I have the exact same one and my fridge temperature keeps going from 38 degrees to 68 degrees when i try to set it.
At 11:29 in your video you have cleaned the drain slots… my question is Where does that water drip into? Is their a reservoir under the refrig like my grandmother had cause I clearly remember being the one to remove that tray and clean it out then replacing it! I’m curious
Indeed. There is an evaporator tray tipically just above the compressor motor that collects that water. The heat of the compressor helps the water to evaporate, so tipically nothing more is needed in there.
@@captainrayo I keep getting water under the diary tray & this noise that comes on briefly about once every 45 seconds. Any idea what’s causes this! That’s why I’ve been watching videos…
question: when I check my freezer or refrigerator temperatures, just after pushing the button a first set of numbers appears and then automatically a second set of numbers appears. What is the difference and which one in fact is the real temperature? The manual says nothing about this Thank you again.
I only have 2 buttons (operation & temperature control) on my control board and 4 lights inbetween " colder to coldest . The colder light blinks non-stop and the buttons are unresponsive . I replaced the control board but its still doing the same. I also replaced the sencor ,element ,regassed and still nothing has changed . The fridge works fine for a week then the ice buildup happens and air dont circulate. What should i look for next ? Thanks
*Samsung Water / Ice Repair Kit:*
Amazon US: amzn.to/3YN4Enw
Amazon Canada: amzn.to/3WKlUYK
*Evaporator Clip:*
Amazon US: amzn.to/3XkXsOR
Amazon Canada: amzn.to/3gu6EA0
Amazon UK: amzn.to/3i5jhSx
*Bimetal Defrost Thermostat:*
Amazon US: amzn.to/3AAFNZD
Amazon Canada: amzn.to/3ABmlfl
Amazon UK: amzn.to/3i2zp7g
*Defrost Heater:*
Amazon US: amzn.to/3UVsAmo
Amazon Canada: amzn.to/3GCCsgK
Amazon UK: amzn.to/3V2S1CD
*Digital Multimeter:*
Amazon US: amzn.to/3AAYqwR
Amazon Canada: amzn.to/3AAGqlX
Amazon UK: amzn.to/3XlfoJ7
Johnny Sins, thank you for taking time out of your busy career to help me fix my fridge, I salute you sir.
😂
Watched your video yesterday morning and ordered part yesterday afternoon. Got the part today and in 15 minutes was able to install it. 72yo woman did it herself. As my 7yo grandson told me school is not necessary because you can learn everything you need to learn from you tube Thanks for your lesson.
That's amazing. I have more fridge videos coming.
I’m glad you go through every detail so thoroughly to make sure DIY repairman don’t screwup something major.👍🏿😂
Thanks so much. A new video on this soon to come as well.
@@JeffLepard Please don't delete older videos when you make new ones. Those of us with older models appreciate being able to find correct information.
This was *fantastic*. Clear, easy to follow, and I found the blocked drain tube from my freezer that was causing the build-up. A few hours well spent. Thank you very much for posting this!
Glad it helped!
This is the best video I've seen on fridges and freezers. I did exactly what you showed, and it solved my problem, thanks so much! A few other vids I watched said things like "you take the back panel off and..." hey presto, the back panel's off.....wait, what, how do I do that ? You walked us through every step to avoid doing any damage. I can't thank you enough.
This was excellent.....all the details and complete with every step from start to finish.
Im currently filming an updated video on this fridge. Be sure to check it out soon.
Thank you so much. This is well explained video. Just can’t believe that this 2000$ fridge needs such maintenance.
It's horrible I know. I will be doing another video very soon on this.
Very well done video Jeff! I will add a trick I have used regarding keeping the drain itself clear of ice. This method works on many brands not just Samsung. In your case, you happened to have the longer clip you installed on hand. Most of the time during troubleshooting, a DIYer won't have pre-ordered that longer improved clip to install. What I do is make my own. I take a length of 14 guage electrical wire and strip it down to bare copper wire. Then I wrap it several times around the defrost coil just above the drain with the wire hanging straight down into the drain hole but not touching the sides and above the air restricting nozzles. That copper wire will easily conduct enough heat from the defrost coil and direct it into the drain hole to keep ice from solidifying and blocking the drain. Best wishes.
Excellent video.
Thanks to your video I was able to repair my Samsung Refrigerator.
Thank you very much
Hey Jeff, thank you for taking the time and effort to product this excellent, easy to follow, video tutorial on how to diagnose and repair an ice buildup below a bottom freezer. Your instruction and demonstration should be a model for anyone interested in the making of a DIY repair project.
I have a 1976 fridge/freezer that still works perfectly. Just had to clean out the defrost timer today since it was building up ice inside. Works perfectly again. Only $$ my family ever had to put into it was to change out one of the fan motors ($20 part). Funny how the old ones go forever but the new fridges die after like 6 yrs. The R12 freon does a much better job and is under far less pressure so less chance of leaking out and the compressor failing than the new refrigerants.
I have 30 year old Woods Freezer, Canadian made, and I have never ever had a problem. Powers that be decided to send all manufacturing to China now we have land fill that breaks down continuously with a very short life. We want Canadian made products again! Quality products that last forever, do not contribute waste to landfill nor add to global warming.
@@g.borgia5100 Global warming is a myth....unless you think carbon dioxide escapes from the earth's atmosphere and heats up the rest of the planets in the solar system at the same time the earth goes through hot phases. Wake up.
THE BEST tutorial I've seen on this problem! Very well done and easy to follow. Thanks Jeff
I also found this very helpful many thanks this has been haunting me for ages.I found a easy way to clear the drain tube without the risk of damage get a 100 ML syringe that comes with 300 mm of 6mm tubing from Ebay about $5 fill it with hot water and feed the tube into the drain.Work the syringe back and forth and feed into drain as ice melts replace hot water several times and drain is cleared within minutes.Use the syringe to suck out cold water so you do not flood fridge.
YOU SIR ARE A LEGEND!!!! THANK YOU SOO MUCHH!!! This was EXACTLY the video I needed for the exact problem! It's sad that they really design these things to fail. The smallest possible drain hole into a rubber grommet with the two tiniest slits possible so they can positively be blocked by sediment.
Thank you so much once again!!!
You're welcome! I am doing a new video on this using the new updated parts.
Jeff, I did just what you said 2 months ago including ordered the part off Amazon that helps defrost and fits on the defrost coil and into drain line. No issues since. I also force defrost each week. Not sure if I need to keep doing that but thanks. You did a great instructional job.
David in NC.
Thanks so much for this video. My fridge is a different model, but similar enough that I was able to fix mine. Not too shabby for a 50 something woman!
That's amazing. Hopefully that worked!
Thanks for the vodeos Jeff. Did the fridge part as per you video, and almost a week now without any water buildup under the drawers- touch wood!
Today did the freezer part, there was a ton of ice in the drain. "Basting" the drain several times, until you hear the water draining is the key.
Although, I could not remove the old drain clip, it was stuck, and I didnt want to risk any damage. So had to make do with placing the new one over the top.
Good video! I have fought this exact fridge for 13 years. One suggestion is to use a small clothes steamer to blow steam up the drain tubes and down the drains. It also works wonders on all the ice. Safer than a heat gun!
Jeff, thank you so much. I have defrosted three times in last 3 months. Could not find any info until today when I found your production. Since I just defrosted and cleaned out ice 2 days ago, I will go to the rear of the frig to check the drain tubes.
Saving this video so my spouse can fix our freezer ice build up! Thank you!
Great video! I appreciate that you showed all of the steps instead of pausing and coming back with the step completed. Lots of how to videos do that. It helps to know what to expect. Seeing the full process is crucial. I actually cleaned the drain the last time this happened but, I wasn't aware that there were two of them and the one for the freezer was the one that I neglected so, I was back at it a month later. You solved this issue for me today! The next time I was going to get a new fridge. Thanks for saving us the expense!
Thank you so much! Your dollar bill technique saved me! You are AWESOME!
Thanks For Watching!
Jeff, the pinched restrictions in the rubber drain tube caps are there for a reason. They restrict the freezing cold air flow through the drain. An unrestricted drain will have too much air flowing through it and will actually impede the water flow. In this situation, any water flow will be small and will freeze on the inner walls of the drain tubing eventually blocking the entire drain. So you need to have some sort of air flow restriction in the drain. To solve this I try to modify the tubing with some sort of P trap or loop seal. You have to be creative given the room that you have. This works every time. This won’t let any air escape and the drain wont freeze. Locate the trap as far away from the drain pan as possible. Even with a functioning defrost system; too much air flow can still result in a frozen drain. Just look at the drain in your home’s central air conditioner coil - It has a P-trap. These cheap pinched rubber caps are very common and you will find them on most automobile a/c drains.
Hello, Hey thanks for your additional comment on the P trap. You commited that it takes a little creativety. Do you have any suggestions or ideas on creating this for a DIY? Thanks any sugestions would be appreciated.
Just found this great video I had ice in the fridge and freezer! thanks!
I have the same problem in a Samsung freezer (different than yours) but with exactly the same problem. Thaks to your video now I know what piece I need to buy to solve the problem. Thanks
Excellent video! Yours is the only one that describes my exact problem with my Samsung Frig.
Hey Jeff, thank you so much! I took off the back and sure enough those little rubber valves were clogged. You’re my hero that save me so much time and trouble I had almost an inch of ice on a monthly basis on the bottom of my freezer. All you really have to do is just clean those rubber valves. I did not have to take the front door off or go deep inside the refrigerator freezer like you did.
what rubber valves? do you mean the drain tubes?? trying to determine if I missed something.
Thanks a million Jeff !!! My wife was going to go buy a new fridge until I saw your video. You saved us !
I love this man and his videos.
Your videos saved me a bunch of money. My frig stopped working, too. The hardest part for me was getting the back panel off because everything was frozen together and the center screw had ice covering it. I used a heat gun (which I probably shouldn't have since I semi-melted a few of the fins together), but I had already had it unplugged and open for a couple of days and it was still frozen. Once I got the panel off it was smooth sailing from there and the heat gun worked very well. I had to unscrew the fan panel to get the ice out of there.
Has the ice built up again? My fridge won’t drop below 50°.
This is a permanent solution to the ice build up, so sit tight and enjoy the analysis.
The root cause of the problem is ice built up and then clogged up the cold air vent holes and jammed the fan by ice. There are multiple reasons for ice build up:
1. Where did the ice come from? To minimize the ice we need to keep moisture inside to the minimum, which means covering up glasses of water, milk, opened sod cans, soup, cut open water melon, mango, fruits, wet vegetable, raw meat, etc. . The humidity inside the refrigerator is quite low, and so anythings that can be dried up will release moiture and this will form ice, and too much ice will out win the defrost heater short heating cycle (Samsung designed short defrost cycle to achieve the Energy Star) and the net result is a slowly ice build up if too much moisture inside.
2. The other moisture source is the bottom Pantry tray that collected water. You need to pull out the pantry and clean this bottom tray every month or so, or after a spill from trays above. Any liquid spill not cleaned up will ended up as ice inside the fan box -- no magic about this.
3. The bottom drainage hole is clogged up with ice. Once this happened, every degrost cycle will release the water down into the bottom Pantry and pool there. This water then evaporate and form ice inside the fan box eventually. (Hint: to melt the drain hole ice fast, fill up the "pond" above the clogged drain hole with water then place a 15 watts soldering iron hot tip into the water and make sure to keep the hot tip from directly touching the plastic part that can be melted. Add more water if the "pond" is dried up and expose the hot iron tip. The hot water will melt the ice and clear up the drain hole. This method is faster than hair dryer or adding hot water spoon by spoon. You need to keep an eye on this and remove the iron as soon as the hole is cleared.
4. Due to Energy Star regulation, Samsung and others have tried to design their products with low electrical consumption, which means they run the defrost heating cycle in much shorter time. If there is not much ice built up then the short defrost cycle is enough to melt all ice, but if the ice is too much then it ended up winning the battle and jammed up the fan or clogged up the cooling vent holes and the unit cannot get cold.
So how do we solve these problems? It is unrealistic to have zero moisture inside the refrigerator, but if we can keep it to the minimum as I pointed out in (1) and (2) above, and with a modification to the design that prevents the drain hole clogged up then the problem will be eliminated permanently.
To solve the problem (3), I used a 6 inches long, 3mm diameter copper (or aluminum) wire, wrapped around the black heater pipe (just above the drain hole and running across left to right) 3 turns, and extended the wire down into the drain hole. If you don't have large gauge wire then just use two smaller gauge wires, wrap them on the left and right side of the heater pipe and extend the wires down into the drain hole about 1.5 to 2 inches. This should carry the heat from the back heat pipe down deep into the drain hole and helps to prevent ice building up inside the hole.
I used to fix the ice build up issue every year, but after implementing the 3 steps above, it has been running over 2 years and still no problem. My unit is RF266AB.
Man thanks for typing all this useful information. I appreciate you so much for sharing your knowledge with us. Please do a video about this if you don’t mind.
thanks I watch your sneaker vids b4
Thanks Jeff, really appreciate the help. Two really clogged drain tubes.
Comment and thumbs up for great videos and thorough explanations!
Thank you!
Thanks For Watching! 👍
Thanks for this video. We’ve been struggling with this freezer, and you’ve saved us a bunch of money. Hopefully this will fix our issues.
One of the best tutorial on youtube.. AND also a complete one... Thanks man....................
Excellent for my residential rv issue.
Thanks For Watching!
This was really helpful I literally just fixed my fridge after seeing this video
Glad it helped! I also will be doing an updated video on this soon. Thanks for watching!
Great video. Helped me in 2024 🎉
Glad it helped! I'm doing a new video on this fridge shortly.
Very well explained video to fix freeing issues. I was just wondering if you need to turn power off in the entire process?
Thank you mister Jeff for all the information God bless you
Great video. Question? Where do the drain tubes empty into?
A plastic or metal tray under the fridge (built in)
Hi. I loved your videos. Thank you for giving me the knowledge to fix my own fridge and freezer. But I still got one question how do you turn the freezer back on? Thanks
Awesome video, helped me a lot. Found that the drain was clogged on my fridge as well.
Just change it on my SM RFG297HDRS, looks like it has worked, no more leaking water 💧Thanks a lot
I for the life of me could not remove the upper part of the freezer like you did...same fridge. Great video...
Hi Jeff I am a master technician of forty years and I agree with much of your video, however there is one area of your video that I must comment on. This is the section regarding the testing of the bimetal sensor at the top corner of the evaporator. This bimetal is supposed to go open around 50 to 75 degrees F and it must not be a really warm temp. in order to go open. It is a really bad bimetal even dangerous bimetal that has to be heated way up in order to go open. I have seen a bimetal be like this just once in the past and it had actually allowed every thing in the entire freezer section to be cooked very slowly. I am also a fire fighter and this could be a dangerous scenario. SO warmed up to room temp with a hair dryer ( not even warm to the touch) is warm enough. The other point is that a hot air gun can and will warp the plastic at the back wall of the freezer. It could get warped so badly that the evaporator might be interfered with as far as mounting is concerned. I hope this helps some people and again much of what you are demonstrating in your video is good information.
I'm a Samsung tech...great advice, specially on the hot air blower, I commented also, if warping acoures, Samsung will void warranty for customer damage if warping is at a degree that assemble/reassembling is impossible...and they are right...its customer damage, and unrepairable...
@@projardgreen2568 Good, useful and fully warranted comments. My only observation, being a Samsung refrigerator owner, is that there are a number of very poorly engineered systems that need to have been done better. Several are of the systems for creating defrost water and eliminating it from the collection trays. I have had to do right much to mine over these last 13 years or so, to keep this baby going. My biggest maintenance item is keeping the evaporator coil and its airways clear. We have always had a dog, so consequently this is where the fur and dog hair gravitate. I clean mine every three months, and the area is always filthy. After I do that, the fridge actually starts turning off for long periods if it isn't opened very much.
Very helpful video, thanks! Do you t hink the Samsung Defrost Booster Kit helps or will the evaporator clip be enough?
Both are ok but I would replace the clip and drains with the updated parts 100%
Jeff, I replaced the aluminum clip as you advised. Now 4 months later it’s freezing up again. Any other advise.
Very nice video ,I have same problem.
I have a new updated video coming soon be sure to watch out for it.
Thanks for this video! Looks easy enough with your instructions. However, this fridge is in my RV and we cannot get to the back of the fridge like you did to clean it out. I have an island in front of the fridge and it sits about 4 inches off the ground level bc it’s on one of the slides. So it’s impossible for us to bring the fridge forward to get to the back of it. Is it possible for us to still fix this issue ourselves without that step? Looking forward to hearing from you. Thanks again! 😊
Best vidéo Ever. Thank you sooooo much.
Thanks -Not sure yet cause did not check electric elements but cleaned filters and entire back and inside of freezing up freezer. What is your advice on freezer door rubber liner which is impossible to buy new one. Not sealing well and hair heater did not work. Already tried reversing top bottom once too. Great to the point advice and hope you will answer this question too. Really helpful.
Yeah these fridges are horrible mostly all drain tube issues. Replace the drain tubes with the new ones in the link. The magnetic strip if you can find the exact part you could buy a universal kit just measure the linear feet and inches.
How do I determine which clip to order? Thanks for the video. It's very detailed and plain enough for anyone to understand.
Thanks for some great information Jeff, it’s happened to us here before
Great video, Jeff. I liked how you went through each step! This is a great video to refer to if someone ever has this issue. Thanks for sharing 👍
I agree with Pete 😍😍😍
Just a thought while in Service mode, wouldn't fD stand for Freezer Defrost and rD Refrigerator Defrost? One could defrost the Fridge or Freezer as required, the other won't enter this mode keeping temperature as per that compartment.
Outstanding video and was the exact same model I had the issue with. I do have one recommendation I have for this and all your DYI videos. This fridge was at my rental property, not my home, so I only have the tools I brought. If you had started the video with a tools and materials list for the project, it would have saved me a couple trips back to the house to get the tools I didn't realize I needed to have. Other than that, keep up the fantastic work!
Annnnd I just realized that you did so in the description!! 😂😂 Disregard, nevermind me, I'm still learning to read and not rush! 🤣🤣
Thank you, Mr. Jeff, very much very helpful video. Helping me a lot. Good day. 7/21/24. 👍
Happy to help
Very good and thorough presentation.!!
Love your videos! But is there a way to clear a R1-g code. I replaced the htr thinking that was what it was calling out but that code is still displayed?
Good video, was wondering why you would have to check bi-metal & or defrost heater if the Evap was clear of ice? I also like how u cleaned out drain tubes very helpful.
flawless masterclass!
thank you so much for sharing this.
4:54
Great video, but what are the reset steps on the display. Mine say OF and I set the temperature I wanted but still shows of. any advice would be appreciated, thank you.
When checking the defrost element which wire on the left plug to you connect the meter to? Or would it be best before opening the freezer drawer to find or download the wiring diagram to find out where on the plug the defrost element wire originates?
wow U can do everythingg Really U are my MASTER ,, Your Fridge is so different from ours, Thnk u for sharingg, Master
If we don't use the ice cube maker for our freezer can we completely remove and disconnect? Will that cause any issues?
I was trying to ask what the temperature settings should be on the freezer and the refrigerator sides
Do I have to reinstall the ice maker, since I have never hooked it up to use it?
The back condensate cleaning did the trick for me. I don't even think all the ice needs to be removed. The glacier receded by it self for me
Great help, had the same problem
Thank you Jeff! Extremely helpful
Jeff that was AWESOME GOD BLESS 🙌 🙏 👏
Very informative
Glad it was helpful!
Jeff, what about adjusting the door to not have the gap in the sides that lets in the outside air? How do you fix the air leak?
Looks like our GE in the freezer part just different drawer type. I blow out and vacuum the coils.
Do you have to unplug first ?
Thanks Jeff. I have same problem that ice is getting freezes. The Fan is spinning at intervals as normal, but was making noise, then later stopped after defrosting it.
In your case, the heating element and the Bi-metal thermostat.. both are working, then what was that causing the frosting in your case. ?
Are those rubber slit parts meant to prevent Roaches from crawling into the refrigerator through the drain lines?
Chances are the frost buildup is because the freezer fan is not working. I have been struggling with frost buildup on the roof and top tray of the freezer in my Samsung French Door unit. Doing a Forced Defrost did not do anything as I tried it several times. I finally called for a repair and the guy said that the fan was not working as soon as he looked inside the freezer. The fan is located behind the vent panel in the back of the freezer which requires removal of the top tray and freezer tub. There are a few screws that attach the panel but once removed there were two fans...one that moves air in the freezer and another on the left that moves air to the ice maker in the fridge to keep ice frozen. Once the freezer fan was replaced I have not had the buildup of frost. My thought is that the heater element was not working but that was not the case.
What happens to the water that is discharged to the little pan in the back bottom of the refrigerator? Does the refrigerator evaporates it or there is some king of discharge pipe?
good video however i have the samsung mod rb1855sw my heating element is not same, it's has an element wire running back fort on the drip tray is there a fuse for it also there's no by metal going into the drain line what would you recommend?
Thanks this is phenomenal! Keep it up
Is it worth buying this fridge used from someone, then do these repairs if needed or just buy a different fridge?
If I don’t use the ice maker, can I remove that plastic container screwed in the bottom freezer?
Yes you can absolutely.
THANKS
So overall what was your issue if all the drains were cleaned out you didn't find what the clog that was making the ice on the bottom
HI JEFF, ANY REASON WHY WATER DOES NOT DRAIN THROUGH THE DRAIN TUBE EVEN THOUGH THE TUBE IS CLEANED UP WITH TAP WATER?
Excellent tutorial. I'm having that exact problem. Thank you.
How would you fix the temperature on this exact refrigerator? I have the exact same one and my fridge temperature keeps going from 38 degrees to 68 degrees when i try to set it.
Very Good Thank You
Thanks so much for this
Not sure if drain clip part will fix my Samsung refrigerator is the DA number the same for all parts
Super helpful thank you
Thanks!
Thank you for good video !!
At 11:29 in your video you have cleaned the drain slots… my question is
Where does that water drip into? Is their a reservoir under the refrig like my grandmother had cause I clearly remember being the one to remove that tray and clean it out then replacing it! I’m curious
Indeed. There is an evaporator tray tipically just above the compressor motor that collects that water. The heat of the compressor helps the water to evaporate, so tipically nothing more is needed in there.
@@captainrayo I keep getting water under the diary tray & this noise that comes on briefly about once every 45 seconds. Any idea what’s causes this! That’s why I’ve been watching videos…
@@QueenBnSD Unfortunately I am not a technician. When you mean the diary tray are you referring to the frigde or the freezer?
@@captainrayo the dairy tray bottom drawer of the refrigerator under the vegetable trays. Not the freezer
@@QueenBnSD got it. Sorry but I can’t tell you anything useful.
question: when I check my freezer or refrigerator temperatures, just after pushing the button a first set of numbers appears and then automatically a second set of numbers appears.
What is the difference and which one in fact is the real temperature?
The manual says nothing about this
Thank you again.
Hi I'm sorry but I didn't catch a model number, could you please comment the model other fridge in the video?
The model number for the parts I used are in the description for all compatible models.
Thanks for the info CHEF ARABO
I only have 2 buttons (operation & temperature control) on my control board and 4 lights inbetween " colder to coldest . The colder light blinks non-stop and the buttons are unresponsive . I replaced the control board but its still doing the same. I also replaced the sencor ,element ,regassed and still nothing has changed . The fridge works fine for a week then the ice buildup happens and air dont circulate. What should i look for next ? Thanks
This is the updated Repair Kit that you need for Samsung.
*Samsung Water / Ice Repair Kit:*
Amazon US: amzn.to/3YN4Enw
Amazon Canada: amzn.to/3WKlUYK
I gotta do this to mine ! My sharp refrigerator is over 20 years old and it’s still going hahaha