Ice Build-Up in Back Wall

@jayeff

Diagnostic test showed code 25C...can't find that in the manual, but 25E seems to match with the fridge defrost having issues.

Opened things up today...quite a bit of build-up in just four weeks, cleaned out with hair dryer. Let fridge set for 5 min and could see icicles forming in the top section, so there's water/condensation that builds quickly...but also ran the forced defrost and found within minutes that it cleared all, including the top area prone to ice build up...tells me that the defrost is working when activated, maybe just not enough to keep up with the accumulation of water. Youtube suggestion to splice in another heating element around the top section (part SH-502, availabe on Amazon for $20). Thoughts? Suppose I could also activate the force defrost weekly to buy us some time between defrostings?

@ssearles

Didn't notice your comment from yesterday but to my knowledge the evaporator fan will run as long as the compressor is running so as to keep distributing the cold around the compartment(s). Be aware though that your model has more than one evap unit (freezer and refrigerator) so therefore more fans so the freezer fan may stop but the fridge fan may keep running or vise versa

Don't know if this may be applicable to your situation or not but your model is listed. So maybe worth looking at.

@jayeff

The saga continues, though I'm comfortably in a routine of opening the fridge up every five weeks for a defrost. I replaced the temp sensor back in October and it didn't seem to make much of a difference. I've also found a Facebook group 92K+ people strong with issues on this fridge model that can help with lobbying for refunds, but just don't think I have much fight left in me.

A question though...it was suggested that insulating the copper pipes at the top of the pictured section could prevent or at least prolong the ice build up. Ever heard of this? I have on-hand some 3/8 inch foam thermal plumbing insulation that could be cut to fit for the next time I open the beast up. I suppose the thinking is that it prevents moisture at the top, keeping it down near the area where the heater is working. Would be eager to hear your thoughts on this before I proceed. Thanks in advance!

@ssearles

I'm not sure, maybe @brandon_k knows.

Just wondering since you original post says it happens more when the humidity is higher if you've checked the humidity sensor at all?

Just ran the diagnostic...error codes are flashing between 25C and 39C...the latter of which is the ice maker and is visibly jammed today and due for a manual defrost...will probably clear once I do that tomorrow. Not sure what 25C is...per the link you provided that would be 13E, which doesn't seem to be an issue for me.

We have this issue every 6 to 7 days now. We cannot keep going thru all this nonsense when this fridge clearly has had issues with the ice maker and now this. It's never left open and it's mostly just me here and no kids. Looks brand new inside and out! Time for a Canadian class-action suit if they don't come and permanently fix these issues we all seem to get. These are not cheap fridges to purchase.

I have seen a lot of comments about door gaskets, tilting the fridge so the doors close "better", etc. I don't believe any of these are the problem. I replaced my defrost heater and still had the same problem. I finally replaced the upper temperature sensor, around $25 from Amazon, part "Samsung DA32-10104N Temperature Sensor" and the problem disappeared. I also opened the back and vacuum cleaned all the internals as best I could. Everything was pretty dirty after about 5 years.

I found the solution that is worked for me and it cost less than $1. Not only was my ice maker freezing up but the back wall would freeze up and the drawer would freeze shut. I'd have to defrost mine with a hair dryer and it would literally take hours every couple of months. I wasted so much food.

I know salt reduces moisture so I just took an old sock, put water softener salt in it, tied the end and I just sit it on top of the drawer lid. On my refrigerator it would have to be setting more on the left side of the drawer lid. My left side door does not have shelves that go as low as on the right side and my refrigerator door will close without issue. It's been about 9 months and I have not had any ice build up.

Jode, you have described my EXACT issue, can you take a picture of how you did your sock solution please and thanks!

Could you post a pic of that please @jode06

Had the same black goo on ours...cleaned it out, even replaced the sensor...hasn't made a difference.

Just got off the phone with Samsung. They are now acknowledging an issue with the ice maker and have an accommodation where they will come to the house and replace, full parts/labor covered. If this doesn't do the trick, she said that two repairs for the same issue allows me to escalate for a refund on the fridge, which is done based on current age against an estimated life of ten years. Probably some hassle with that process, but feels like I'm a step closer to either having the issue fixed or cashing out for ~50% of what I paid for the unit. If the latter, I'm thinking this is still a good garage-worthy unit without any of the water connections.

Thanks for your contribution to the topic!

@ssearles Can you provide the number to Samsung you used?

@Drew Wyrick I called the 800-SAMSUNG number. If you are on Facebook, look for "SAMSUNG REFRIGERATOR RECALL U.S.A. NOW"...a group that has more than 90,000 members, offers quite a bit of good advice, and reports nearly $9 million in customer refunds to date. It's a bit of the "take them to city hall" kind of approach that might require filing claims with the BBB, multiple service visits, encouragement to record calls and video when covered repairs are being done, etc. I'm getting my first ice maker replacement on Tuesday, and per the Facebook group I may have to get several before I get any remedy. Not sure I have the stomach for the battle, but going to see if this fix helps - while also chatting up the service person who does the work - and then make a decision later if it hasn't helped. Good luck!

@ssearles I bought my Samsung french door fridge used to specifically put in the garage with no water lines and mine STILL freezes behind the panel on the back wall! I get water under the bottom tray in the fridge and I have done several of the "fixes" I have found online all to no avail. Just FYI

I would LOVE to get this issue resolved as it has become a major pain for me. I love in Florida so I stay hot and humid. This is all just so frustrating and unbelievable!

@wbmason1 Thanks for your note Wendie. Disappointing that you still have the issue without the water hookup...maybe one of the rare situations where our dry WI weather could have an advantage over the tropical humidity of FL :).

If you have the energy for a fight, there's an active Facebook group with more than 90K+ members that claims to have helped consumers with more than $9 million in refunds. It's a battle with the BBB and many rounds of service calls potentially. The group (SAMSUNG REFRIGERATOR RECALL USA NOW) is 100% focused on getting refunds on this fridge...so they will block anyone who posts McGyver-like solutions...thus, I'm on this board as well to have a balanced approach. Good luck!

I installed the additional kit from Ben’s appliance. I also installed a new panel since my was completed soaked in water from all the previous times I’ve worked on it and all the ice build up over the years.

This worked awesome for a few months.

Now I’m back to the same issue. I build up around the fan. Doesn’t make any sense, even after forcing defrost, It doesn’t help

Maybe your forced defrost will not work because on Samsungs if the defrost cycle goes over a certain time period (like 50 minutes) then it sets an error code and the defrost cycle will not operate at all. Try unplugging it briefly to reset the error codes and then see if a force defrost will work. If you look up to see how to get at your error codes you can see if that is the issue.

I took off the panel, looks like it does well defrosting the ice right around the heating element, but the rest of the back wall has plenty of ice @cary.mark

The only problem I can see with using copper is that when you mix different metals together in a moist environment you can get some severe corrosion that might damage the factory defrost heater over time. For an example you CAN'T hook copper water pipes directly to steel pipes or you will get some severe corrosion. When you look at a properly installed water heater their is a small part they put between the copper pipes and the steel nipples coming out of the water heater that separates the metals from touching. Just sayin.......

Are you sure about a defrost timer. My understanding is that all defrosting in Samsungs is controlled by a motherboard that is on the back of the refrigerator under a cover and that there is no separate defrost timer.

Also there is a whole Samsung Technical Service sheet about this problem that Samsung has published that includes several other problems......

I ad the same problem for the pass eigth months , the problem was the clip on the bothem the carp tube make Shure that is thigt and a good contect to the mathelshit.

Hi Sofia, it’s suspicious that the fridge worked for 5 years!

Mine had a huge ice build up after 5 years and 2 weeks!!! I had extended warranty up to 5 years so they wouldn’t help me. After much research and defrosting etc I bought a low temp heater from bens appliances and junk. Installed that across the top of the condenser, put a bigger drain bit of metal and changed a sensor. It has not needed to defrost manually since March.

I'm aware of the large Facebook group and have been following it for a while. They were recently put in FB jail (perhaps at the request of Samsung legal) and the group has re-established as "UNnamed Broken Appliance Group" with some new constraints on what can be included in posts. The FB group is focused on pursuing all legal avenues for a fight...as compared to this group where McGyver approaches are welcome.

Our defrost heater was replaced in 2020 (at my expense before I was aware of the FB group and offered three months of relief. In Jan-2022 Samsung replaced the ice-maker, drain tube, and motherboard at their expense...but that didn't stop the fan noise (and subsequent manual defrosts) that we were seeing on a very regular five to six week basis. In Apr-2022 we had our second ice-maker replacement (again, compliments of Samsung) though this time with a different service provider. No issues in the last three months...a good sign...but I'm on edge that failure is just around the corner.

Thanks for the FB info. ‘Samsung…. Now’ has disappeared.

The 2017 lawsuit alleges claims they cause "over-freezing in the ice compartment" "water leakage" and "fan noise."

https://youtu.be/l5beJp8amJU

I second that fix cause I tried it! I worked on it 3 months ago & still no ice yet tho the ice maker is froze as we speak so it may be heading for a freeze up again 🥴 but when I just thawed it out, it was froze up again in 2wks. I put flex seal everywhere it def made the fridge smell terrible for a while but it’s still working for now lol mine is 5yrs old. My grandmother had a fridge last 30yrs idk what happened to that quality lol

Defrost element? I’m not 100% what that is but my defrost works when I push the buttons it’ll melt the ice (only on the coils & not around the fan) & most of my problem is the ice stopping the fan. But I used flex seal (in the back where I took off the panel to see everything, & put it everywhere I saw a crack crevice or may let air in, or didn’t have a good seal & somehow it’s not froze up for a month! I’m still not 100% it’s fixed but I think it helped lol the YouTube guy used weather stripping to make a better seal but I didn’t have any lol

I had the same problem. I replaced the short defrost wire with a piece of solid copper ground wire that extends all the way to the bottom of the drain tube. I haven't had any problems since.

https://www.servicemanuals.net/en/SAMSUN...

Mike, I've been doing the same, including the 'I will never buy another Samsung product'. Thanks.

Paul Plihal

Hi @captaincanuck ,

What is the model number of the refrigerator?

Presumably after working on it as you have said then the temps would need to be lowered back to the set operating temp, so the fan should be operating

@captaincanuck I am getting ready to defrost ours for the second time in the last 3 weeks. This will also be just the second time overall. So, I was very touchy about every detail the last time because it was all new to me. I went through shutting off power at the breaker box and using the hair dryer and everything. When I started it back up nothing seemed to happen right away and I immediately worried I had really screwed something up. I found a post somewhere that if you go through the reset option to get rid of error codes or can take up to about 10 min to finish the restart.

I'd say give it 10 min after you start it back up. I had also apparently gotten so used to the loud fan noise I almost missed that it was actually running again, just quietly!

Had Samsung out to repair. Replaced the entire assembly. Total $600. Tech said he does this regularly and thinks Samsung will do it as a recall eventually. I called and complained but no offer of help from Samsung. This will be my last purchase from them. Please spread the word.

I am curious when you say they replaced the entire assembly. What part number did they replace? If you want to learn more about this there is a Facebook group with almost 100 thousand members called SAMSUNG REFRIGERATOR RECALL U.S.A. NOW. This is a common problem with these units. I am still trying to zero in on why this happens after it has worked for five years fine. Something had to change in five years. I have been told by this group there is moisture in the walls of the refrigerator and that really can't be fixed, but I have not confirmed this 100 percent. What is happening is that moisture causes the top of the evaporator to freeze up until there is a block of ice hitting the fan. The ice grows until it hits the fan and makes noise. It's not just the noise though. Once the ice block gets large enough it will stop the fan and then the refrigerator stops running until the ice is removed. I have spent a lot of time researching all of this and have talked to a few technicians about it.

I have the same issue. One week after the 5 year extended warranty that I bought it started acting up. Huge block of ice behind the panel every 3 months.

Funny how it works for 5 years.

I am going to add a secondary heater above the coils. This seems to fix it for most people.

What temperature?

I'm e been reading everyone's comments on the ice build up but how do you turn on the defrost manually I know you hold down two keys at same time but not sure w he at happens or what to do next.