Defrosting Samsung ice makers should be done at least once a year. You may need to defrost more often than this if you use the ice maker frequently or live in a humid environment. Additionally, if your ice maker is frozen solid and not producing or dispensing ice, then defrosting may be helpful.
Follow the recommendations below to continue using your Samsung refrigerator in an unfrozen condition.
Problem Overview
On specific 2014 - 2018 Samsung models, a technical service bulletin has illuminated a problematic ice maker assembly. The ice maker doesn't drain the condensation properly near the back of the assembly. The water drips along the bottom side of the assembly, freezes, and seizes up the ice maker. The enclosure isn't well sealed along some of its seams, which allow humid air to seep into it and freeze.
Samsung released a repair kit for the water dripping problem. If your appliance is one of these models, consider following the service bulletin to get your fridge running without issues.
Reset the Ice Maker
A reset will cause a defrost cycle to occur. The defrost cycle turns on the defrost heater and begins to melt stuck ice, solving the problem or advancing the repair process.
- Remove the ice bucket. Older units have a tab on the upper right that needs to be depressed. Pull the bucket out and up. If the ice bucket isn't moving, go to the force defrost section to unfreeze the bucket.
- Find the blue reset button on the side of the head module labelled "test switch".
- If you cannot remove your ice tub, perform a manual defrost of the ice tub. Use a steamer on the outside of the ice tub to melt and break the seal.
- Warning: Do not use a heat gun or a hair dryer, as you can melt and damage the plastic components.
- If you cannot remove your ice tub, perform a manual defrost of the ice tub. Use a steamer on the outside of the ice tub to melt and break the seal.
- Press and hold the reset button for 5 seconds, and wait for a single chime.
- Don't press the test button repeatedly, as water may overflow or jam ice.
- Reinstall the ice bucket to capture any water. A chime will signal the cycle is running, and will stop when the cycle is done.
- Multiple chimes may indicate other issues with your ice maker. If you hear no chime and see movement of the ice maker, it has been reset. If you hear no chime and no movement, turn the entire fridge off for two minutes before running the test again.
- You may have to wait up to 24 hours after resetting before your appliance starts making ice again. Then, ice makers will produce 2 trays of ice every 3 hours.
Here is further ice maker reset advice from Samsung.
Run a Force Defrost
When a reset does not work, move onto running a forced defrost cycle. Once in forced defrost mode, the heaters in the freezer will run a heating cycle for between 20-30 minutes upwards to one hour.
First, enter diagnostic mode for your Samsung Fridge:
- Press and hold FREEZER+LIGHTING or
- Press and hold POWER FREEZE+FRIDGE buttons simultaneously for 8 seconds until the display goes blank.
- Hit another other button until "Fd" appears.
- The defrost cycle should kick on. It's likely beep will sound every second for the entire defrost cycle. It's best to leave the room and maintain sanity. The reset will take around 20 minutes.
- If you see water melting, try to remove chunks of ice from the ice maker before running another defrost cycle. This process may take 20-30 minutes each cycle. You can always end the cycle early by entering diagnostic mode again and changing from "Fd" to a blank screen.
- After the defrost is complete, you must unplug the unit to reset. Check the defrost thermostat and defrost heater while the fridge is unplugged.
Run a Refrigerator Defrost
After several Forced Defrost cycles with no melting ice, run a refrigerator defrost (RD) cycle. Your fridge automatically defrosts several times a day, but there are cases when manual defrosting is necessary, like when the ice maker is frozen over.
- Enter diagnostic mode again as you did with the Forced Defrost, but this time select RD.
- This cycle normally takes 20-30 minutes, and may take longer depending on ice buildup.
Preventing Future Ice Buildup
After a potentially time-intensive defrost, it’s worth taking preventative measures to prevent future freezing.
- On a Samsung fridge, use sealant to prevent any moist air from entering the ice chamber.
- When convenient, check for frost buildup on the ice maker and wipe or scrape away the ice.
- If the frost is excessive, run the defrost cycle again on your ice maker.
- Disable or turn off the ice maker if it isn’t being used.
- Inspect and clean the ice bucket’s rubber seals to keep cold air in
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