Samsung Refrigerator Ice Maker Won't Work - How to Install a Secondary Heater to Remove Ice Build-Up

[@bensappliancesandjunk]

Link to buy the heater pad I installed in the Samsung refrigerator: bens-appliances.com/products/samsung-refrigerator-icemaker-heater-kit

[@GaryPinke]

OMG Finally something actual worked tried every thing I saw on you tube with no results. Absolutely no ice build up thanks saved me from buying a new fridge.

[@AdamBaucum]

Watched your video and bought the repair kit. Our fridge is making ice for the first time in 3 years now. Great content and the repair kit has everything you need. Thanks!

[@tommygarrison1992]

I'm real curious as to the longevity of your repair. Let us know after a few weeks please.

[@AdamBaucum]

@@tommygarrison1992 Hey, it’s been about 2 weeks now and still no build up in the ice box and the ice maker is producing ice correctly. If I can remember, I’ll try to reply again in a month or so. But for the price and how relatively easy the repair was, it’s well worth it in my opinion.

[@tommygarrison1992]

@@AdamBaucum I would appreciate it. Mine has been moved to the basement and is now our back up but I could have done something wrong with my repair. I don't think I've seen any responses yet where this fix has worked long term. Fingers crossed for you.

[@Resist4]

@@tommygarrison1992 so you are saying this fix didn't work for you?

[@user-sy2bn7cl3b]

The kit had everything I needed, the video was very easy to follow, and most importantly the solution appears to be working! Thank you very much for offering this solution!

[@julian-earl]

Great video! Love the step by step approach and detail you've included. Thanks!

[@cher-anntexter1277]

THANK YOU, Ben! Your videos are always thorough and easy to follow!

[@bensappliancesandjunk]

Glad you like them!

[@markczarnecki7251]

Can't wait do this. The Fd had become ineffective for us. Thank you!

[@bensappliancesandjunk]

Hope it helps!

[@jerrybrown970]

I really enjoy your content. I also really enjoy Technology Connections' which is also here on KZbin. I would love to see you two collaborate on just about anything.

[@MrTg17]

Good video! Thanks. We've had the Samsung fridge with the Ice Master for about 3 years and had the entire icemaker replaced under warranty after the first 10 months for this problem. It worked for a while and the problem started up again. Earlier this year I bought your heater with the larger drain tube kit and it has fixed the problem so far! I do see a tiny amount of water (maybe half an ounce) coming out the chute before ice falls when filling a glass with ice. Would I need to also add this extra heater to solve that drip, or would that be due to something else like the rubber seal on the door, or a cracked ice bucket? (I noticed my ice bucket is cracked at the rear and some plastic has broken off due to my yanking it out while it was stuck with ice.) Your solutions are great and have helped for sure, but I still can't understand how/why Samsung would put this design on the market with so many problems!🤔

[@destro6971]

I have become very brand disloyal to Samsung, appliances, phone, whatever it all goes sideways. My house has Samsung appliances from before we purchased, and I’m slowly replacing them, but this ice maker on the fridge has been locked up for a year now. Appreciate the idea 🤘🏼

[@QuickQuips]

Phones are ok (I use a A54 which still has a microsd and headphone jack). But every other appliance by them is hot garbage.

[@AlGoYoSu]

​@@QuickQuipsA71 5g right here for the same reasons. Who knows, maybe we'll see a reversal this decade where flagships start adding features again instead of taking them away. More than likely not unfortunately though. Too much money to be made in Bluetooth ear devices.

[@brinnon9073]

thanks for the tutorial. i see alot of samsung fridges with Ice Maker problems

[@ThisOldDetailingDude]

Thank you 🙏 for all your repair tutorials! They have helped me so much!

[@bensappliancesandjunk]

Thanks!

[@lazaropolanco8486]

Thank you Ben for this wonderful video. I see you are rocking this new look. Best Regards brother. Merry Christmas and Happy Hanukkah.

[@bensappliancesandjunk]

Merry Christmas & Hanukkah to you too!

[@Girro77]

Hi Ben, I ordered the icemaker heater a couple of months ago and installed it. It's not freezing up under the icemaker anymore, but it's still freezing up right above the auger fan and making noise. I was trying to see where the water causing this is coming from. I did see the Y clips with small clump of ice on them, could this be the ice once it starts to melt and making it's way towards the back to the auger fan area? I'll try removing the Y clips and see if anything changes. Any suggestions, Ben? Thank you!

[@Resist4]

I'd like to know the answer to this as well.

[@tommygarrison1992]

I'm about ready to buy a new fridge but I just ordered the parts and will give it a shot. I'll post back on my results. Right now I'm manually defrosting the ice maker every 2 weeks. I did the sealing with silicone with seemed to work for a few months but than it started icing up again. Fingers crossed.

[@tommygarrison1992]

installed 8 days ago. I immediately noticed the ice cubes were shaped better. Less small chunks of ice . No sign of ANY frost forming yet. We'll see.

[@Silarous]

​@tommygarrison1992 how's the fix been working for you?

[@tommygarrison1992]

@@Silarous Nope . It didn't hold up at all. I can't remember exactly how long after my last response but it ended up freezing up just as badly as before the fix. I ended up getting a new refrigerator. It was a Whirlpool. Samsung can go to heck.

[@Silarous]

@tommygarrison1992 thanks for the response! It does seem that there is no fix for these. I had Samsung replace the ice maker under warranty, and I still have the issue. Looks like I'm just going to have to defrost it once a month until we decide to get a new refrigerator.

[@tommygarrison1992]

@@Silarous My final straw was ice was also building up around the evaporator fan in the fridge section. I had to manually defrost once a week for that.

[@Resist4]

The ice maker in my Samsung fridge has been freezing up for years. I never got around to fixing it and would just turn off the ice maker when I didn't need new ice made. I don't think I need to spend the money for a whole new ice maker kit, mainly because this fridge is 10 years old now so I don't know how much longer it will last. I thought about doing the RTV thing but I really don't want to remove the entire ice maker for this because it's so time consuming and it may not be what fixes it entirely. However, this heater fix seems like it's the best option as it's putting heat directly where the ice builds up and I supposed once the ice maker is out I could also put RTV along the side of the box up to the auger and not doing the seam next the auger and not removing it. What do you think? One more question, I have a counter depth fridge and I noticed your counter depth heater doesn't fill the length of the tray like the other one does. Why didn't you make it a bit long for the counter depth part? But you'd think that Samsung would have incorporated this into their design because with almost all the their refrigerators with this ice maker having the same problems, obviously it's a faulty design.

[@spinninck]

Will it mess with anything else.if i just leak my ice maker unplugged? Really id like to remove it for extra space.

[@raulrobles2961]

How has this worked out so far? Is the ice maker still having the issue or it got fixed with this new repair

[@timmeyer7780]

Great video along with secondary heater kit for the refrigerator evaporator. Are these approved by Samsung? I'm concerned about liability installing aftermarket upgrade kits. If this is my own refrigerator, I'm not concerned, but I could see a problem if I put one these kit on a customer's and something goes wrong.

[@bensappliancesandjunk]

They never will because this would likely stop them from energystar certification. Same story with the heater behind the evap panel. It's fixed thousands of fridges but they'd never approve it

[@melindajotingley35]

I love this channel! Today I have a question. I have a Frigidaire top mount refrigerator that we put out into the garage when we got a new one. With the controls set on the coldest setting the freezer only gets to 20* and the fridge only to 40*. I hear the fan come on so that’s not the problem. Any ideas?

[@bensappliancesandjunk]

sensor is tripping to turn the unit off too prematurely. Likely not a "Garage ready" unit. I have a video on installing a modified garage heater kit for them on my channel.

[@jasonleatherwood2172]

Or low on freon

[@jasonleatherwood2172]

Or condensor fan not working i fix them for a living so check that i hear for the dreaded samsung icemaker issue i been just telling people to get a tabletop ice maker its cheaper than paying us but mayne ill try this

[@worble777]

Hello Ben....I installed your secondary heater last week. All was good for about 5 days then Ice is starting to form under the tray area. if you would like to see a pic. I would be happy to send one. Thanks Jeff

[@bopitbull3957]

Honestly brother you know how much I respect you I would never buy a Samsung anything if I have to add a heater to an ice maker I ain't buying it. How about the general motors washer and dryer but which one is better cuz I think LG has one what is your opinion thanks for reading this always watch your videos thank you so much.

[@bensappliancesandjunk]

Many videos I make in routine are done because I know the item fails. For some people, they'd rather fix it than have to buy something else because they're very invested into it

[@joepringle9028]

I found the problem! One of the wires for the heater got caught up in the fins of the Ice Maker keeping it from dumping the ice. May want to make a note not to push the wires up along the side as far as you show in your video. Thank you I will let you know once I untangle the wire :) May have to cut and splice.

[@bensappliancesandjunk]

Thanks for sharing!

[@onelovek5]

Can't thank you enough for these videos

[@dirkbirot2155]

Hi. I got a samsung refrigerator that won't cold. I called in a tech and he said it has a gas leak but dont know how tol fix it. He had put some gas for 24 hrs i kept checking ..it was get colder then it went back warm i live on a Caribbean so my options are very limited . i need your opinion ln how too fix that if you can thanks in advance

[@Girro77]

Hi Ben! I'm currently getting ice build up all the way in the back of the ice compartment, basically right above the auger fan. Will this heater fix ice buildup that far back? If not, any suggestions? Thank you in advance!

[@Resist4]

I doubt it could, the heater coil isn't a lot of heat and it isn't on for very long.

[@randorfja]

This is awesome!

[@bensappliancesandjunk]

Thanks!

[@aksel58]

2:21 how exactly the cracks on the bucket can cause freezing up? if there's no warm air coming from the outside of the ice room?

[@Resist4]

The air inside the refrigerator is warmer (below freezing), than inside the ice maker. Remember anything higher than 32 degree Fahrenheit will cause the issue. Also, anytime you open one of the French doors on the fridge, it gets a rush of even warmer air.

[@aksel58]

​@@Resist4 this is clear, my question was about the cracked ice bucket that is INSIDE the icemaker compartment. I mean, if the compartment itself is sealed. my point is - cracks in the bucket couldn't cause freezing up.

[@daveperryLXXVII]

Can't find a force defrost for my model

[@worldsails2000]

I just installed this kit today. I will report back in a month or so on how well it works.

[@worldsails2000]

I am reporting back and just 2 weeks after installing this the ice maker is frozen up again. So this kit does not work.

[@48VAC]

Great video. Learned a lot Only thing i wouldn't do is to use scotch lock connectors. They are crap and prone to failure.

[@bensappliancesandjunk]

What would you prefer that can fit inside the icemaker housing? They weren't my first choice neccessarily, but I was concerned that other brands/styles would be too large.

[@WestCoastDP]

Nothing wrong with Scotch locks if installed properly. In this case they are fine because there is no stress or movement. But, I also put a little silicone grease inside. Will keep the moisture out.

[@Resist4]

@@bensappliancesandjunk How about WAGO lever nuts? They are small and make a solid connection.

[@wonlee8248]

Quick Question: Will my Samsung fridge stop freezing up in the back and under the pull out if I turn off the ice maker?

[@bensappliancesandjunk]

Likely not. That sounds like a water overflowing issue, and I have multiple videos on that.

[@wed_ward]

I did the typical tube fix but used foil tape to seal instead of the silicone. The only downside is the ice comes out partially melted all the time. Would applying this fix and removing the sealant tape help get better ice and still prevent the freeze ups?

[@bensappliancesandjunk]

Possibly, but I'd get a sensor/thermostat in there, like an Elitech data logger and see what in the worlds' going on. I rarely see that happen, and I'd be curious why its melting like that.

[@lazaropolanco8486]

The drain tube kit would not cause the ice cubes to melt. I would lower the freezer temp to -2 or -3 and test after 24 hrs.

[@wed_ward]

@@lazaropolanco8486I believe it was the foil tape along the body instead of the silicone that does it. Partially melted = slushy edges instead of crisp corners like when new.

[@2packs4sure]

It's actually shocking how Samsung refrigerators have become absolute garbage..

[@xDjembex]

That was a difficult sentence to read sentence to read.

[@2packs4sure]

@@xDjembex What is are yous talkings about? LOL Yeah I didn't notice that..

[@audionut9974]

They are actually pretty good minus the ice makers. Ice makers in fridges are all rubbish better off with a dedicated ice machine

[@STREAMINGACCESS]

Thank you ❤❤❤❤❤ You're my hero 😘

[@photolabguy]

I unfortunately have a Samsung fridge. I never have ice buildup, but sometimes the ice maker will stop making ice. Ive hit the reset button, sometimes it works again, sometimes it doesnt. Any ideas?

[@bensappliancesandjunk]

Check temperatures w/ a thermometer or sensor. See what it says over a long period of time. For the icemaker to cycle, it ALWAYS needs to be below 15*F. If it isn't, its possible that its intermittent and won't trigger right. Thats usually what causes the issue

[@Resist4]

@@bensappliancesandjunk And that would make sense as to why his hasn't gotten ice buildup, because it wasn't cold enough.

[@gregorystatt5562]

You sound like the Lock Picking Lawyer of appliances. I work at an appliance parts store, and it is ridiculous how much Samdung charges for parts. LG is not far off as well. It's like they don't do testing at their facilities, they use us. It doesn't matter if they put out junk. As long as it's cheap to manufacture, they will make way more money than what they settle for in lawsuits, warranty jobs, and recalls.

[@bensappliancesandjunk]

GE is also awful on pricing often. IMHO, the issue here is that Samsung and LG had to make choices on what to do to make French Door units work in the US due to EPA laws. LG made their systems more robust/smarter/better with the right heaters in stuff BUT......They put the Linear Compressor in the units to make them more efficient to achieve it and guess what? They suck! Samsung did the opposite: better compressor/sealed system in general, but cut corners on heaters that end up coming back and biting them. But honestly, although I focus so much on Samsung heaters, its not like Frigidaire doesn't have the SAME EXACT PROBLEM with their icemakers being hunks of garbage. You also have the rust spot in the back that can cause horrifical floor damage due to sweating, too.

[@Barbarra63297]

Pretty telling when you have a force ice unit defrost feature. New def doesn't mean better that's for sure.

[@TwistedPeak]

I did this repair on a co-worker's Appliance and she contacted me this morning says it's not making ice connected it to the pink and gray wire just like this one showed and it's not making ice

[@bensappliancesandjunk]

How long did you wait? It usually takes 72hrs after you work inside the cabinet to get the Temps down for ice to start working

[@joepringle9028]

Followed your instructions step by step made ice for 2 days and now it's not working at all no ice buildup however ran a reset on the ice maker and still no ice any suggestions sir. I am getting tired of this Samsung.

[@joepringle9028]

I found the problem! One of the wires for the heater got caught up in the fins of the Ice Maker keeping it from dumping the ice. May want to make a note not to push the wires up along the side as far as you show in your video. Thank you I will let you know once I untangle the wire :) May have to cut and splice.

[@codeakurie]

I been waiting for this solution. Now i can stop buying ice and start making again. Never will i buy a samsung or and ice maker in the fridge again.

[@Resist4]

Can you even buy a refrigerator that doesn't come with a built in ice maker?

[@thegrim418]

I finally went back to using ice trays. After 3 fixes I finally gave up and disconned the whole thing.

[@Resist4]

Pulling the ice maker out gives you more fridge space too.

[@SunilKumar-qh8fz]

Sir jobs milega 7year ka experience hai

[@MikiCab1]

I just contacted Samsung because my ice maker is freezing up and even though my Fridge is like 9 years old they are going to cover the repair. Parts and labor included. Must be a recall or something. They will be out next week to do the repair.

[@Resist4]

Wow, good for you! Although I it will probably start freezing up again because Samsung never really addressed the issue with a true fix.

[@MikiCab1]

@@Resist4 The repair person said they came out with new parts about 2 years ago. I hoping this is permanent.

[@Resist4]

@@MikiCab1 From what I have read, the new parts still didn't fix the issue long term. Brand new Samsung refrigerators are still having the problem.

[@MikiCab1]

@@Resist4 so far so good. Has been running a couple of weeks. It ran for 9 years without any problems so if I can get another 9 years it would be worth it. Funny thing is the company they sent out has a one star rating on yelp. Looks like they do a lot of warranty repair for appliance companies. They look like they are nation wide. I guess my repair was simple so hopefully the guy replaced all the needed parts. One complaint was they didn’t replace any parts but indicated they had replaced all the parts. Back in the day as a field engineer myself I used to right my initials and date on everything so I could tell if someone came into my territory and lied about what they did. More common than you think.

[@Resist4]

@@MikiCab1 that’s why no one should ever leave a repair person alone. As uncomfortable as it might be you should always watch the repair. And besides, this is a stranger in your house, why would anyone leave them unattended?!

[@jacobscutzlas8712]

Can anyone comment long term on if this fixed their issue?

[@tommygarrison1992]

See my reply above. No it did not work long term.

[@sjastram]

Or.......Samsung could just make this upgrade or repair on all of these fridges. SO sick of my Samsung fridge with non working ice maker.

[@maryannmoore3229]

Down south they would call this a real P.I.A.

[@jamiesilk2278]

in Australia, does P.I.A mean the same? Pain In Ass

[@QuickQuips]

Yep. Got this issue but I'm going nuclear and getting a GE instead. Samsung came with the home.

[@md929]

Those that tried this, how's it working?

[@Resist4]

Reading over this thread, many are saying it didn't work long term. And I was about ready to order the heater, good thing I didn't.

[@md929]

@@Resist4 That's what I thought. That's not the proper repair for the issue. The reason it's icing up is because the ice maker compartment is not sealed and warm air is getting in.

[@Resist4]

@@md929 Yeah, I just watched the Appliance Guru's solution using aluminum tape on the inside of the ice box and that seems to have worked. So I will give that a try, plus it's less expensive.

[@md929]

@@Resist4 That should work a lot better but still not 100 % and could still ice up eventually. The ice maker design is flawed and not sealed completely even if you hit those spots. I'm a tech and that's what I see out there. Still, I'm gonna repair it per the Guru's way. I think that is the best approach.

[@moelarrythecheese4507]

I’m done with samsung products