PART 1 How to Fix a SAMSUNG RF 267 Refrigerator Not Cooling Icing and Freezing DIY repair

[@jakeguitar01]

Parts: amzn.to/3b5a2sX

[@lizzie8561]

I have a Samsung RF263, purchased in 2013. I first had this problem in 2015. A repairman charged me over $250.00 to thaw it out and told me to empty the fridge, unplug it, and let it stand with the doors open for 48 hours ONCE A YEAR!!! I glad I came across your videos. When I took the back panel off, I found the styrofoam at the bottom broken, as well as some of the tubing and fin bent, probably by the repairman!! The refrigerator is working fine, for now. This is my first and last Samsung!!!

[@karoncrickmore2093]

Thank you, thank you, thank you! I came home from being away a couple of days to a very loud refrigerator. Open the door - no noise, close door - noise. Go to the trusty Internet and found out the problem. Then I did a KZbin search - viola found your videos. Watched the the first three a couple of times and then went to work on the frig ( started at 8:30 pm). Thank goodness I listened to you or I would have ruined the installation!!! I left it to thaw overnight ( got up once to check at 1:30am -still stuck). In the morning (6:30am) a little looser but not ready. Brought down a second hair dryer with more settings and within 5 minutes off came to cover. Still had a lot of ice. Pretended I was drying hair ( yes I am a girl). Did not take too long. Followed the rest of your directions and by 8:30am I was putting the food back in the refrigerator. Once again thank you (now you have me watching a lot of your videos 😀).

[@Jeremy-4037]

Hi Karon, My Samsung is doing the same thing....noise..open door and noise stops...close door and noise again. Is this the fan?

[@lyem654]

This should be a permanent solution, so seat tight and enjoy my analysis. The root cause of the problem is ice built up and then clogged up the cold air vent holes and jammed the fan. 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 (short cycle to achieve the Energy Star) and the net result is a slowly ice build up. 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 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. Add more water if the "pond is dried up. The hot water will melt the ice and clear up the drain hole. You need to keep an eye on this and remove the iron as soon as the hole is cleared. 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) 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. I used to fix the iced up fan every year, but after implementing the 3 steps above, it has been running over 2 years and still no problem. My unit is RF266AB. Brian

[@klb1956]

I continue to have the same issue with mine. When it was new and under warranty, Samsung sent a service tech out and I watched how he did it and I've learned how to do it myself at least once a year. I did similar thing as in this video with hairdryer laying on a towel low heat closed the door and let it thaw. Usually takes about and hour. As mentioned BE CAREFUL NOT TO PULL TOO SOON or you'll run things behind the cover ... like Styrofoam, fan motor or fins and wiring. Once thawed you have to disconnect the wiring to remove cover at least in my RS265 unit. Great video!

[@ddpr4723]

You know I watched all your videos on this matter, even thought you said you are not an electrician for not fixing yours, I followed and did everything you said till the ends and my fridge was reading a temp of 58-60 degrees and I found the same issues of icing and the fan was full of ice and not working, I defrosted with the hair dryer and cleaning good, I had bought the heater defrost and I got the wrong part but all I did worked just fine. Once I put it together, it started working in about 10 min set the freezer temp to 0 and the fridge temp to 36 degrees, next day it was what I set it on 0, 36, and it was perfect, it has been more than 3 weeks since I did that and it is working like new. I even had to increase the fridge temp to 38 and it’s still too cold in the fridge. You did a good job on your videos because it worked on mine. Thank you, my Refrigerator model is Samsung RFG 297ABRS/XAA

[@andrean7184]

Thanks - we have a different model Samsung and never had an issue until my small grandson turned down the temp on the freezer and I didn't realise. Months of water in the vege bins, frozen water on the bottom of the fridge etc and then found your videos about how to defrost it properly behind that back plate. It's worked a treat - all back to normal (and I've activated the child-lock on the control panel!).

[@jakeguitar01]

+Andrea N --> > > well, hopefully you won't have to defrost it again. However, chances are, you just might.

[@cbredesen]

Thanks for this series - I have to do this process about once a year. They should recall this defective set of models!

[@lisabilek2999]

I have a Samsung RF267 twin door fridge with the infamous freeze up problem. I replaced the evap fan to no avail - it started to freeze up again. It appears that the ice buildup concentrates on the upper and lower horizontal evap coils. so I wrapped the upper one with two pieces of 1" foam pipe insulating tubing. I tore off the cooling fins from the lower evap coil and wrapped it with aluminum backed insulating tape. Just for good measure I drilled a hole in the beer can tab that's supposed to keep the drain hole open. Inserted a ten penny nail thru the drilled hole and down the drain hole (instead of the copper wire trick). Buttoned it back up again. Temperature normal... 2degrees freezer/38degrees fridge . I'm watching closely for the return of the ice age. JakeGuitar01, since you are the revered leader of our Samsung Rrecovery Group, what do you think of this advice from an old friend. He claims two (or more) wooden close pins attached to the upper and lower horizontal evaporator coils will solve the icing problem. They apparently warm the coils just enough to avoid ice formation. He says old time car mechanics use the same trick on auto gas lines to prevent vapor lock. If it freezes up again, I'm resorting to the wooden close pins. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

[@krystiankapel7119]

HOLY CRAP! Thank You so much for your video! Because of you and your video I was able to do this, and find out why my fridge had water on the bottom shelf. Thought it was the filter..nope! The drain was frozen over! and deep down inside as well. Thank You for saving me so much money from a service call. Now I know every 4 years or so(this fridge is 5) I'll be repeating this process. I did use HOT water a sponge to suck up the water every few min and then when I did get to the drain I still used hot water and a syringe and kept on moving the water back and forth so that the cold water would not pool. It did still take about 45 min to an hour but it worked. Thanks again.

[@kristianneegbert668]

Ok, got it apart, unclogged the hole, and am crossing my fingers that this fixed the problem! Getting that cover off was a bear, and my husband has gone fishing for the weekend with our big cooler, so I had several small coolers filled with milk, frozen stuff, etc! Thanks so much!!

[@chrisefinger5852]

I finally couldn’t take the noise any longer the pitch changed around noon today 10/05/17 And I had already researched the Parts online in case I needed them. I couldn’t find my blow dryer so I borrowed one from a good friend. I then watched your video for a second time. It went from nothing (the noise) to something in a matter of four or five days. Mine was basically the same as yours. just just a block of ice and the upper right in corner and the blades were iced also like you showed I wish I were drinking man. I would definitely be tossing a few back. They charge you so much to work on your appliances and all I had to do was Watch your post. KZbin it. I am so happy I watched it I can’t express the words for your help I was really getting stressed. I do thank you for your post. I looked at a couple other videos and I’m not sure if it was you or somebody mentioned that there is a class action suit against Samsung for this issue. If anybody’s interested check it out online. Thanks again my friend Last night and this morning I was actually considering buying a new refrigerator for $1600.00 or more that’s how much this pissed me off. So one last thank you! Samsung RF263AEBP/XAA

[@DianaEdd]

These videos were very helpful: in taking the front inside of the refrigerator off, in recognizing the ice build up and the need to defrost before starting, and also in explaining the freezing of the drain. I had two Samsung refrigerators with largely the same problem (would not have bought the 2nd except that it came with my new house!). THE PROBLEM HOWEVER CAN BE SOLVED so that one does not need to keep defrosting! In both of my french door refrigerators the problem was the main control panel located at the back of the refrigerator. It needs to be replaced. Then you need to do the defrosting at the front and things work great!! I got my replacement panel at the Parts Dr. I tried to get the part from another place that will remain nameless, and it did not work! Thank you.

[@sallyc811]

Thanks for sharing this video series. The information presented is clear and informative. My refrigerator is 1.5 years old, the coil and styofoam had massive ice build up, and draining large amount of water under the deli/chiller tray. Thanks again.

[@joestarlite]

Thanks for posting this. My refrigerator is froze up again ( on Thanksgiving day!), now I know how to fix it.. I bought my Samsung in 2009, the first time it froze up it was still under the extended service agreement. The A & E tech came out to fix it. He said that they have to repair these Samsung's with this problem all the time. My old Amana is still out in the garage and is working after over10 years. Next time I'm going to get another Amana, Samsung should have stayed with televisions, computer monitors, and cell phones; major appliances are not their thing.

[@TydeeWhitey]

I agree, I'm going through the same thing as we speak.

[@judgeandreamartinlane9799]

Bought mine in 2009 too and eh came to repair at 12 months but stopped after that saying "out of warranty." Last samsung for me! Glad for his video now I can try and repair myself!

[@luischaves-pardo1762]

I just went through the whole process per these steps. It took me half a day to de-ice the unit, remove and de-ice the back panel. The fan was all frozen with large pieces of ice. I feared it was broken but it seems to be working. The digital readout are now reading normal. These instructions were quite handy to allow me to do this job and not damage anything. Thanks for your valuable instructions.

[@jeantordella3683]

To see if the fan goes on with the doors closed, my friend Bill said to put the camera inside the refrigerator with a light source and close the doors. Maybe a flashlight and the video camera or a camera with its own light source. Your series is great.

[@aleamar25]

I found your videos very interesting. Thanks for sharing. But, what about the freezer? Was yours working good? Because today I realized my refrigerator and the freezer, both stop cooling. Tomorrow I will try to defrost the refrigerator as you did to see if that’s the issue.

[@p.scottangrave3665]

Brilliant! Thank you for taking the time to post these videos. Saved me from spending a lot of money to get a new fridge...

[@jakeguitar01]

Glad to help

[@dmann968]

Hi friend, great video. I have a 10 yr old Samsung fridge(forgot the model number) with bottom freezer that just recently had the same frozen coil issues and internal temperature would not get any lower than 66°f . I watched this video of how to repair this particular problem,and step by step it worked to a "T. So thanks to your video , I saved I'm sure a service call ,and maybe even a trip to the store for a new fridge. ~rich

[@mobri2a]

Very helpful video. I found out that you can put it in Forced Defrost mode (press Refrigerator and Power Freeze, then cycle to "Fd" with the Refrigerator button) and save all the hair dryer nonsense. I spent most of the day doing this before finding Fd. I ran 2 Fd cycles and the panel popped right out. Cleared the drain with hot water from the tap and compressed air. It was suggested on a forum that the unit must be properly leveled to prevent this problem.

[@heath780391]

This also applied my my fridge, I tried prying at the cover for a little bit, and you have confirmed what I was thinking with the ice bonding it all together.

[@garybrown502]

Thanks for the video. We've had the problem for sometime, but I kept mopping water. Finally decided to give repair a go before calling someone. Your instructions and video were a HUGE help. Got everything back together with no "extra" parts. She's running just fine!

[@billwhittaker1483]

Great video.. One suggestion is with that outside shroud/ cover... I removed the cover and defrosted the coils completely but I found that the cover still would not pass air from hole to hole. I held a hair drier to one hole and noticed that 3 of the holes were still plugged further up where you couldnt see it. I set it outside in the sun for almost an hour before all the holes were completely open.. Once you plug it back in and the fan is running, hold a bic lighter in front of the holes and you will notice that it has trouble staying lit because there is so much air coming through...... If a lighter can easily stay lit in front the hole then it is still plugged with ice. If air isnt moving across those coils then its going to freeze up again quickly

[@karenmerrihew3214]

Thanks so much for these. We followed all the steps and were able to get all the ice off of the coils and out of the fan. I hope it doesn't happen again, but from the comments, it seems like it's a probability.

[@jmewustl1]

Thanks for the tips throughout this video series! I probably would have pulled the foam right off the door if you hadn't said to wait for a full defrost. For me, the fan was whining and not completely stopped. We started the defrosting process in the evening with the cool air hair dryer technique for about an hour. Then left overnight and by morning everything was good to go.

[@brettryder5561]

Thanks a ton for this! We have an RFG298 that - despite continuing to cool just fine - started making a ton of noise ... only when the doors were closed, indicative of ice impacting the fan. Obviously we were not far away from probably killing the fan and causing loss of cooling. My ice buildup on the coils was not as extensive as yours, and in ~90 minutes with a hair dryer (medium setting) I was able to defrost it well enough to pry off the plastic/Styrofoam mold combination. My ice buildup was primarily top center of the coils, and *inside* the Styrofoam (there are vertical drains built into the Styrofoam). Once I discovered the latter, I spent another ~30 minutes thawing the foam pieces outside of the fridge enough to be able to separate them, allowing me to remove long lengths of ice.I'm not entirely sure as to the root cause of my buildup (3.5 year old fridge) other than poor design. In your case, however, I'm convinced that your defrost/heating element is either dead, or the timing control circuit for it is. You had a big block of ice adhered to it! In my case, the ice was nowhere near the heating element (again, top center of coils only, against the fan).Thanks again, you saved me big bucks. I was contemplating trashing the fridge!!

[@soupbonekid]

Great video,the first one i came to on google.I just started having this same issue.Fortunatley for me,i only paid $500 for my fridge.My friends neighbor's wife wanted all black appliances.This one is white.He had it for about 4 years no problem.This issue just started happening.Thanks again for an informative video.

[@steveb4486]

Worked like a charm!!! Thanks buddy. My advice. Be patient with blow drying the ice. It takes a bit of time. Dont force it off

[@c.s.3746]

Just got done thawing mine out too. Less than two years old and a $2600 fridge. Samsung can kiss my !#%.

[@kitbina1925]

C. S. Same omg

[@RJM1982]

did you resolve this problem?

[@factsnotfeelings4901]

C. S. blame all the damn Korean. our grandfathers shoulda let them all get taken by the north

[@LegionGamingLifestyle]

theRickSter use a steamer. It will defrost it in like 5 minutes

[@Kenny-dn9lc]

I reckon your fridge is still under SamSung's warranty !. Why not just give SamSung a call, and let their warranty services people doing their job ?

[@strasselgt]

THANK YOU, Jake, for putting together these 8 videos! It was by far the most helpful resource I found, and I was able to fix my Samsung fridge. I have an extra amount food in the fridge and freezer because of the Covid-19 lockdown, and these videos helped prevent it all from going to waste. Thank you for putting in the time and effort over the years with your Samsung.

[@Stardust-iw3hm]

Thank you for your video. It solved my problem. I was hearing a noise from the upper fan and determined it was ice. I did get the fan and coil cover off as you showed and there was a good bit of ice there. I ended up placing some of my fridge items in a few ice chest with cube ice and turned off the Samsung for the night to allow it to totally defrost. All is well now.

[@macbruum]

When I first heard the chatter of the fan, I found your diy series. I suspected from watching each episode, that repair would be simple, if annoying. When the fan went silent, I got to work. I went slooow removing the plastic cover; the fan area was, of course, solidly iced in. I left fan and all plugged in as I quickly removed the ice, to see if the fan would operate. All's well. THANKS !

[@wildfireinfo5318]

I have a Samsung French Door Refrig - RF263 and made it to almost five years of no problems; until it stopped cooling up top - freezer was working fine. Watched all six videos and observed relevant posts from other DIYs and fridge repairmen. Kudos to jakeguitar01 - professionally done (fridge repair and informative video alike) by a DIYer. I was able to succeed as well and now fridge is back on normal cooling track. My Lessons Learned were numerous and I believe my lack of cleaning behind the fridge every six months, including removing the back bottom panel to thoroughly clean coils and fan, contributed to the fridge fritz. Some points to add to the video include using boiling hot water and a baster suction tool to free up the drain hole along with a very sharp kabob steak that I could bend and re-bend at a right angle to get in the weep hole and work on the ice clog. Also, after I found my evaporator cooling fan completely encased in ice, I was thinking the worst. But when I defrosted, reassembled and let the fridge cycle, the fan did work - a good thing. Thus, just because a fan is found iced up don't believe it will no longer work. With my fridge, I had to turn it back on and let it run for five minutes and then it started its cooling cycle - that is when the topside evaporator cooling fan kicked in. So what was my novice idea of the problem - a cascade effect. Not cleaning the bottom back led to the fridge working harder to cool, taxed by the Christmas holiday food binge and doors being open and closed by visiting family, led to weep hole freeze up and or evaporator coil freeze-up, working its way up to the cooling fan and freezing that up too. I probably did not help the situation by turning the fridge down to a lower temp in an attempt to cool down; basically calling on the fridge to work that much harder in cooling when it was already frozen. To sum, I saved a $300-500 repair bill or a fridge replacement trip to Lowes HI - a really good thing. Definitely worth doing myself for 7 hours, and the worst thing happening besides cleaning out top of fridge and restocking was spouse complaining that I used her hair dryer for the extended defrost. Looking on the bright side, I think mustard on the dryer gives it more spice!

[@scottw906]

Great videos!! Had the same problem of water pooling under the drawers for a few months and never knew why. Yesterday I noticed the fridge wasn't cooling below about 70 degrees. Googled my problem which led me here, followed the steps and found a mountain of ice at the top right side and almost completely blocking the fan. melted all the ice and unblocked the drain which was also frozen over, and a few hours later all back to normal....but for how long???? Time will tell I guess. Thanks for sharing the videos!!!

[@kerriballard9014]

Thanks so much for posting this. I tried it and was able to get it to work. Also used the copper wire mod after speaking to an appliance repair person.

[@eddielee1986]

I had the same problem with the ice buildup but was able to resolve the problem myself on a similar model. The ice buildup is caused by excess moisture in the fridge due to a possible air leak. In my case, the leak was caused by the thin door flap (serves the purpose of sealing the center of the french doors when shut) not properly closing. The top of the flap has some sort of spring loaded tab that makes contact with the track to unfold with intent to create the seal when the attached door is closed. My solution was to prevent the door flap tab from prematurely pushing off the track.

[@nancyn2166]

I spent today taking my refrigerator, Samsung RF266AERS/XAA apart, to try an fix this leak that I've observed over the past year. While defrosting this refrigerator, I removed the food and then removed all of the shelves and trays, even the freezer baskets and washed everything, including the insides of the unit. Then I blew hot air from my hair dryer to the back side of the refrigerator, thinking that it might help melt the ice faster than blowing warm air on the foam. I was finally able to remove the back panel and get to the infamous drain hole. Yes, it was plugged. I began using the turkey baster and hot water to try to flush it out. Then my husband decided to get involved. He removed the back panel and found the exit end of the drain hole. The rubber tip was full of gunk which I additionally cleaned out. He blew up through the drain hole and I was finally able to send the water through the drain. Before reassembling, I attached a 4-5 inch piece of copper wire next to the Samsung clip that goes into the drain hole. Next I reassembled, first putting that center metal on upside down (had to fix as the shelves didn't line up). Now, the refrigerator is chilling and I'm just waiting to put all of my food away. Thanks for all your help. The videos were really explanatory. Hopefully, I won't have to do this again. It wasn't hard but really time consuming.

[@jessicapyron9440]

This was so helpful and we are putting the cooper wire also on the drain hole and your videos were fantastic

[@mice3049]

Thanks for sharing. This gives me hope to diagnosis my Samsung RF26XAERS on why it's NOT cooling.

[@craigsmith2010]

I just watched all parts of your video, and man you saved me some cash! Cant thank you enough! This is a fix most anybody can do on most of these models!

[@jakeguitar01]

+Craig Smith Yes, but unfortunately it probably won't be a permanent fix. This will just get you up and running again until it happens again.

[@f.fernandes4712]

I had this same exact issue with a different model, with a lot of troubleshooting and almost buying a new fridge, I ended up fixing and it works flawlessly.

[@nikeyarutledge5950]

tr!pl3_h3l!x which brand do u have I have the rb215acbp and I was making the loud noise then stopped now it's not cooling

[@f.fernandes4712]

nikeya Rutledge I have the rf217acpn, it was a problem with the defrost system which unfortunately these Samsung fridges are notorious for. the ice would build up until it reaches the spinning fan and you'll hear the clacking noise. the only fix is to replace the bad part to the defrost system which will get it to melt away the ice buildup. You can manually defrost it but it's just temporary as the ice will form again to the point where you will lose circulation and the fridge won't cool properly.

[@dennispeek4302]

JakeGuitar, Thank you so much for posting this video. I was scheduled for a service tech to come to my house tomorrow and tell me what was wrong. The problem is, he has to drive and hour and fifteen minutes to get to my house. Nobody in my town will work on a Samsung. After watching this video, I was able to get the back cover off and found that Ice had formed around my fan and the noise was the fan hitting the ice. All is cleaned up and running smooth and quiet. Thank you so much for this. I should send you the $75 he was going to charge me just to come up.

[@jakeguitar01]

+Dennis Peek I'll take it! But, if you have this problem now, there is a very good chance the problem will recur.

[@franktodarello538]

Thank you for this video. Our fan was working fine, but I needed to stop the dripping of water. Took three hours to get the panel off via blow dryer AND boiling pots of water (letting the steam heat up the interior), but the styrofoam finally unstuck from the ice. Then I continued to melt the rest of the ice.

[@garybrown502]

Repair is still working like a champ!!!!

[@jamielatty5740]

hi there...I used your video a couple of times since my Samsung keeps icing up. I am about to defrost for the 3rd time. I wonder have you ever heard of a permanent solution? mine just keeps building up after a few months. thanks. great video

[@sunnytb2003]

I want to say THANK YOU! Jakeguitar01! I have the Samsung RF268, but the process was the same. My fan was making noises and seizing up. With your 4 video's I was able to fix it myself! I had the exact same problem of freezing over. The video's were helpful because it was step by step. Like I may have pulled the styrofoam away before it defrosted, ripping it, but I saw what you said and waited it out until it came out super easy. Then the drain pipe was frozen. Used the tea kettle and hair dryer (on low) and let it sit overnight. This morning, Ta-Dah! all fixed and no more fan noise:-) Set the fridge to power cool and it's almost ready to restock with food. You are the best!

[@shelbylynncoleman]

Thanks for responding. I know the fan worked, I saw it. But maybe not the compressor. I will definitely do what you suggest! Thanks again!!!

[@edwardmlakar2860]

THANKS!!!! extremely helpful. Mine seems to be working fine after following your vid.

[@JonWatson7]

We had this problem: loud fan noise, fridge that wasn't cooling properly. There was no ice coming out of the vent holes. Removed food and let it sit unplugged overnight to see if any ice melted. No luck, no water pools in the morning. Also tried "Manual Defrost" as described in another video(Put into Demo Mode, then turn on Power Cool), that also didn't result in any melted ice or water pools. Decided to take off the panel to see what was going on, considering we don't want to wait a week to see if any ice melts. As described, be careful when pulling off the panel. The plastic panel part will come off pretty easily at the 3 points on the left and right side, but the styrofoam part needs to come off at the same time and that part is a bit trickier. In our case, the styrofoam was sealed to the back of the fridge with some sticky stuff, and that was why it was kind of difficult to pull off. Just make sure you apply firm, but gentle pressure around the styrofoam edge, gently pulling it out at various points. ***Be careful along the bottom, it's tempting to pull on that part because it's easy to get a grasp on it, but the styrofoam is thin along the bottom side*** The fan blade was hitting a large expanse of ice that had accumulated on the top of the condenser. Another problem was that ice had formed on the thermometer, making the fridge not cool properly. Carefully removed the ice with a hairdryer on low heat, everything's back to normal. All in all, pretty easy fix. I was told that doing this will "void your warranty"..but I'm sure it would be like pulling teeth to get them to honor the (extended)warranty anyways. Hopefully you do this before your fan motor burns out. I wouldn't spend the hundreds of dollars on a "certified Samsung technician" just to see if it falls under the warranty when you know what the problem is(deductive reasoning) and you know how to fix it(this video). Bottom line, in my opinion, don't buy a Samsung appliance. All appliances break down eventually, but our 2.5 year old washing machine and refrigerator have both had problems now and the Samsung support is simply not there. They know the problems, but they do not admit that on the calls or offer to help. "Pay for a technician to come look at it" is the only answer you'll get. Bad business.

[@at4evrflyr]

Dude, thx 4 taking the time to do the videos. They were excellent. I was able to fix the crappy frige.

[@gmouchyn]

Great videos! I have the RF-4287HARS. Iced over, just like you described. Did all the manual suggestions! Good work! I reassembled. Now I watch and wait! Thanks!!!

[@TheShocobo]

Thanks for the great instruction. Did the problem reoccur? Have you found a permanent solution (replacing any parts)?

[@nikkibussard3048]

Don't do this with a hair dryer--it's a waste of time. Leave all your food in the freezer, and put food from the fridge in there too to keep it cold. Put anything else that needs to stay cold in a cooler. Then turn off/unplug the fridge, boil a bunch of pots of water, and put them in the fridge with the doors closed. This uses the insulation power of the fridge to keep in the heat, which will melt the ice. Unscrew the back panel and try to pull it loose. Every time you change the water, pull the cover as loose as you can. It will take about 3 hours to defrost it, versus days with hairdryer method.

[@beverlyandrews3333]

How do you turn it off without unplugging it? We too spent a ton of money on this to be having this issue for a long time now

[@dirkdaddy2]

Thanks for posting, same issue!~ Wondered why cover wasn't coming off and was thinking it was frozen, thanks. On to part II

[@michaelmelissagerman7294]

Have a similar model and same problems. Learned from a tech to hold energy saver button and fridge button simultaneously for 8 seconds to get to the menu. Keep hitting the fridge button until Fd appears. Fridge defrost and it forces on the heater on. Do this as soon as you start to see the ice appear. Also wrap single strand copper wire around heater coil extending down into drain tube to keep the drain from a returning ice plug. It's bullshit for such an expensive fridge for sure!

[@codeblue0010]

Have done that and does Not work. You need to remove back panel and melt ice. The fridge is a pile of shit.

[@pattiigg]

I was really hoping this would work on my RF26HFENDSR/AA Samsung fridge but it didn't. 😬😠🥺

[@thudthedestroyer515]

Pat M. Could be your heater element is disconnected or burned out. Or could be a control board issue. I don't know what model you have, but you can call tech support and see if there is a fuse on the control board for your defrost heater element that can be user replaced. My fridge just shit-the-bed 2 days ago, so I am sorry about my late comment. Perhaps it will help someone else.

[@MrSmith-yj2vk]

This was a great tutorial (all 4 vids). You helped me out. Drain was iced over, i had ice build up behind the styrofoam and on my evaporator fan. All your tips helped me out to fix the problems and remove the backing plate before i broke anything. Blow dryer was key! Thanks for the vids

[@garyb3604]

Excellent instructions and explanation. Thank you!

[@jellyman0784]

Dude, you rock! Actually seeing how that panel is constructed helped immensely. Still working on defrosting but at least we know what we're dealing with now!

[@billwhittaker1483]

I was able to get a Samsung tech our to fix my frig freezing up. He knew the problem quite well and said that he performs this repair several times a week. He replaced the sensor above and to the right of the evaporator coil and he replaced the entire front plastic cover which also has a sensor in it.

[@WilsonBradleyTheOfficial]

I have had problems with my Samsung RS267lash Fridge over freezing and causing inside middle vent hole and fan to eventually freeze to point of no airflow , then fan grinding eventually to a halt from being frozen. When I force the fridge into defrost mode, it does not seem to melt the ice either. *Theoretically, if I force it into Defrost mode, the heating elements should come on and should be able to test 110V Correct? Don’t think it’s a bad Defrost heating element , last time I checked this it showed 96 ohmsDefrost sensor (yellow) was +- 2K at Room temperature. Thermal fuse (Red black /w white foam) = 0 ohms Not sure what to do now.

[@alanberickson]

Middle of a pandemic. Guess what I'm doing? Thanks Samsung.

[@GerardSBrungardtMDBeL]

Thank you for the great instructions ... a real life-saver!!!

[@ddpr4723]

It worked on mine too 👍🏻

[@gamdrinwalker4998]

Thanks for your video, loved it! I saved $450.00, doing my own repairs. Got stuck for lack of courage, but went on with the repairs anyway. It worked, like a dream, it is quieter, and cleaner, because I cleaned it too. I get to buy myself a gift for being the family repair woman. I think that I deserve the cost of a service charge.

[@jakeguitar01]

+Gamdrin Walker Great! Maybe as a gift to yourself, you should put a down payment on a new fridge that's not Samsung...

[@TheVantard]

I watched all these videos and fixed my fridge, except i removed the tang from the heating coil and then replaced it with a piece of copper wire 14ga, wrapped the coil 3 times around the coil and then ran the bare copper down just into the drain.

[@motorclaw]

Thank you SO much for posting this! Finally I found what is wrong w mine and how to fix it.

[@kathrynaboo657]

Wow. I have a different model & it seem's to have the same issue. My gf has the same fridge as me & has the same issue. Note to anyone thinking of buying a Samsung fridge "DON'T" Nearly $2,000 & just over 2 years old & it breaks(13months old fridge). My old fridge is over 16 years old & still going. Thanks for this tutorial.

[@aborahmaal]

I had the same issue. I emptied the content of the refrigerator then I turned off the unit for 15 hours. I saw water drain in the back pan. I turn on the unit back and set it for 38F and -2F for the freezer. Unless you have a bad sensor or heating element.

[@RachelDBoardman]

Thank you for your videos. they've helped tremendously. When you program your fridge to defrost, how long do you wait? And how often would you recommend doing this. Its a recurring problem for us as well. Technicians have no clue what to do at this point. They've replaced the motherboard already to try and regulate temperature with no results. note to self, never buy Samsung again!

[@williamraab1369]

Try using a steamer, it really works very well.

[@bobthecoder1]

thank you buddy for this video. in covid days you gotta fix your own samsung fridge cos you can't get a repair person into your home. screw samsung. my $3000 fridge is only 3 years old. i believe my temperature sensor is bad cos fridge reads 2C but other thermometers say 11C.

[@SurendraDhanpaul]

I have a thing against using the hair dryer ... this is confirmed in part 2. I found that the best way to get the cover off was to put the system in OFF mode. This will ensure that if you missed putting it back into defrost a few more times, it does not turn in then frosts all over again. Then put it to RD mode. This defrosts the fridge from inside without having to use the hair dryer and avoids any damages. It took about two hours to defrost with the RD but it’s worth waiting ...to me that is.... that the hair dryer. Turns out, everything was frost over.... even the fan.

[@marilyningmire5572]

I have a Samsung RF267AA with the same problem as others with the water leaking under the crisper drawer but I think I have a unique problem that I haven't seen anyone else mention. I have taken the ventilator cover off twice now - the first time I thought I had thawed the drain enough because I could get some water to drain. So I changed out the drain clip with a new one that I ordered and put the fridge back together. I watched it the next day and there was still a very slow drip leaking. That really bumfuzzled me because it couldn't have frozen up that fast. SO....I took it apart again. But here is the weird part- the drip is coming from the screw hole directly below the drain hole. It's the screw hole that fastens on the long skinny metal piece in front of the ventilator cover. Now how on earth is water coming through that??! As a matter of fact how/why did they put a screw hole right in front of where you would think the drain hose is?? Well, forget the why they did that - HOW DO I FIX IT? Does this mean I have water dripping down the inside of the fridge wall? There isn’t any water on the floor. HELP!

[@stanleyrandell7212]

Does anyone know if you can manually add water on this specific model without the hose?

[@jhblazeraider]

to get the cover off you can also use hot water in a spray bottle, i use a thing called a hudson sprayer that i picked up from Lowes for $20. Its a large pump stray bottle used for spraying weed killer. i also use a hair drierbut the hot water helps to speed up the process, Be very careful not to damage the Styrofoam backing when pulling on the cover. once the ice has melted enough to free the cover you will need to reach behind and disconnect two small wire connectors located at the top left side behind the cover, then the entire cover can be removed. .Now that the cover is off use the sprayer to melt all the ice around the evaperator and the drain hole, The drain hole must be cleared. You can epray hot water in the drain hole or a turkey baster will work also. Unfortunately the is usually only a temporary fix and the ice will be back there is a sensor that neeeds to be relocated from its original position on the evaporator to up higher on the refrigerant tube,find the yellow wires and you will find the sensor, the is also a sensor on the cover you might want to replace. relocating the one sensor is the key to fixing the problem. Good luck.

[@dirtcurt1]

My conclusion to this problem is it cannot be overcome(unless you never open the freezer). I have a LG 3 door and a Samsung 4 door. Both have frozen over the exact same way. Both have been fixed the same way. I leave them off and thaw them until no water drips from them. I discovered this by accident. After replacing the LG with the Samsung because it was "broken" I put it out back on the patio to decided what to do with the $2500 refrigerator. I noticed it was dripping after 2 days in 100 degree weather? I investigated further and found the whole inside ducting and coil was frozen with ice build up. The fans had finally stalled because of ice buildup thus end of operation. I replaced the Ice-maker fan and the Ice-maker for about $80 plugged it in and it has worked for 2 years with no problems. We were buying Ice bags and opening the freezer to get ice when the fridge ice ran out. Each time you open the lower portion, in comes the moisture which gets blown up the ducting and freezes. The more you open the freezer the faster it will plug up. I now have a $2500 outdoor beer fridge. We also make enough ice between the two machines. The Samsung is doing the same thing with minimal opening of the lower door. My feeling is the 4th door is the problem letting moisture in. I have $6000 in weak refrigerators.

[@SUPERGALAN69]

I fixed this issue by replacing the sensors. They’re cheap and easy to replace.

[@kingdaddy8366]

Is it just the sensors?

[@SUPERGALAN69]

KINGDADDY 83 yes, after replacing the two sensors the refrigerator stopped freezing the food.

[@kingdaddy8366]

@@SUPERGALAN69 ok I found out yesterday my doesn't come on when door is closed guess I'll change that firsf

[@jjstrong6392]

If I just turn the refrigerator off how long will it take for the coils to unfreeze? Will that work? I am not that handy and do not want to go pocking around in there.

[@bayview63]

I just use the fast freeze feature once a month for 1/2 an hour and also made bigger holes in the drain tube at the rear of the fridge. Problem solved.

[@2drsdan]

Energy star rating means the defrost cycle is short. If it were longer, using more energy, (who cares if the fridge is freezing up so long as we have the "Energy Star".) If the defrost cycle were longer it would clear the ice as it should. The wire trick would also help but MORE HEAT would fix it for sure. How do we reset the defrost to stay on longer?

[@PickerJimS]

The defrost sensor fails at a high rate on these Samsung refrigerators, if you just defrost the evaporator and don't change the sensor it will ice up again at some point. Also be sure to let it completely defrost before trying to remove that cover, if you damage that styrofoam you will have to replace the cover too.

[@jamielatty5740]

PickerJimS Nice advice. do you have any idea if this is a legitimate fix?

[@maureentippel5071]

Yes, it is legit. I changed sensor in mine last summer and no problems since.

[@kunhardtbatista1248]

Maureen Tippel which sensor is it and do you have a link to where I can find it?

[@jerryfinzi3235]

Yea... Samsucks. I've got another French door model that has suffered from a non-functioning, icemaker that keeps freezing up. If I choose to defrost with a hair dryer to make ice, I have to do that once a week... then it freezes up again! This problem started right around when the warranty was gone. Repair people say that Samsucks wants you to do 6 or so fairly major repairs (each hundreds of dollars) before they'll even consider paying to back for this lemon. I've already done two repairs--around $600, but will do no more since I know from hundreds of others I've read about that this will not fix the problem anyway! ............ OK, so yesterday, I've gotten the other main problem with these pieces of garbage... just like in this video, the rear panel is freezing up and hitting the fan, causing a very loud noise. I've just finished working with a hair dryer to melt the ice (about 1 hour) and am certain it will happen again. ........ I'm going to take someone's advice that I read on the Samsung Repair page on Facebook: But the crap out of a specific person, each and every day, multiple times a day until they cave and pay you back for this lemon. Please.... do NOT buy ANY samSUCKs products.

[@joestarlite]

So now its seven months later and my Samsung refrig has frozen again. I reviewed this video series again as a refresher course in Samsung repair. Just wanted to remind everybody that YOU HAVE TO HAVE PATIENCE and let the hair dryer on low setting do its thing for a few hours. If you try to rush it you might break the plastic, the foam, the coils or the fan.

[@jakeguitar01]

What I am going to show you in the next video to come out in the next couple days is not going to be a "FINAL FIX", but it should at least prevent it from freezing up as often. (like every 6 months instead of every month). It has been working for me, and I hope it will work for everyone else. Its a very simple and inexpensive solution. Please click the little BELL, next to the subscribe button so you don't miss it. I have to break out the camera, record it, edit it, and then upload it. I will start tonight and hopefully have it uploaded in the next day or two.

[@minnesotajack1]

If I just unplug it and let everything melt off naturally...how long should I leave it off?

[@larrymcalpin3661]

Is there a permanent fix from Samsung for this issue?

[@jimbola77]

good job!!!

[@mikezukie]

If I empty the fridge and freezer and then unplug the unit, will it eventually thaw without having to remove panels?

[@noesnana]

Homer J. Fong that's what I do about every two weeks!

[@timroth358]

we bought a Samsung dishwasher and after a few weeks has broken, we bought a fridge rf267 and now we are flooded, I have note7 and I heard it may explode..

[@jakeguitar01]

+Tim Roth. Hey tim, here is an article I just read today. Looks like their washing machines are catching fire also: Samsung washing machines recalled because of explosion risk money.cnn.com/2016/11/04/news/companies/samsung-exploding-washing-machines/ Well, the only thing left is their monitors and televisions.

[@sarahgutmann6525]

If you want the world's worst customer service and to deal with a company who will do anything to avoid standing by their warrantee, then buy a Samsung. The following email to Samsung summarizes my situation- "On May 16 our four year old side by side fridge stopped working. We have been EXTREMELY frustrated with your customer support. We were first told Williamston TV in Farmingdale, NY would be calling us to set up an appointment. After not receiving a call from them, I called their center and they informed me they do not work on appliances. I contacted Samsung again and was given Rod's in Riverhead, NY. Someone was suppose to come out today between 9 and 10 am - but no one from their center ever answered their phone. My husband ended up loosing a days work because he took off to be home for the repair man. When I googled that company, their average review received 1 out of 5 stars (with many references of no one answering their phone and people never showing up to their house). I then called Samsung AGAIN and after 1/2 hour the customer service woman told us those were the only 2 centers on Long Island. Finally she told us we could get our own diagnostic and email it to your company (copy was attached)[Local Appliance company] , "Recommended new refrigerator. Unit has bad evaporated coil and cover."According to the extended warrantee from your website this is covered under the 5 YEAR PARTS AND LABOR ( copy was attached) In addition to the inconvenience , we have lost several hundred dollars in spoiled food,my husband losing a day of work, and a freezer full of pumped breastmilk for my 3 month old. We need to have a response and action done by your company immediately as we are continuing to have to go to the store to get ice to store my son's milk and keep my one and half year old son's medicine. **Samsung's email response - We are sorry to hear about your response, we will dispatch Williamston TV repair (note- this is exactly the company I mentioned that does not work on appliances ***Samsung Executive Customer Service Phone Response- We need to wait for Samsung to look over and evaluate their contract with Rod's. If they decide Rod's is not responsive then they will put our claim through an evaluation to see if they will in fact accept the local appliance diagnostic and allow them to do the repair... a process which could take two weeks to get an approval Shame on you Samsung! Stop telling me "I will do everything to help you" and "I am sorry to hear you are experiencing problems." You obviously do not care about your customers or your product!

[@RJM1982]

mine is exactly doing the same thing. How would I handle this lawsuit?

[@FLORIDAERO]

Just did a repair. If you should remove the cover and break some Styrofoam use a hot glue gun to repair the Styrofoam. It needs to be there. Thanks for all You tube and the internet for all the help.

[@kevinneumann5516]

What is the purpose of the styrofoam behind the panel? What are the consequences if you ruin the styrofoam?

[@PeaPodTheSquirrel]

Has a class action lawsuit been brought against Samsung to address these issues? I have PSE&G Worry Free and they can't help me with this issue. They say to just unplug and thaw this appliance for 4 days. I have to do this 4 times a year...It's ridiculous.

[@Realguy11]

Front wheels are not supposed to touch floor. Raise n tilt back a little and no more problems. Per Samsung

[@AncarPerformance]

hi friend i have this freezer but i have a problem. one led of the control panel is bad. i need change the led but i can't open the control panel. can you help me? thanks.

[@jakeguitar01]

+Ancar Performance Negative. I have no idea how to change that.

[@ADubTheGrizzy]

the samsungs indicate error.codes by turning off a single LED. the led's do not burn out. need to find the chart from Samsung , to figure out which error code it is trying to tell you

[@ZackHeinkel]

NEVER USE A HAIR DRYER OR A HEAT GUN TO DEFROST PARTS THAT ARE MADE WITH PLASTIC MATERIALS!!!! USE A STEAMER INSTEAD, IT WON'T DAMAGE THE PLASTIC PARTS.

[@ZackHeinkel]

You relax Mung, I was trying to help people like you. Your comment shows your ignorance.

[@gretchenebert771]

Had this problem and had to defrost monthly. Turned the energy saver feature off and this hasn't happened in 3 years now. Also, the repairman who told me to do it said the energy saving feature drastically reduces the life span of the fridge.

[@jakeguitar01]

+Gretchen Ebert ---> now that's interesting... I'll check it out. Thanks.

[@gretchenebert771]

I also did the defrost by removing the back panel exactly as you show here at the same time as I changed the setting. Without the defrosting it would not have fixed my immediate problem.

[@PDNEURODEB]

I have the same problem with a two year old Samsung refrigerator and Samsung has not been helpful or responsive. Please share your problems all over the internet to get Samsung to be responsive to their faulty design. I am sharing the problem on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Good luck

[@Psycho9263]

The reason why the RF267 has the icing problem is because the fan(s) cannot move the cold air fast enough. An engineering flaw. It's best to use a steam gun to melt the ice. Heat guns or hair dryers may damage some thermistors.

[@thrice910]

Does this still happen? Couldn't there be an issue with the heater?