I have a Samsung side by side *unfortunately) About 1/2years ago the defrost cycle unit failed, the panel lights were blinking, while I was on vacation and when I got home there was water all over the floor and everything had spoiled.
I had it "Repaired" and within a month it was blinking and the temperature went up again. I unplugged it to reset and it worked for about 8 hours and then failed again.
I've had it repaired 4 times, paying each time for the service (Samsung by Maytag). It's happening again, and even though an expensive refrigerator, I'm just ready to buy a new, better brand, refrigerator.
Any ideas on what may be wrong, howe I can get a knowledgeable reapir person to fix it, or..
Thanks,
Richie Sacks
[email protected]

Having it "repaired" is not the same as getting accurate, truthful, answers as to what exact actions were taken, and why. Too "technical" maybe. In all that follows, the RS21 type is what I have. I think the RS25 types are similar, but larger space inside.

With certain icing-up situations, this refrigerator can "fix itself" temporarily during a short while of being switched off. The fan inside can free itself - for a while. The fridge can appear to work. The repair shop can test it awhile, find nothing wrong. Maybe they do the obvious, simplistic actions like "change the temperature sensor", whether it needs it or not. Unless the real fault (icing up) is comprehensively cleared, you may well "have it repaired" repeatedly.

Checking the Sensor

Remove the mains plug from the wall!!. With the refrigerator door open, the circular (blue in my case) cover in the centre of the lamps panel is where hides the sensor. Remove the plated plastic ring (by rotating it) and also (gently) the crosshead self-tapping screw below it, and the blue cover comes off, revealing the sensor, and the connectors for the sensor and lamps. Do not just pull on them. They come apart by squeezing sides to lift lever tangs clear of locking ledges. Study them first. Never overtighten into pllastic. Gently.. gently..

The sensor is a thermistor, a device that changes resistance with temperature. Mine has a resistance of about 6 kilo-ohms at room temperature. This is not to say that all Samsung models have that value, but if you know enough to check that it is not entirely open circuit, or can get a friend with a simple multimeter to help, this is information you can use.

Easier is to realise that if it is open circuit, the panel displays on the freezer door will fail to initialise and the refrigerator will not start up. I actually used it to trick the fridge into starting when I had quite a lot disassembled. If too, the temperature reading is credible - like near room temperature with the fridge just started, then the possibility that the temperature sensor is at fault becomes fairly remote.

Much more serious and probably more common is that the fan behind the panel below the lamps panel is stopped, because of icing, because in turn, the drain is iced up right at the bottom. There is a heater (yes - right in the fridge) designed to prevent this icing, with part of its element going some way right down the tube.

From all my checks, it is clear that this heater is only turned on when deemed necessary, and if the ice-up is severe enough, the machine goes into runaway refrigeration mode, with the compressor running all the time, fridge apparently not getting much below room temperature, and the temperature at the base real cold. Look close around the bottom. Check for icing. Easy enough so far. The top panel can be taken off under the instructions "Changing the Interior Light", except they forget to mention the single screw at the top, in addition to all the clips lifted by the flat-bladed screwdriver.

At this point, I warn that clearing it manually is a non-trivial disassembly. Also, the foam seals, iced up, take all sorts of damage if panels are removed prematurely. Most folk would realise that by now, you are well into "take it to an expert" territory. You do not have to remove any panels to overcome this There are no instructions for "defrosting" these fridges. Its all supposed to be automatic. Unload the everything, plug out, leave the doors open, and wait a day.

I could not resist taking off the lower panel, and looking at the fan (forcing the pace with a hairdryer - but I do not suggest anyone else does quite what I might try!). The fan cavity had ice level just below the fan, clearly about to make it quit again). Especially I was impressed with the amount of ice blocking the metal heater plate at the bottom, behind the evaporator. All this stuff is all hidden. I feared re-starting the fridge without ensuring nothing behind there would have acquired bacterial qualities while defrosting. I wiped everything with methylated alcohol before re-assembly.

I must stress that going after the problem in this way is not for everybody. You encounter electrical connections, and sealed refrigerant pipes and tubes that MUST NOT be damaged in any way. The refrigerant is iso-butane (cooker gas!) It's flammable.
If you are sufficiently handy to recognise that this icing-up is indeed the problem you have, and the "unpower-and-wait" method seems simple enough, followed by a cleanup, then I hope this helps.

More about the Samsing Side-by-Side
The FAN, the FAN.. it can do things to make all sorts of other stuff look faulty.

I have discovered that one fan fault mode is to "sometimes work". Inside the fridge behind the shelves, and behind the plastic panel in the lower section covering the evaporator, is a little fan motor. This is a 12Volt d.c. motor with 3 wires to its connector. It is very likely the d.c. brushless type. It flows cold air to the upper part of the refrigerator.

It can find itself unable to start if it has a faulty phase, and happens to come to a halt at certain places. It will just twitch and vibrate to a halt. A little flick will start it, or moving it forward a little and applying power also works. Of course, none of this is possible when it is mounted in the fridge behind its panel inaccessible. The control electronics might routinely stop and start it, because there exist power control transistors to do just that. This is the way it can end up stopped, and the subsequent icing can ensure that it stays that way.

With a little care, the fan can be changed by the user. Four crosshead screws, and the certain knowledge that no part of the foam-strip seals are stuck in ice will release the panel. You may first have to remove a couple of screws holding the plastic chiller thing at the bottom. Pull the panel away slightly, and release the connector. All the connectors have barb-type plastic lock tangs, which let go if you squeeze the connector in the right way. You only have to look at them carefully, and you will know how.

The fan assembly is held in with 4 crosshead self-tapping screws. The motor end has another little connector, which you only see when you prize off the back plastic cover which also contains a little rubber central anti-noise mounting. Its all very obvious when you get a look at it.

You can get the fan (or any part) by mail order from support distributors near you if you call Samsung and ask for them. If you need on-site repair folk, they will provide a contact for that too. I intend to try the mail order route first... because I am like that.

I do hope this helps some.

Thanks GTRAX,
Your info was a great help. More confirmation though! I had already done what you suggested before reading this site as I had similar symptoms.:mad:
I have defrosted my fridge 3 times now over the last 6 weeks. I believe there is still a problem and am heading off to a specialist today armed with a photo (attached) of my fridge.
Cheers