Samurai Appliance Repair Man's Blog

This fix is for the Samsung-built refrigerators (includes some GE's) with two evaporator coils: one in the freezer compartment and a second one in the beer compartment (most refrigerators just have a single evaporator coil in the freezer compartment).  

The problem here is that ice would be left in the condensate drain pan after defrost (see below) which would build up to a solid chunk of ice.  

Here's a clever, low-cost solution:

well I am back as prommised... great news....

well after 2.5 months I can say it is a fix indeed.    I never lasted 6 weeks and the normal was 3 weeks.

so if you are giving up with all fixes because everything works like  mine did but always froze up do this.   do the soldering when the fridge  is off.   here are some pictures.  

this one shows the ice left after a defrost cycle, this should not be  there.   It is a problem.  you can see to the left it doid melt some  ice, but there is still a section that is just going to keep building  because it did not melt through a complete defrost cycle. I have  higher resolution pictures at a link at the bottom of the post.  


below is the 2.2 k ohm resistor in series.    do it with power  unplugged.   just cut one yellow wire close to the connector and solder a  10 cent resistor in and tape it



here is a modification to the heat sink.    I added some aluminum  flashing to make contact on both heater bars to transfer heat to the  lower part to melt the ice.    make sure you have a curve contact on the  bars for better contact area.   not shown is I have a tapered small tab  on that flashing that also goes into the drain hole to make sure the  drain hole is kept from being frozen

I also added a heat sink to the left, it was not making good contact  with the sheet metal, so I made a piece that made more contact and  stopped it from being a hot spot.   which could cause that area to burn  out. they tried to do it all with the rivited points, that just is  not a lot of contact area.  

I bought the aluminum flashing at Ace hardware, but bet you can get small sheets at hobby shops.  



here is a bending of the upper tabs to make better contact and allow the  water to drop to the bottom during the defrost vs handing on after the  defrost and freezing and adding humidity.  i only did this on the top  row.   i did not bend the one on the left yet and you can see the water droplet right behind it.  


here are higher resolution photos if you need them click below
fridge

Source: defrost failure samsung model RS2555SL

... IS THIS THE SAME PROBLEM AS GE AND THEIR DAMPER MOTORS?

Yes.  There's a tech bulletin out on this.  You need to replace the autodamper assembly.

One year warranty on the part and you can return it for a refund if it doesn't fix the problem.  


Source: maytag side by side MZD2768GE FREEZING PRODUCT IN REFRIGERATOR SECTION

This is the kind where the engineers were smokin' some goot sheet and decided to make the defrost heater and integral part of the evaporator coil, I guess under the delusion that the heater would never burn out. I gotta git me some o' dat! Anyway, the replacement procedure is a bit more involved that in most other refrigerators. Now, for the first time ever in the Universe, Sublime Master of Appliantology Certified Tech Group 51 reveals his patented technique.

A few extra tips........

...bend the tabs a bit...


....grind  the offending rivets off from both the old and new heaters...


.......

..the wire will need to be rerouted, I just removed the pin from the connector,
did not want to cut and reconnect the wire..
I got more pics. if'n you gets stuck .....keep us posted....

Source: Samsung Ref Model #RS265LABP

Service Test Mode:
The service test functions are performed using the refrigerator display and keypad.
Enter the Service Test Mode by performing the following sequence of events.
1. Open the Fresh Food door and press and hold the Door Alarm keypad DoorAlarm .
2. Press and hold Refrigerator Temperature UP keypad .
3. Release the Door Alarm Keypad DoorAlarm and wait 3 seconds.
4. Press the Refrigerator UP Keypad again.
5. Display will show 001 in left display and numeric or dashes in right display.
6. Press Freezer Up keypad and Freezer Down keypad to toggle through Service Test numbers.

Service Test – 101 Defrost Heater & Defrost Circuit
• Press the Refrigerator Up keypad and Refrigerator Down keypad to energize or de-energize the Defrost circuit.
The display will read OFF when de-energized OP when energized with open defrost thermostat and CL when energized with closed defrost thermostat.

Service Test – 102 Compressor / Condenser Fan
• Press the Refrigerator Up keypad and Refrigerator Down keypad to toggle Compressor/Condenser fan On and Off.

Source: Maytag mfd2561hes fridge and freezer not cooling and compress fan not running

Symptom - fridge section too cold, food freezes and unable to adjust temperature to warmer temperature

Cause - small spring within damper control unit disconnected causing damper flap to be open all the time, causing too much cold air to flowninto from freezer section into fridge section.

Fix - reconnected small spring that holds the damper flap up within damper control unit (Maytag Part No. 67001041 Control, Damper).

Tips
1. obtain copy of service manual for 19, 20 and 22 cubic foot bottom-mount Amana and Maytag refrigerators, which shows disassembly procedure;
2. obtain copy of part schematic for Maytag PBB1951GRB;
3. remove all top shelf from inside fridge for adequate working room and unplug the fridge (to prevent electrical shock);
4. take your time removing the light shield, damper control cover, foam insert, belt tensioner, belt and knob, and damper control unit and don't force anything;
5. mark the belt and cog on top of the damper control unit for alignment before taking them off;
6. when removing damper control unit, take care not to drop or lose that little spring;
7. reset freezer and refrigerator temperature settings back to 4 each;
8. after reassembly and plugging the refrigerator back in, allow a few hours before adjusting temperature control settings up/down one setting at each adjustment until desired temperatures reached;
9. use a fridge thermometer in both freezer and refrigerator sections to check temperature levels while adjusting.

Source: Maytag Refrigerator PBB1951GRB Bottom-Mount