Brother Scott-afl ran into some unexpected trouble when trying to extend the defrost cycle on a Samsung RF28HFEDBSR/AA refrigerator. In his words:

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I ran self diagnostics, and got a 5 C error and a 22 C error. One is a FF def sensor error, and the other was a FF fan error. I put in the customer's original FF fan, and the fan error disappeared. Side Note: service manual says error codes end in E, not C.

So I told customer I would do the DA82-01415A drain kit, DA32-00006S temp sensor on suction line below ridge, add the putty around the refrigerant lines coming through back wall, and add the additional defrost cycle with the following key dance: (if keys are numbered 1-3 top to bottom on left and right sides), L2 and R1 until 0 and 0 are displayed and display beeps, keep on holding until it beeps a second time, then press R2 until 17 is displayed on the right hand side of display, then press L2 so 1 is displayed instead of 0, then unplug appliance for 15-30 seconds.

Two puzzling things here:

First, why the difference in the error code reporting? It's a minor point, but that E/C difference seems odd.

Second, why is the procedure for extending the defrost not working, despite multiple attempts at following the instructions in the manual?

Both of these discrepancies boiled down to one thing: poorly labeled service documentation.

See, when Samsung puts out one of their manuals, they provide a whole range of models that it applies to. And sometimes, this means that one model could get covered by several different manuals, all with slight differences in the details. Samsung isn't the only brand that does this -- in fact, most brands are guilty of this.

After a little digging, we figured out that there was another manual that applied to this model -- in fact, one that didn't list the exact model for this unit, but applied more closely to it nonetheless. In that manual, it stated that error codes could end in either an E or a C. That's one mystery solved!

Brother Vance R swooped in with the answer to our second quandary. With regard to the extended defrost procedure, he said:

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next is wait 5 seconds until display returns to temperature setting, reset by unplugging for 2 minutes and then plugging it back in.

He went on to explain that this additional step of the procedure is only shown in a specific service bulletin. Again, Samsung wasn't too careful about labelling this information so that servicers could easily find it.

With some better information at his disposal, Scott-afl was at last equipped to do the correct procedure for extending this fridge's defrost.

It's not just Samsung-- with every brand, you'll run into service manuals that cover such a broad range of models that they might not have all the correct details for the one you're working on.

The moral of the story: Understanding the technology you're working with empowers you to more readily spot these discrepancies. And the Appliantology Beverens got your back. 

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