Samsung freezers are designed to be cold. Still, it’s NOT normal for them to develop large ice buildups. So, if you’re wondering why your Samsung freezer is freezing up, this is the guide for you.
Due to incorrect use, Samsung freezers will freeze up, like leaving the door open for too long or loading hot food items directly into the appliance. Besides that, door seal issues or a lack of inside airflow can also cause the same problem. If the problem persists, check the drawer tracks for damage and that the defrost components are working correctly.
Keep reading as we explore the most likely causes for Samsung freezers freezing up and the solutions you can use to fix them.
How To Fix Samsung Refrigerator Freezing Up?
Whether you’re seeing the fridge or freezer compartment freezing up, the most likely reasons are incorrect usage, issues with the door seal, or a lack of inside airflow.
Let’s look at each of those possible causes, how they happen, and how you can fix them.
Read: All Known Samsung Refrigerator Problems
Incorrect Use
How this happens: Even though Samsung freezers and refrigerators are well-designed appliances, there’s still a right and a wrong way to use them. Unfortunately, some everyday user habits can easily cause the machine to freeze up with a growth of frost and ice where they don’t belong.
Two common mistakes that cause that problem are:
- Opening the door for too long: The longer the appliance door is open, the more warm air and moisture can find their way into the fridge or freezer compartment. That combination will quickly turn to frost, eventually building up to solid ice.
- Loading hot items directly into the fridge or freezer: Hot food is also another source of humidity that doesn’t belong inside the appliance. Worse yet, loading hot food directly into a refrigerator or freezer encourages bacteria growth, making it a health hazard.
How to fix it: Problems caused by incorrect use are pretty quick to fix, as they only require a change in your habits.
Firstly, make sure that you never open your refrigerator door for too long at one time. Doing so will allow too much hot air and moisture to enter the fridge compartment. Instead of leaving it open, close the door until you are sure there’s something inside that you need.
Since only a little bit of humidity enters the fridge, the appliance can still manage to dehydrate that air and prevent frost from building up.
As for handling hot food, be sure to let it cool down outside of the refrigerator first. Then, once it has reached room temperature, you can put it in the fridge to cool down further.
Connect with an Appliance Repair Tech
Click here to use the chatbox to speak with one of our technicians.
No in-home service calls. No appointments.
Read: Samsung Refrigerator Error Code 21 V – Troubleshooting Guide
Door Seal Issues
What it is: Each of the doors on your Samsung unit has a rubber door seal fitted into it. They’re designed to form an airtight seal between the door and the fridge body whenever you shut the door.
In doing so, door seals prevent any warm air or moisture from entering the fridge. At the same time, they also prevent any cold air inside from escaping, which helps maintain the temperatures inside.
How it fails: These door seals can suffer from two problems: getting warped or having foreign objects stuck in them. In both cases, the door seal can’t form the airtight seal between the door and the fridge unit.
As a result, warm air and moisture can find their way into the compartment and cause it to freeze up with ice and frost.
How to fix it: Firstly, inspect the door seal closely for any foreign objects that might have gotten lodged there. Wipe the door seal clean to clear off any dust and debris (like food bits).
Suppose the door seal is warped. In that case, you must replace it with a new one by pulling the existing one out and pressing a new one into its place.
When replacing door seals, remember to start from the corners. Once the new door seal is firmly secured in the corner, it’ll be much easier for you to secure the rest of the seal as well.
Read: Samsung Refrigerator Error Code 14 C – Troubleshooting Guide
Lack Of Inside Airflow
What it is: Remember: frost and ice build-up inside your freezer because there’s too much warm air and humidity that has flowed inside the compartment.
But even though airflow from the outside should be restricted, airflow within the compartment should be maximized. When air flows smoothly, any excess moisture will be removed naturally by the evaporator coils.
How it fails: Restricted airflow inside the fridge compartment happens when too many items are inside. The problem becomes worse when those items are disorganized, making it difficult for airflow through the vents and throughout the compartment.
Moisture can accumulate when airflow is restricted, particularly near the evaporator and air vents. Water will then turn to frost and then build up to become solid ice.
How to fix it: Airflow inside the compartment can be maximized with three steps. Firstly, avoid overloading the fridge or freezer with too many items at once. Any unnecessary items should be removed.
Next, ensure that the items inside are well-organized to allow for excellent airflow between containers. For example, food storage containers should be stacked neatly so that air can flow past and around them easily.
Connect with an Appliance Repair Tech
Click here to use the chatbox to speak with one of our technicians.
No in-home service calls. No appointments.
Lastly, keep clear of the vents. Ideally, you should leave 2 inches of space around any vents inside your Samsung unit.
Read: Samsung Refrigerator Error Code 25e – Troubleshooting Guide
Samsung Freezer Drawer Problems
A frozen up Samsung freezer often has a very unsuspecting cause: drawer problems. Freezer drawers are loaded onto tracks that allow you to pull them out quickly to reach the items inside. Unfortunately, any issues with those drawers or tracks can also lead to frost buildups.
That will also cause the unit to freeze up, even if the unit’s door seals are in excellent condition.
Here’s how:
Overloaded Drawers
How it fails: In the previous section, we’ve seen how overloaded drawers can restrict airflow and cause frost and ice buildup. However, overloading can also cause another two problems.
Firstly, an overloaded drawer could prevent you from sliding it all the way in. That will make it impossible to shut the door firmly to contain the cold air inside.
Secondly, exceeding the maximum weight of the drawer could also damage the tracks that support it (more on that below).
How to fix: To fix this problem and prevent it from happening, you must distribute the items evenly between different drawers. If possible, transfer some things between the freezer and the fridge to free up additional space.
Read: Your Refrigerator Freezing Food? Here Is How To Fix It
Damaged Tracks
What it is: The drawer tracks are crucial not only because they support the drawers but also because they let you slide them in and out. Doing so allows you to reach all parts of each drawer much more quickly.
How it fails: Overloaded drawers often carry too much weight. That can cause damage to the tracks that support them, leading to bent or broken tracks.
The drawers or broken tracks can prevent the compartment door from shutting entirely and forming a tight seal when that happens.
How to fix: If the tracks are slightly bent, you might be able to bend them back into shape. However, broken tracks must be replaced entirely.
To do that, first, remove the drawers from the compartment. Then, unscrew the affected tracks to remove them.
When you have the new tracks, you can screw them on both sides of the compartment the same as the old ones.
Read: Samsung Refrigerator Error Code 88 8a – Troubleshooting Guide
Samsung Refrigerator Defrost Problem
Let’s suppose that you’ve completed all of the troubleshooting steps above, yet your Samsung freezer is still freezing up. Then, it’s time to consider that you might be facing a defrost problem.
What it is: Your appliance has an automatic defrost cycle that runs once or more a day. The process is designed to melt away any frost and ice buildup before becoming severe enough to cause a problem.
How it fails: The defrost cycle can fail for several reasons, including due to a damaged heating element or temperature sensor.
Whatever the cause, if the defrost cycle does not start or fails to complete, ice buildup will not melt away while it’s still minor. Over an extended period, that will lead to the freezer freezing up entirely.
How to fix it: The solution here is to troubleshoot and repair the defrost components in your appliance. Before you can do that, you’ll need to shut off your freezer and leave the door open to melt the existing ice away first.
