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When you notice your Samsung fridge getting warm, it’s possible that the fan inside has stopped working. A faulty fridge fan will prevent the appliance from getting cold enough to store your food items safely. So, you must troubleshoot and fix the problem as soon as possible.
When your Samsung fridge fan stops working, it’s likely because of an ice buildup or foreign object preventing the fan blades from turning. The same problem can also happen when the fan motor burns out or if the door switch fails. Lastly, a faulty main control board can fail to power the fan and turn it on.
This guide will show you how to troubleshoot your Samsung fridge fan and get it working again.
Why Is My Samsung Fridge Fan Not Working?
As you might imagine, there are a handful of different reasons the fan in your Samsung fridge won’t work. However, some causes are more severe than others.
So, here are the most likely reasons preventing your fridge fan from turning:
Ice Buildup Around Evaporator Fan
What this part does: Firstly, let’s be clear about what the fan is meant to do inside your Samsung fridge compartment. The fan inside, known as the ‘evaporator fan’, turns to distribute cold air from the evaporator.
Firstly, it does that by blowing air past the cold evaporator coils. But, more importantly, the fan continues spinning so that the cold air reaches all corners of the fridge compartment.
The fan ensures that all items cool down evenly while preventing warm spots from developing in the fridge.
What’s likely happening: The first and most likely reason your Samsung fridge fan stops working is that a buildup of ice continues to form around the fan blades.
Over an extended period, that ice buildup becomes more significant to the point that it prevents the fan blades from turning.
That will cause two things to happen. Firstly, you’ll likely hear a knocking sound coming from inside the fridge compartment. Then, not long after that, you’ll find that the fan can’t turn at all, and the fridge compartment fails to cool down.
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How you can fix it: You can fix this problem by melting the ice buildup until the fan can turn freely again. There are a few ways you can do that, depending on how much time and effort you’d like to put into it.
The most straightforward way is to defrost your Samsung refrigerator. That’s as easy as turning the appliance off and leaving the door open.
Alternatively, you can also remove the affected fan and defrost it separately. However, that will require you to remove the back panel to access the fan before disconnecting and dismounting it.
Read: Samsung Fridge Not Cooling After Power Outage – How To RESET?
Foreign Object Stuck In Fan
What’s likely happening: Although less likely, it’s also possible that a foreign object has gotten itself stuck inside your fridge fan. Items that are strong enough can prevent the fan blades from turning, preventing the fan from working at all.
For example, cardboard pieces from food boxes can break off and get lodged in the fridge fan.
How you can fix it: The solution to this problem is straightforward but not necessarily easy. First, you’ll have to remove the foreign objects from the fan.
Before doing that, make sure that you’ve disconnected the fridge from its power supply. That’ll reduce any risk of injuries to your fingers when you’re trying to fix the problem.
Read: Why Samsung Fridge Is Making “JackHammer” Noise?
Burnt-Out Fan Motor
What this part does: Your Samsung fridge fan consists of 2 parts: the fan blades and the fan motor. When the fan receives electrical power from the fridge, it’ll turn the blades that drive air to where it needs to be.
What’s likely happening: Another possible reason your fridge fan isn’t working is that the motor has burned out. Typically, that happens because of a short circuit, like during a power surge.
However, the same can also happen from the ice buildup mentioned in the previous section. As ice builds around the fan, the motor has to work extra hard to turn the fan blade. The motor can burn out if that goes on for too long.
There are a few telltale signs that you can look out for in this case. For example, a burned-out motor will give off a burnt smell when you open the fridge door.
Besides that, you might also see burn marks on the motor itself when you inspect it closely.
How you can fix it: When you find that the fan motor is burned out, there’s no other solution than to replace it with a new one.
The first step is to remove the rear panel inside the fridge compartment. Doing that allows you to reach the fan motor, which you can then disconnect and remove.
Then, install the new fan in the same place and replace the panel that you took off earlier.
Read: 3 Reasons Why Samsung Fridge Is Not Making/Dispensing Ice
Failed Door Switch
What this part does: Here’s 1 thing you need to know about your Samsung fridge fan. The fan only turns on when you close the fridge doors. So that’s why another component that factors into this situation is the door switch.
Simply put, the door switch tells the main control board whether or not you’ve closed the fridge door. When you do, that triggers the fan to turn on.
What’s likely happening: Let’s suppose you’ve checked and found that there’s nothing wrong with the fan. In that case, it’s likely the door switch preventing the fan from turning on.
When the door switch fails, it’ll mistakenly tell the main control board that the fridge doors are still open. As a result, the main control board never supplies power to the fans.
How you can fix it: In this case, you’ll need to diagnose and replace the door switch. You can find it inside the fridge door, somewhere at the top.
Firstly, you’ll have to open the door’s top panel to access the wiring inside. That will allow you to detach and remove the door switch so you can test it with a multimeter for electrical continuity.
Once you’ve confirmed that the door switch is to blame, replace it with a new one.
Read: 3 Reasons Why Samsung Fridge Is Making Vibrating Noise
Faulty Main Control Board
What this part does: The main control board is the brain inside your Samsung fridge. It’s a small printed circuit board (PCB) that controls every component and function in the appliance to keep your food items cool.
What’s likely happening: Assuming you’ve finished ruling out all of the above first, your main control board may have developed a fault. One or more of its components could have experienced a short circuit or other forms of damage. In turn, that will prevent the fridge from turning on the fridge fan as it should.
How you can fix it: Unfortunately, you cannot repair a faulty main control board. That’s why you must be absolutely sure that it’s the root cause by ruling all other likely causes first. Once you’re sure, you’ll have to replace the board with a new one.
You’ll find the main control board on the back of your Samsung refrigerator. The fridge houses the board in a separate compartment, covered by an access panel.
Remove the panel, then disconnect all of the electrical wirings inside. Then, free the board by pressing the clips that hold it in place.
After that, push the new board into place and reconnect the wiring the same way as before.
Read: How To Reset Samsung Fridge?
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Troubleshooting your Samsung fridge fan can be pretty tricky. So here are a few additional questions and answers that you’ll find helpful.
Does A Samsung Refrigerator Have A Fan?
Yes, there are 2 fans in your Samsung refrigerator. The first is the evaporator fan that’s located inside the fridge compartments. The second is the condenser fan at the back of your refrigerator unit, next to the compressor.
How Do I Get To The Fan In My Samsung Refrigerator?
You’ll have to remove the rear panel inside the fridge compartment to access the evaporator fan. That means you’ll also have to empty the compartment and remove the shelves beforehand.
The condenser fan is behind the fridge at the bottom. You’ll find it directly next to your fridge’s compressor.
What Causes Fan Noise In Samsung Refrigerators?
When you hear a noise coming from your Samsung fridge fan, it’s typically because something is getting in the way of the fan blades. That could be a buildup of ice or a foreign object that’s somehow gotten stuck inside.
What Happens When A Refrigerator Fan Stops Working?
When your Samsung refrigerator fan stops working, it can’t cool down to reach your set temperature. As a result, the inside of your fridge will be a lot warmer than it should be.
How Do I Know If My Refrigerator Condenser Fan Motor Is Bad?
You can inspect your fridge condenser fan at the back of the appliance. That fan should click on whenever the compressor turns on. If that doesn’t happen, that’s a sign that the condenser fan motor is bad.
