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The freezer is a separate compartment in your refrigerator because it must maintain temperatures below freezing. That way, it can store your items safely for extended periods. But when the freezer isn’t cold enough, you’ve got a problem that needs troubleshooting.
The freezer compartment isn’t cold enough because the temperature is incorrectly set or there’s not enough room for cold air to flow freely. A failed evaporator or condenser fan could be to blame if that’s not the issue. Dirty condenser coils can also prevent the freezer from getting rid of its heat. Finally, a faulty thermostat could cause an undercooling condition in the freezer.
This guide will walk you through a step-by-step process so you can troubleshoot the problem and solve it confidently. Keep reading to find out more!
Why Is My Samsung Refrigerator Freezer Not Cold Enough?
Your freezer is meant to store food items for the long term. So, the compartment must always be within freezing temperatures.
If that’s not the case, here are the steps you can take to troubleshoot and resolve the issue:
Step 1: Optimize Temperature And Airflow
A lack of cooling in your freezer isn’t necessarily a technical issue. So, before you start troubleshooting its mechanical components, start by handling the basics: temperature and airflow.
Firstly, check that your freezer’s temperature settings aren’t too high. A freezer should always be set at 0° F or lower to provide safe long-term storage for your food. A warm freezer could simply be due to an incorrectly set temperature.
Besides that, another crucial factor is airflow. Even if the freezer’s cooling system is in excellent working condition, the compartment will feel warm if the air can’t circulate freely.
For instance, packing your freezer with too many items will prevent cold air from evenly distributing throughout the compartment. Or, items inside might be blocking the air vents, preventing any cold air from coming out.
What you can do: Firstly, check and adjust the temperature settings specific to the freezer compartment. Remember that the refrigerator and freezer compartments have separate temperature settings.
Then, rearrange your items so that there are at least 2 inches of space around the air vents. There should also be enough gaps between the objects so cold air can flow evenly to all parts of the freezer.
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Read: 5 Reasons Why Samsung Fridge Not Cooling + Service Manual + DIY Heater
Step 2: Check The Fans
After checking the temperature settings and airflow, the next thing to troubleshoot is the fans. Your appliance has two types of fans that you must be aware of, which are:
- The evaporator fan: This fan is inside the freezer compartment by the evaporator coils. It blows air through those coils to drive cold air into the compartment and distribute it all around.
- The condenser fan: This fan sits at the condenser outside the appliance, typically concealed at its rear section. The condenser releases hot air into the surrounding environment with the help of that fan which drives air through the condenser coils.
A failure at one or both of those fans will cause your freezer to become warm. When the evaporator fan fails, the freezer compartment won’t receive any supply of cold air.
Meanwhile, a failed condenser fan prevents the cooling system from releasing heat. Instead, the hot coolant will continue circulating through the system, preventing the compartments from receiving any cold air.
What you can do: Firstly, check that the evaporator and condenser fans are working. If a fan doesn’t turn on even after an extended period, its motor has likely burned out and needs to be replaced with a new one.
Read: How To Setup WiFi On Samsung Refrigerators?
Step 3: Clean Condenser Coils
In Step 2, you read that the condenser coils are where hot coolant flows to dump its heat into the surrounding air. Those coils are located externally to release heat into the surrounding air.
However, the constant flow of external air through the coils results in a dust buildup. The dust gets stuck onto the coils, eventually becoming more severe until all the coils are fully covered in dust.
When that happens, the coils can’t release heat as efficiently as they should. That will keep the coolant hot even when it circulates back into the freezer compartment, leaving it warmer than it should be.
What you can do: You can fix this problem by cleaning your condenser coils. Firstly, grab a vacuum to remove the more significant bits of dust that are still loose. Then, use a brush to agitate the dust that’s a little bit more stubborn and harder to get off the coils.
That will restore the condenser coil’s ability to release heat into the air.
This problem can be prevented easily. All you have to do is repeat this cleaning process once a month to prevent dust from building up on the coils. Doing that will keep the appliance running optimally while keeping the freezer cold.
Read: 3 Ways How To Reset Samsung Refrigerator Ice Maker?
Step 4: Test For A Faulty Thermostat
Suppose you’ve completed Steps 1-3, and your freezer is still warm. In that case, you’ll have to troubleshoot the thermostat inside the compartment.
The thermostat is designed to measure the freezer compartment’s temperature and feed that information to the main control board. The board will then use that data to adjust the cooling system to reach or maintain your set temperature.
When the thermostat is faulty and sends incorrect information, the fridge could unknowingly keep the freezer warmer than it should be.
You’ll find the thermostat concealed behind the freezer’s back panel.
What you can do: A faulty thermostat is not something you can repair or service, so a replacement is the only option. That’s why you’ll want to be sure that it’s the root cause by testing it with a
If there is no continuity, the thermostat is no longer doing what it’s meant to do.
Read: What Is Samsung Refrigerator Defrost Mode And How To Activate? – Troubleshooting Guide
Final Thoughts
The freezer compartment in your refrigerator must maintain freezing temperatures to store your food safely. When it’s too warm, you’ll have to troubleshoot the problem step-by-step to find and resolve the root cause.
Start by ensuring that the freezer temperature is set correctly and that cold air can move freely inside the compartment. Then, inspect the evaporator fan (inside the compartment) and condenser fan (outside the appliance at the rear) to ensure that the cooling system receives enough airflow at both those points.
When all else fails, test the thermostat inside to see if it needs replacing.
Read: Why Samsung Refrigerator Ice Maker Freezing Up? – Troubleshooting Guide
