Samsung Refrigerator Problems

[eurekastar]

I need a little advice!  I'm visiting my Mom this week and she has a Samsung side by side refrigerator that's having problems.  The Freezer side is working fine; however, the refrigerator side will only cool to about 57 degrees.  The model tag says it was manufactured in January 2012, so it is almost seven years old. 

 

Should I try to have it serviced or should I just buy her something new?  I have a service call scheduled but no one can get to it for about two weeks!  I think I could fix it but I unfortunately don't have the time.  Plus, I might make the problem worse!  LOL!  And I would have to order the parts and I couldn't really work on it until Christmas. 

 

I had an LG refrigerator serviced last year and that was a $500 repair bill.  That repair lasted six months and I wasn't willing to plunk down more money so I bought a new fridge. 

 

Thanks for any thoughts!

 

[rp2813]

Junk it.  Because that's what it is, just like your LG was.  I recommend a new fridge that's Whirlpool sourced.  It won't be entirely made in USA, but it will be superior in every way to any Korean fridge, and parts/service will be a lot easier to come by if needed.

 

[mattl]

Odds are there is a blockage between the freezer and fridge section..  There is often a damper that can get iced up and it can block the circulation.  Either empty it out and let it defrost or aim a hair dryer in the opening where cold air enters the fridge section.

 

[rp2813]

Matt's advice is worth a try.  It might get you a few more months out of this fridge ;-) .  If it's like the poorly designed French door Samsung that came with the house we bought (I got rid of it and brought our 2009 KA SxS in to replace it), the digital controls don't let you adjust the temperatures much in one direction or the other, and the adjusting increments are two degrees at a time. 

 

The freezer might be too cold, regardless of what the readout may say.  Stick a thermometer in with some of the contents, like between bags of frozen vegetables or whatever, and check the temperature that way.

 

[lorainfurniture]

Samsung

It’s very likely it’s a dual evaporator unit. If you look closely at the vent holes you will see they are plugged up with ice. This fridge has a very common problem where the defrost drain gets clogged and makes the fridge warm up. You can:

1. Unplug it over night and it will start working again (problem is not solved) leave fridge door open.
2, remove the back panel in the fridge section and clear the drain. You will also have to access the back and open up the duckbill on the drain. It’s 45 minutes tops and only about 2 dollars in parts if needed.

I wouldn’t trash the fridge for such an easy repair. All the technicians who say the Korean appliances are junk simply don’t understand how they work, nor do they know how to repair them.

If you paid a competent technician it would run you a few hundred bucks, only bc I know I can charge whatever I want as I’m the only guy around willing to work on them.

 

[eurekastar]

I took the rear panel off and defrosted it with a hair dryer and then let it set with the door open for a few hours.  I then reassembled it and it still isn't cooling.  Periodically, it makes a loud noise too like the report of a small handgun.  I canceled the service call and bought her a new fridge.  I had them move the old fridge to a storage closet.  When I have time this summer, I'll try and fix it myself so that she can have an extra fridge for large gatherings. 

 

[rp2813]

Smart move.

 

[dermacie]

I have one from the same era and it does the same thing it’s JUNK.

 

[lorainfurniture]

Clogged drains

Happen on every refrigerator ever built. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying that Samsung is the best appliance, in fact, I don’t really care for them. There are worse ones out there.

Haier
Vissani
Modern ge’s

Etc.

Whirlpool is ok but it has a failure rate on par with the Koreans.

 

[eurekastar]

Planned Obsolescence

Planned obsolescence is the name of the game today.  My Mom's Samsung is repairable but the issue is timely service and cost of parts.  We'll see how long her new Whirlpool lasts. 

 

When my own LG went on the fritz last year, I waited a week for a service call.  Then I had to pay for the parts up front before they were ordered and sent to my house.  Ten days later, another technician came out to install the parts.  With the original service call and parts, I paid over $500 for the repair of a four year old refrigerator that had already been repaired once before that.  Six months later, it went out a third time and that's when I bought a new fridge!  Unfortunately, the  new fridge at my house is Samsung!  LOL!  Let's see how long it lasts!

 

In a culture that emphasizes green living, I wonder how much impact planned obsolescence has on the environment.  I know many old appliances are recycled but how many just sit around and rust, get dumped in land fills, etc.  I wonder too if some of the shortened life of appliances is due to government regulations and how they impact the quality of new products.  Government regulations add additional cost thus forcing manufacturers to cut corners and quality.  I don't know for sure.  I'm not smart enough to know the answers to any of those questions or even if my analysis is on target!