SAMSUNG
Model Number:RF267AERS/XAA
Main Symptom:ICE /WATER BUILD UNDER COOL SELECT TRAY
What happens & when:WEEKLY
Error Code (if any):
Parts or tests already tried:
Photos / video link:
Ice and water build up under the cool select tray. Issue is progressively getting worse. Refrigerator settings are as recommended by Samsung -2 freezer 38 refrigerator. Kit added to help with drainage.
What you’re describing sounds exactly like a clogged defrost drain. Every time your refrigerator goes into its automatic defrost cycle, the frost on the evaporator melts and drips into the silver drain tray underneath the evaporator. From there, the water flows through the drain hole into a tube that runs down to the drain pan underneath the refrigerator. The heat from the compressor and condenser coils then evaporates the water, so you never have to empty the pan. This also applies to the refrigerator evaporator and defrost drain.
If that drain hole or tube gets clogged with ice or debris, the water has nowhere to go. Instead, it backs up into the drain tray and eventually refreezes into a block of ice. As more defrost cycles occur, the ice gets larger until the water starts overflowing the tray. That’s when you’ll notice water leaking inside the freezer, into the fresh food section on some models, or eventually onto the floor around the refrigerator.
The good news is it’s usually pretty straightforward to clear.
Start by unplugging the refrigerator and removing the rear panel inside the freezer to expose the evaporator and the silver drain tray underneath it. If the drain is frozen over, use hot water with a turkey baster or squeeze bottle, or carefully use a hair dryer, to melt the ice around the drain opening.
Once you can see the drain hole, flush it with hot water. If the water doesn’t drain right away, there’s still a blockage in the tube. A flexible drain brush or a piece of weed trimmer line works great for clearing the clog. I don’t recommend using metal wire since it can puncture the drain tube.
Keep flushing the drain with hot water until it flows freely. You should be able to hear the water dripping into the drain pan underneath the refrigerator. If you can, pull the refrigerator out and verify that water is making it all the way into the drain pan.
After the drain is flowing freely, reinstall the freezer panel, plug the refrigerator back in, and you should be good to go.
If the drain keeps freezing shut after you’ve cleaned it, there may be a missing or damaged drain heat probe (also called a drain strap) that’s designed to transfer a little heat from the defrost heater into the drain opening to keep it from icing over. Not every model uses one, but it’s worth checking if the problem comes back.