Why does the defrost cycle melt ice in ice maker bin and drips water down on food?

First, I'm not a Samsung representative.
* Check your warranty. Call for support;
* Contact;https://www.samsung.com/us/support/home-appliances/refrigerators

*** The following is for information only.***
* The symptom of melted ice and water dripping from tray is usually caused by several things;
* Most common is ice build up in freezer coils. This happens every time the door is opened. Ice builds up on coils but is normally removed during a daily defrost cycle.
* The cycle may be unable to defrost all ice due to bad air circulation. Usually caused by rubbish blocking fan intake (bottom of freezer tray or wall.) Overloading food may cover the intake.
* Remove all food from freezer. Check for fan blockage. There should be a steady flow of cold air. If not then your freezer needs to be defrosted.
* Defrost by moving all frozen food to fridge side or cooler. Unplug fridge and open freezer door (drawer). Allow room air to circulate into the freezer. Use a house fan to blow air into freezer. (DO NOT use Hair dryer! It will damage panels.)
* Check and remove melted ice water. Check inner panels of freezer. Once defrosted the panels will be room temperature to the touch. There should not be any condensation or coldness to the panel. If it's still cold then keep defrosting.
* Once the water stops dripping. then close freezer doors.
* plug in freezer and wait 5 mins. Check freezer if inside is cold and the air is blowing cold. Reload freezer with food, take care not to overload or cover fan intake. Monitor for 2 days.

* Cleaning (Official); https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AooBAPlk-Ts
* French door drawer; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ZYLIRN_pk0
* Removing trays; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VxTliAhbr14
* Cleaning the back with a vacuum cleaner; https://www.hunker.com/13419629/how-to-clean-samsung-refrigerator-coils

* Freezer not blowing air or not cold? Bad fan, thermostat, pump. Call for service.
Aloha, ukeboy57

This could be because the ice is clumped in the ice bin. When the automatic defrost cycle occurs, heat is transferred to the freezer area. This can cause the cubes to melt slightly and refreeze back together. You can take the bin out and give it a good shake, or simply discard the cubes and start over with a fresh batch of ice cubes. By increasing the amount of food in the freezer compartment, you may be able to buffer the heat that comes from the defrost cycle and avoid clumping issues.
If you have a large ice bin and hardly use any ice, it is possible that the cubes have gotten stuck together just from the weight of the cubes on top of others.

Check the drip tray in the freezer section where defrost water drips from the defrost heater melting frost during the defrost cycle. If ice blocks the drain hole in the tray inside the freezer(usually behind the evaporator cover) the defrost water will travel into the bottom of the freezer & onto your floor. Some models also have a second evaporator in the fresh food section. A blocked drain or clogged defrost drain tube can cause the problem.

It's likely due to a problem in the defrost drain or a leak in the ice maker. You may be able to solve such problems quite quickly, possibly in just a few steps. Have the owner's manual available to help you find

Some models have a selector switch to allow for a manual defrost cycle. If your freezer has this setting (check your owner's manual), ensure that the switch wasn't set to defrost accidentally. If the freezer was in a defrost cycle, check it in about an hour to ensure it is working.

When the defrost system kicks in, frost buildup on the evaporator coils melts and water is collected in a trough beneath it-more than usual. It is funneled through a defrost drain tube or channel down the back of your refrigerator and collected in a drain pan, where it is then left to evaporate.

Often, the defrost cycle turns off before the water can finish draining, and the refrigerator continues to cool. Ice buildup then forms along the system, and eventually water collects and puddles in the bottom of the refrigerator as melted ice continues to drip from the evaporator coils.

If there is ice buildup, allow the unit to thaw:
1. Remove food from the entire unit, storing it in coolers packed with ice, and remove the freezer shelves. Unplug the unit.
2. Using a screwdriver, remove the panel inside the freezer at the back to access the evaporator coils and trough.
3. Leave open the doors and allow the ice in the trough and along the defrost drain system to thaw by itself. This should take several hours. Note: Keep plenty of towels around and be prepared for the drain pan to fill quickly.
4. When thawing is complete, replace the panel and restore power to the unit. When it is cooling again, replace the food.
For more troubleshooting steps and simple solutions, read Freezer leaking water. I hope this helps!

Hello,

Clearing the ice build up is a good start,the problem though is the drain pan under the coil in the freezer thats iced up is blocked so when the defrost heater comes on and melts the frost from that coil,it the water is collecting in the freezer and in many cases drips into the fresh food compartment,clearing the drain will resolve your leaking/ice build up issue.THE DEFROST HEATER IS GOOD melting the frost in the first place and hence forth that melted frost stays in the freezer and becomec ice.

Gene

You have a leaking valve allowing to much water into into the tray. Its fairly easy to change out. It could also be the defrost terminator is allowing it to stay in defrost too long. If it is only the water, yet ice cream stays hard, it is for sure the valve which is about $30.00. It is located in the back down at right corner. just pull off plugs and replace with new one.

how is the food?is the ice cream getting soft? are you just having problems with the ice melting?you could have a bad water valve,water could be leaking past the valve,overflowing into the bin and will drip down,with the heater it's gonna work or not work when it should,there's a heater in the ice maker also

Yes it is supposed to. Your evaporator coils frost up in normal use and every eight hours or so the entire unit shuts down and the defrost heater comes on to melt the frost. This cycle last about 20 minutes. The melted frost drips into a drain pan and through a drain tube to the drain tray under the freezer/refrigerator where it's evaporated by the condenser fan.


If it seems to defrost too long and start thawing the contents then the defrost thermsotat may be bad. It's purpose is to stop the defrost heater when the temp reaches around 32 degrees. If it doesn't work the heater will stay on for the entire defrost cycle and possible melt things.
Check here for how to check it and where it is. http://www.acmehowto.com/howto/appliance/refrigerator/refrigerator.php

I assume you're talking about the ice dispenser and the ice bin being frozen over.
The water inlet valve on the back of the unit where the water supply comes in can have a slow leak and will cause ice to buildup and block the fill tube and causing the water to spill into the ice bin. Disconnect the ice maker line from the valve and watch to see if it has a slow drip. It doesn’t take much to eventually block the fill tube.

If it overfills and drips, look for an adjustment behind the plastic endcover with a +/- on it. - is less water.

When the freezer goes through the defrost cycle, the water collects in the defrost drain pan and drains into a pan underneath the unit where it evaporates over time. If the defrost drain pan is clogged, the water will fill the pan where it will freeze. Once the pan is full of ice, the water from the defrost cycle will run over the pan and down into the fresh food section. This will require that the drain pan be clean of the ice and the drain tube cleared of ice and debris.
Hope this helps.