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Refrigerators are not always perfect.
At times, things will go wrong and you end up finding yourself with bad food.
Now, if your Samsung bottom freezer ice maker is not working, there are things you need to check- and fix.
Read on to find out how you can make Samsung bottom freezer ice maker work again…
Samsung bottom freezer ice maker not working – what to do
Check if the ice maker is turned on
Samsung refrigerators normally have an Ice On/Ice Off icon. In other models, it is usually a button. Nonetheless, this feature toggles the ice maker on and off.
Locate this icon/button and press it to start your ice maker.
You will know you have turned the ice maker on if you hear the water valve energize to fill the ice maker.
Reset the ice maker
At times, the ice maker will experience an electrical glitch and you have to reset it. There are two ways that you can go about this…
Samsung bottom freezer ice maker reset via test button
Start by locating the test button on your ice maker (you might need to remove the ice bucket to access the ice maker).
On your ice maker, you should see a small black arrow showing you the test button.
In most cases, you will find this button on the side of your ice maker.
Next, press and hold this button till you hear a chime – takes around ten seconds.
Now, if you had removed the ice bucket, you will need to reinsert it. This is because the ice maker will undergo some steps that include dropping ice in the bucket.
During this stage, you might also hear the water valve energize as it fills the ice maker.
Once the reset is done, you will hear another chime indicating that your ice maker has fully reset.
Alternative reset procedure – power cycle the refrigerator
Power cycling the refrigerator will reset everything including the ice maker.
To go about this, disconnect the unit from the power source and wait for five minutes.
After resetting the ice maker, let it sit for around eight hours to give it time to resume normal ice production.
2. Check the temperatures inside your freezer
Your ice maker issues might be stemming from a warm freezer.
For a bottom freezer ice maker to produce ice, it needs the freezer temperatures to be at least 0⁰F.
Consequently, if your temperature is higher than this, you will need to lower it to 0⁰F.
3. Close the ice maker flap
It is possible that warm air is entering your freezer every time you open the freezer door.
To tackle this, most Samsung ice makers have a flap that prevents cool air from exiting the ice maker. Additionally, the flap keeps warm air out.
Bearing that in mind, open your freezer and inspect the ice chute – the flap should be flush against the housing.
If it is not flush, confirm that there is no ice blocking it – if there is, be sure to remove it.
4. Samsung bottom freezer ice maker not getting water
Another common reason for your Samsung bottom freezer ice maker not working is that it could not be getting any water.
Mostly, this will stem from three reasons:
- The water pressure is not enough.
- You have a frozen water line or ice maker
- Faulty, clogged or generic water filter.
Check the water pressure
Normally, Samsung recommends a water pressure of at least 20psi for normal functioning of the ice maker.
As such, use a water pressure gauge to test the pressure in your water line. If it is below 20, be sure to increase it.
You can do this by confirming that the water valve is fully opened. If it is, you will need to increase the pressure from the source.
Check for a frozen water line/ice maker – Samsung bottom freezer ice maker frozen
Other times, it simply could be that your ice maker or water line is frozen.
To know if this is the issue, simply look inside the refrigerator and especially around the ice maker. If there are signs of frosting, you just found your culprit.
Consequently, you will need to defrost your unit. To do this, you can unplug the refrigerator and let it sit overnight.
Alternatively, you can perform a manual defrost which is faster hence saving you time-Read our previous article: How to force defrost a Samsung refrigerator for detailed easy-to-follow steps.
Inspect the water filter
Other times, the ice maker in your Samsung bottom freezer won’t work due to issues with the water filter.
More specifically, three key issues that may be causing the problem:
- The water filter is clogged – prevents water from being dispensed to the ice maker.
- Water filter is not genuine – using non-genuine parts will result in poor or no water flow.
- The water filter is faulty.
As you can see, this is mostly the culprit if you haven’t replaced the water filter in a long time or you have recently replaced it – a recent replacement points to a generic filter.
So, how do you know if a water filter is a Samsung genuine OEM replacement?
Well, here’s how…
- Genuine Samsung water filters normally have a serial number inscribed on them as shown:
- Genuine Samsung water filters normally have a rib on their body as shown:
So, be sure to always confirm that you are buying a genuine water filter.
Moving on…
To know if the water filter is the culprit, first remove it and let the ice maker sit for around eight hours.
If it resumes producing ice, you just found your culprit.
Consequently, you will need to get an OEM replacement ice maker- we recommend you get a genuine OEM Samsung water filter.
Further troubleshooting……
Samsung bottom freezer ice maker not dispensing ice – what to try
Other times, you will note that there is ice in the ice bucket yet none is being dispensed. In such cases, you will start by checking if child lock is turned on.
Check to see if child/control lock is turned on
When this setting is turned on, you should see an illuminated lock icon on your display.
This feature disables most refrigerator functions including the ice dispenser.
So, if you can see an illuminated lock icon, you will need to turn off the control lock.
To do this, simply locate an icon/button with the words control lock (3 sec) inscribed below it. Press and hold this button for three seconds to turn off child lock.
Inspect the dispenser opening
At times, bits of broken/crushed ice cubes will form and accrue around the ice dispenser opening thereby blocking further dispensing of ice cubes.
To fix this, run warm water through the ice bucket opening. This will melt any clogged ice within seconds.
Once you are done, let the ice bucket to dry completely before you re-insert it.
Confirm that the ice bucket seats properly
If you have recently removed your ice bucket, you will need to confirm that you inserted it properly.
Failure to do so will result in the auger motor not connecting properly with the back of the ice bucket.
As a result, the motor will sound like it’s running but no ice will be dispensed.
Consequently, remove the ice bucket and re-insert it. Upon proper re-insertion, you should hear a click as the bucket aligns into place.
Replace the auger motor
During normal ice dispensation, you should hear the auger motor running as it rotates to push the ice cubes out.
However, if you do not hear any sound, it means that the motor is faulty and will need to be replaced.
Luckily for you, you can order an OEM Samsung auger motor on their Amazon store.
Final fix…Replace the ice maker
Now, if the above steps did not fix your ice maker, chances are that it is faulty. Consequently, you will need to replace it.
Also, if your ice maker is having frequent defrost issues, you might want to go this way.
If you opt to take this route, we recommend the OEM Samsung freezer ice maker (part number DA97-07603B) – you can easily get an easy-to-follow instructional video on YouTube when it comes to its installation.
Samsung bottom freezer ice maker not working – frequently asked questions (FAQs)
How do I reset my Samsung bottom freezer ice maker?
There are two ways you can use to go about this.
First…
- Locate the test button on your ice maker.
- Press and hold it till you hear a chime – takes around ten seconds.
- Your ice maker will undergo its resetting steps. During this stage, you might hear ice dropping inside the ice bucket. Also, you might hear the water valve energize as it fills the ice maker. This stage will take approximately six minutes.
- You will hear another chime signaling the reset is complete.
Alternatively, unplug your refrigerator and let it sit for five minutes.
Why isn’t my bottom freezer making ice?
Your ice maker or its water line might be frozen. Also, the water filter might be clogged or not a genuine filter. Additionally, if the water pressure is below 20 psi, it will not produce ice.
Finally, check for clogs in the ice passage.
Samsung bottom freezer ice maker not working – final words
That’s it! By now, your ice maker should be churning ice as if it were new.
For parting words, when getting replacement parts, we recommend you get OEM parts. That is because some problems you are experiencing are caused by using generic parts.
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