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Information and repair guide for the Samsung Refrigerator RFG297HD**, a bottom freezer with ice-through-door refrigerator introduced in 2011, equipped with an automatic defrost feature and an anti-sweat heater switch. This page covers information for model numbers matching the pattern RFG297HD**.

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The freezer in my refrigerator freezer isn't freezing

My elderly dad and step-mom have a nice refrigerator/freezer which hasn’t worked well for the past few years. It’s always the same problem. The refrigerator is fine but the freezer will occasionally quit freezing resulting in items spoiling by the time they realize it. After it’s emptied out and cleaned, it still doesn’t work. They call in a repair person and it usually starts working but they’ve never been able to convey to me what was wrong. Sometimes the repair person can’t figure it out but a month or so later, it just starts working again. (They have some forgetfulness problems). It’s broken again and they can’t afford the repairman (who may or may not be able to fix it). Any suggestions? It’s possible that they are doing something incorrectly.


It’s a Samsung - model number RFG297HDRS/XAA

It is dated July 2011

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Hi @confusedkaye ,

When the freezer is not at the correct temp is the compressor running or is all quiet?

If it is not running do the lights in the fridge work indicating that there is power to the fridge?

To find the problem may be a process of elimination as to what is or is not happening when the freezer is not at the correct temp.

They may have to start checking it regularly to see that everything is OK.

e.g. place a thermometer in the freezer to keep an eye on the temp., listen for the compressor and if it is not running check the temp - see auto defrost below

be aware that most refrigerators have auto defrost cycle where the temp in the freezer goes up from 0F (-18C) to 32F (0C) to help defrost the evaporator unit which is usually in the freezer compartment. (behind a panel)

Auto defrost occurs once every 8-12 hours (depending on maker)and can last for 20-30 minutes. During this time the compressor is OFF. When the defrost time is over the compressor starts again to drive the temp back down to 0F (-18C) this may take a little time to achieve depending on how often the doors are opened.

The compressor should never be off long enough to allow the frozen food to even begin to thaw.

I can appreciate that it may be difficult for them to monitor what is going on and if the problem is intermittent this makes it all the harder.

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Thank you! I went by their home today to check. The lights are on in both the refrigerator and freezer portion. The freezer portion is warmer than the refrigerator. My step-mother has a bag of french fries in there and they are completely thawed out. I can hear a noise in the freezer (humming type) and it sounds as if it's working but no air is blowing or anything like that. The refrigerator seemed fine.

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Hi @confusedkaye ,

The evaporator fan which blows the cold air through the fridge and freezer only operates when the doors are closed as you don't want to blow the cold air out.

See if you can hear the fan stopping and starting when you open and close a door (you may have to have your ear right next to the fridge to hear it.

If you cannot hear it then it may be faulty or iced up.

If it is iced up then there may be a problem with the defrost heater or the control board which controls the auto defrost

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I called my stepmother to talk about the freezer and she told me that it shows a code 4 sometimes. If I'm looking up things correctly, it states, "Freezer evaporator defrost temperature sensor failure". Does this make sense based on what you mentioned above?

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HI @confusedkaye ,

It makes perfect sense.

If it only shows up sometimes this also indicates that it is intermittent and perhaps this is why the freezer only fails occasionally and is not evident at other times.

Here's a link to the part. It is taken from this supplier's website. It is shown only to give you an idea of the cost of the part. There may be other suppliers that suit you better. Just search for RFG297HDRS/XAA defrost sensor to get results.

Unfortunately the supplier’s website doesn’t show the location of the defrost sensor in the refrigerator, (and it isn’t even mentioned as a part on other supplier’s websites) so if you do go with the supplier mentioned, contact them and ask if they know the exact location of the sensor.

In most refrigerators the defrost sensor is close to the evaporator unit as its’ function is to stop the evaporator getting too warm when the refrigerator is in the auto defrost mode, by signalling to the control board to stop the auto defrost mode and restart the compressor to cool the refrigerator back down again. The evaporator unit is located behind a panel on the inside of the freezer compartment at the back, as shown in this link (Item #1 is the evaporator, Item #2 is the evaporator cover.

Hopefully this is of some help.

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Thank you. I'll give this a try!

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Hi @confusedkaye ,

I forgot to add, ask the supplier what the resistance value of the sensor should be when measured by an Ohmmeter.

If you have an Ohmmeter (function found in a DMM - Digital Multimeter, adequate ones available for <$15 at larger hardware stores) or know someone who has, measure the resistance of the sensor to see if it the same value as what the supplier says. Measure when you have it out of the refrigerator, although they may give you a resistance value at a certain temperature, just so that you're aware of this.

If it isn't the correct value then it is faulty. If it is it may be a faulty connection to the sensor instead, but hopefully it will be the sensor that is the problem.

Good luck with the repair.

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Kaye Culp will be eternally grateful.
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