How to remove the ice bucket from a samsung refrigerator

Do you need to replace or clean your ice maker machine?

Whichever the case is, you might be wondering how to remove it safely from its compartment.

Well, you’ve come to the right place.

Read on to find out:

• 9 steps to safely remove a Samsung ice maker.
• How you can set your fridge to “Cooling Off Mode.”
• 5 reasons why your Samsung ice maker won’t produce ice.
• 5 easy and proven fixes for every reason that you can do at home.
• And so much more…

Contents

• How to remove a Samsung ice maker?
• 9 steps to remove a Samsung ice maker
  • #1: Set your fridge to “Cooling Off Mode”
  • #2: Remove the ice bucket/drawer
  • #3: Detach the wire housing of your ice maker
  • #4: Disconnect the ice maker wire harness
  • #5: Loosen the ice tray duct
  • #6: Gently push down the cooling coil
  • #7: Remove the ice maker machine
  • #8: Put your ice maker in “Forced Defrost Mode”
  • #9: End the defrost cycle after 5 minutes
• 5 reasons why your Samsung refrigerator ice maker won’t produce ice
  •  #1: Clumped ice in the bucket
  • #2: Your ice maker is turned off
  • #3: Faulty water filter
  • #4: Your ice maker has a bug
  • #5: Your ice maker is frozen

To remove a Samsung ice maker, make sure that the ice inside has already been thawed. Next, put your fridge in “Cooling Off Mode.” Remove the ice bucket and wire housing. Disconnect the wire harness linked to the ice maker. Loosen the tray duct and cooling coil. Then, take out the ice maker machine.

9 steps to remove a Samsung ice maker

#1: Set your fridge to “Cooling Off Mode”

To remove your Samsung ice maker, make sure you thaw all the ice inside first.

So if you’re done defrosting your fridge or it isn’t frozen…

You can easily remove your Samsung ice maker within 27 seconds.

But if not, go to steps #8 and #9 first. Then come back here once done.

What to do?

The first thing you need to do is to put your refrigerator in “Cooling Off Mode.”

By doing this, your fridge’s interior light will still be on. 

However, all of its other functions are disabled – this includes cooling. So you can take your ice maker out of its compartment.

How to put your Samsung refrigerator in “Cooling Off Mode

To activate this mode, you need to press the first and middle buttons on the left side of your panel. Hold them until you hear a beep or chime.

These are usually the “Energy Saver” and “Freezer” buttons. But, these may vary per model.

So just take note of the locations of the buttons that need to be pressed.

If the “Cooling Off Mode” is on, Samsung says you’ll see any of these on your display:

• “O FF.”
• “OF OF.”
• “OFF OFF.”

But, do you have a Samsung smart fridge?

If yes, you can turn this on and off using the Family Hub display.

1. Go to “Apps.”
2. Select and open “Fridge Manager.”
3. Choose “Fridge Settings.”
4. Click “Cooling Off.”
5. Tap it once to enable or disable it.
6. Hit the “Proceed” button.

Once the “Cooling Off” is activated, the word “OFF” should show in your Fridge Manager app.

#2: Remove the ice bucket/drawer

Next, open your Samsung fridge and take out its ice bucket or drawer.

To do this, hold the bottom of the bucket. Lift it up and pull it out of the ice compartment.

If there’s a tab at the top of your ice maker drawer, press it first to release the lock.

Then, hold it while you’re removing the bucket.

Note: This will not be possible if your ice maker is stuck or frozen. So if the frost inside is too thick, defrost your unit first. I’ll discuss this more in step #8.

#3: Detach the wire housing of your ice maker

After removing the ice bucket, the next goal is to take out the ice maker machine.

However, it’s not advisable yet to detach it from the compartment.

There are still some things that you need to detach first to have a successful ice maker removal.

And one of these is the wire housing.

“Where is this located?”

It’s the white housing under your ice maker machine.

To detach this, use a Phillips screwdriver to remove the one screw that secures it.

Then, push the housing towards you to take it out. And it’ll usually come out with ease.

#4: Disconnect the ice maker wire harness

Upon removing the wire housing…

You’ll now see the wires inside that are linked to your Samsung ice maker.

These are located in the left wire harness. So you need to disconnect this first before you take out the ice maker machine.

What to do?

1. Locate the wire harness connected to your ice maker. (It’s the one with a white tubing.)
2. Press the locking tab on the wire harness.
3. Gently tug it down to detach it.

#5: Loosen the ice tray duct

Now, you’re only a few steps away from taking out your ice maker machine.

The second to the last thing to do is to unhinge the ice tray duct.

It’s the bottom part of the ice maker. And it’s usually held by one large screw on the right. Then plastic retention on the left.

Now, this step is important so you can access the cooling coil inside before you remove the ice maker.

So, here’s what you need to do:

1. Unhinge the screw that secures it using a Phillips screwdriver.
2. Get a flat-head screwdriver.
3. Insert it in the tiny opening on the left part where the retention piece is.
4. Gently push the tray to the right to release it from the lock.
5. Slowly nudge the tray duct downwards using your finger. (Don’t overdo this. Push it down just enough to access the coil inside.)

#6: Gently push down the cooling coil

Samsung ice makers have a cooling coil inside them.

It’s typically located at the bottom of the machine.

It’s not only responsible for the cooling of the ice maker. But, it’s also connected to the whole refrigerator.

So it’s a sensitive part. And you need to be gentle while pushing this down.

Again, using the flat-head screwdriver, nudge the cooling coil downwards.

It doesn’t have to be bent too much. 

Only pull it down just enough so that the coil won’t get in the way while you’re pulling out the ice maker machine.

Also, do you see any ice around it?

If so, never try to remove it forcefully.

This is because you may create a hole or crack on it. And this could affect your whole fridge.

#7: Remove the ice maker machine

At last, you’ve made it here.

You just now have to take out the ice maker machine from the compartment. And that’s it.

What to do?

1. Depress the locking tab at the top of your ice maker with one of your fingers.
2. Do step #1 while holding the upper body (right side) of your ice maker using your hand.
3. Drag it towards you to slide it out from the compartment.

Note: While removing the ice maker, ensure that the cooling coil isn’t blocking the way.

#8: Put your ice maker in “Forced Defrost Mode”

If your unit is still frozen, you need to defrost the ice maker first before you can take it out.

What to do?

Step 1: Press and hold the “Energy Saver” and “Fridge” buttons at the same time for around 8 seconds.

You can release the buttons once the screen goes blank.

Step 2: Click the “Fridge” button 3 to 4 times.

Do this until the display says “Fd.”

This means that your ice maker is now defrosting. So it’ll also let out a beeping sound during the whole process.

Learn more: 9 Steps To Defrost Your Samsung Ice Maker

#9: End the defrost cycle after 5 minutes

Normally, a defrost cycle will automatically stop after 20 minutes.

But this can be too long. So you may only wait for at least 5 minutes. As it’s usually enough to thaw the ice inside

How to turn “Forced Defrost Mode” off

Repeat the same thing you did to activate it.

Press and hold the same buttons earlier. Say, the “Energy Saver” and “Fridge” buttons for 8 seconds. 

Then tap the “Fridge” button once until the beeping stops and the screen goes blank.

After this, open your fridge. Check if your ice maker is still frozen or not. Then proceed to step #1.

Note: To reattach the ice maker machine, do all the steps in reverse order.

5 reasons why your Samsung refrigerator ice maker won’t produce ice

 #1: Clumped ice in the bucket

If the dispenser doesn’t release any ice, check your ice bucket or drawer first.

It could be that your ice maker isn’t making any ice.

But most of the time, this issue is only due to a large clump of ice that blocks the chute.

Now, this can be caused by the infrequent clearing of the bucket.

Based on Samsung, their ice makers create around 120 ice cubes a day. So if these aren’t dispensed regularly…

They could melt in your ice bucket. Then form a huge chunk of ice.

And this is why it seems like your Samsung ice maker isn’t producing ice.

To fix it, remove your ice bucket. Then take out all of its contents.

Note: Do this every once in a while to prevent this from happening again.

Check out also:  15 Refrigerator Do’s And Don’ts (Avoid #7 At All Times)

#2: Your ice maker is turned off

It’s also possible that you have left your Samsung ice maker off. And you forgot about it.

If this is the case, you’ll see “Ice Off” on your display.

“How to fix it?”

To turn it on, press the “Ice Maker” button on your panel once.

If successful, the “Ice Off” icon shouldn’t be lit.

Note: To prevent anyone from turning the ice maker on or off, you can also enable “Child Lock.” By doing this, you’ll avoid any unintentional changes to your fridge settings. To enable this feature, simply press and hold the “Child Lock” button for 3 seconds.

#3: Faulty water filter

If your Samsung ice maker isn’t making any ice…

It might also be that there’s a problem with its water supply.

One of the common causes of this is a faulty water filter.

“How will I know if my water filter needs to be changed?”

Usually, the general rule is that you have to replace your fridge water filter every 6 months.

But here’s how you can test whether yours really needs to be changed or not.

Step 1: Do a water pressure check.

1. Get a measuring cup.
2. Dispense some water from your fridge for about 10 seconds.
3. Measure the content of your cup once the time’s up.

If the water is less than 6 oz (3/4 cup), then you might have a water pressure problem.

Next…

Step 2: Remove your water filter.

Step 3: Do the water pressure test again.

If your fridge passed the test, it means that you need to replace your water filter.

To fix this issue, get a new water filter for your Samsung fridge. Pick the one suitable for your model.

Locate and remove the old one. Then install the new filter.

For more detailed steps, check out this short clip:

You might also be interested in: 15 Best Ways To Maintain Your Refrigerator (Checklist)

#4: Your ice maker has a bug

“What bug?”

What I mean is an error in its system.

You see, computers and even our fridges are machines. And they tend to accumulate bugs over time.

But don’t worry. This will be easy to fix.

What to do?

There are 2 things you can try.

Option #1: Reset your ice maker

1. Open your fridge and take out the ice bucket.
2. Find the reset button of your ice maker.

Note: This is usually a blue button located on the side or front of the machine. 

1. Once you found it, click and hold it for about 10 seconds.
2. Release it once your fridge lets out a chime.
3. Let the test run for around 6 minutes.

Note: You’ll know it’s done if you hear a chime again.

Option #2: Reboot your fridge

1. Unplug your Samsung fridge from the wall outlet.

Note: You can also shut its dedicated circuit breaker off.

1. Wait for at least 2 minutes.
2. Bring back the power to your fridge.

Let your refrigerator cool a bit. Then check if your ice maker starts to produce any ice or not.

Continue reading: How to turn off a Samsung refrigerator?

#5: Your ice maker is frozen

Lastly, there might be a leak inside your ice maker. And this causes the warm air to get in and form an excessive frost.

If this happens, your machine will be stuck. And it could affect its function then stop working.

“What may have caused this?”

There are many reasons. But the most common ones are:

• A crack in the ice compartment.
• Leaving the fridge door for so long.
• Dirty or faulty ice bucket/fridge door seal.

But, your water line may also not be positioned properly. 

And this is why the water splashes and freezes around your ice maker.

To fix this, check both your fridge and ice drawer seals. 

Clean them if they’re dirty. And replace them if they’re already worn out.

As for the waterline:

1. Move your fridge away from the wall.
2. Find the water line at the back. 
3. Remove the tab that holds it.depress its opening using a flat-head screwdriver.
4. Adjust the line as needed. (Check this inside your ice maker.)

Note: Make sure it’s not placed too low or high inside the valve.

Read next: 9 Ways To Stop Your Samsung Refrigerator From Freezing Up