A woman who recently moved into a new home took to TikTok to share her struggle with a frustrating appliance issue that many Samsung refrigerator owners might recognize.
In her video, which has garnered over 167,300 views at the time of writing, TikTok creator Ashley (@ashleyforbes4) detailed her attempt to fix an icemaker, sparking discussion in the comments.
What’s wrong with the Samsung icemaker?
Ashley explained that when she and her family bought their house, the sellers had mentioned the icemaker was broken.
However, it wasn’t until she reached out to Samsung that she realized the problem was more widespread than she’d thought.
“Apparently it’s a well-known problem that the icemaker freezes,” she shared.
Determined to fix the issue herself, Ashley turned to online tutorials for help.
“So I’m over here trying to thaw out my icemaker,” she explained in her video while showing a leaking icemaker and a tray catching the drops. She revealed that she’d already been working on it for over two hours, trying to melt the ice with steamers.
With a handheld steamer in hand, Ashley demonstrated the process of directing steam into the icemaker. “I watched some videos, and it says you just stick it in there and you blow the steam,” she said while showing her progress.
By the end of the clip, Ashley was optimistic that her efforts were paying off.
“It’s finally starting to drip,” she said. “Hopefully, within the next, I don’t know, 30 minutes, I can finally open this icemaker ’cause it is frozen solid shut.”
In an update shared shortly after her original video, Ashley revealed that the ice finally melted enough for her to remove the ice drawer, and the icemaker was back to working normally. As of now, she hasn’t posted any further complaints about it.
A common issue for Samsung icemakers
The freezing issue with Samsung icemakers is something many users have reported online, with numerous forums and YouTube videos dedicated to troubleshooting the problem.
In fact, Samsung has acknowledged the defect with some of its icemaker models, specifically those manufactured between 2014 and 2018, through a service bulletin. According to blog sites discussing the problem, “the icemaker doesn’t drain the condensation properly near the back of the assembly.”
This malfunction causes water to drip along the bottom of the assembly, where it freezes and seizes up.
On its official site, Samsung discourages using tools like hair dryers to thaw the icemaker, recommending customers contact their support team for further instructions.
However, the bulletin mentions that using a steamer is an acceptable method to thaw the icemaker if resetting it doesn’t resolve the issue.
Commenters warn the creator
In the comments, users sharply advised against the Samsung icemaker, sharing some of their own stories and experiences in the process.
“Oh my God, it’s the worst,” exclaimed one user. “Just save yourself. Get a new one now. I ended up taking out that drawer just putting a beach towel in there and changing it every couple of days.”
“Go ahead and buy a new fridge,” similarly advised another. “The Samsung we had ruined my hardwood floors.”
@ashleyforbes4 I really hope this works and we don’t need to fix anything .. they said it’s common it’s just all frozen and needs to be thawed out. 😅 wish me luck #repairs #lol #fridge #samsung #fridgeproblems #problems #homeownerproblems #momlife #momlifebelike #part1 ♬ original sound – Ashley || SAHM of 4
“Have this same fridge,” shared a third. “#1 pull the front of that icemaker off…#2 don’t bother it will never work right. I use a counter top icemaker.”
The Daily Dot has reached out to Ashley and Samsung via email for official comment.
Internet culture is chaotic—but we’ll break it down for you in one daily email. Sign up for the Daily Dot’s web_crawlr newsletter here. You’ll get the best (and worst) of the internet straight into your inbox.