Samsung refrigerator ice makers (ice room, freezer and door): field service manual

Covers: Samsung twisting-tray ice makers: the fresh-food-door ice room on French-door and 4-door models, the side-by-side freezer-door ice maker, and freezer-mounted ice makers on top- and bottom-freezer models. Includes Samsung's test-button procedure and the ice-related error codes 14E, 39E/39C and 40E/40C.

Single sourceBrands: Samsung6 components

Samsung ice makers use a plastic or metal tray twisted by a small motor to drop the cubes, with a thermistor on the tray and a full-bucket sensor. On French-door models the ice maker lives in an insulated ice room in the left fresh-food door. Cold freezer air reaches it through ducts, and a dedicated ice room fan moves the air. Moisture getting into that ice room is the platform's best-known weakness.

Safety first

Power off before removing covers or the ice maker.
Keep fingers clear of the tray during the test.
If the freezer itself is warm, diagnose the cooling side first. Sealed-system faults are blocked: refer to an EPA 608-certified technician.

How it works

The ice maker fills the tray, waits for the tray thermistor to show frozen, then the motor twists the tray to drop the cubes into the bucket. A bucket-full sensor stops production. Samsung notes that if the ice piles up at one end of the bucket, the ice maker may think the bucket is full and stop.

On ice-room models, cold air from the freezer evaporator comes up through ducts to the ice room and an ice room fan circulates it. Samsung's codes reflect this: 14E is an ice maker sensor fault, 39E/39C an ice maker function fault, and 40E/40C an ice room fan fault. A flashing Ice Off light means the ice bucket isn't seated.

Production: Samsung says ice should start within about 8 hours of setup and may take up to 24 hours to reach normal output (about 2 trays every 3 hours). Water supply must be at least 20 psi. Samsung's quick check is that the dispenser should fill 6 oz (3/4 cup) in under 10 seconds.

Components & tests

Unlock all 6 components, specs, service mode and teardown

Full library + AI assistant for $34.90, one time.

Get lifetime access

OnCall Tech is a reference tool for trained technicians and can make mistakes. Always disconnect power and confirm with the manufacturer's documentation before you work. © 2026 OnCall Tech. Original content; not a reproduction of any manufacturer document.Generic part photos (not of this brand): Stainless French-door refrigerator in a white kitchen next to a range by Curtis Adams, Pexels License

Diagnostic guides for this appliance

Guide · Ice Maker

Refrigerator ice maker making small, thin or hollow cubes

In a refrigerator ice maker this is almost always a water-supply problem: low pressure, a clogged or badly seated filter, a kinked line or a reverse-osmosis system starving the valve. Low fill means the mold or tray doesn't fill. On Whirlpool-style ice makers the last cavity, next to the thermostat, starves first and triggers an early harvest. Fix the supply before replacing parts.

8 steps ~30 mineasy

Guide · Ice Maker

Refrigerator ice maker freezes cubes but won't harvest

Rule out the simple stops first: the shutoff arm or bin sensor, the On/Off control and a warm freezer. Then force a harvest with the ice maker's own test (T-H jumper on Whirlpool modules, three arm presses on GE, the Test button on Samsung and LG). If the forced harvest works, the ice maker is fine and the trigger (thermostat/thermistor or temperature) is the issue. If it doesn't, the ice maker usually gets replaced.

7 steps ~30 mineasy

Guide · Ice Maker

Ice maker fill tube frozen (no water reaches the ice maker)

Water freezes in the tube that feeds the ice maker. Thaw it with warm air, then find the cause or it will come back. The usual causes are a valve that seeps between fills, low pressure (slow fills freeze), a freezer set too cold, or cold air blowing on the tube. Replacing the valve is the most common lasting fix.

7 steps ~40 mineasy

Other ice makers manuals

Manual · Ice Maker

Whirlpool-built modular (crescent-cube) ice maker: field service manual

The Whirlpool-style modular freezer ice maker with a plastic module cover marked with test points (T, H, N, L), a metal mold with a heater, an ejector with fingers, and a wire shutoff arm. Used in many brands' freezers. Later Whirlpool electronic ice makers without test points are not covered here.

6 components5 common failuresWhirlpool, Maytag, KitchenAid, Amana, Kenmore (Whirlpool-built)

Manual · Ice Maker

GE electronic freezer ice maker (feeler-arm / paddle style): field service manual

GE's electronic crescent-cube ice maker used in GE freezers (side-by-side, top-mount and bottom-mount), with a feeler arm or paddle, an electronic control and thermistor, and on many versions an On/Off switch with a green LED. Covers the common replacement kit family that superseded older mechanical GE ice makers.

6 components5 common failuresGE, GE Profile, Hotpoint

Manual · Ice Maker

LG refrigerator ice makers (in-door ice room and freezer): field service manual

LG twisting-tray ice makers in the fresh-food-door ice room of French-door models and in the freezer of bottom-freezer and side-by-side models. Covers both test-button styles (switch and tray model, and pin-hole model). Craft Ice has its own guide.

6 components5 common failuresLG