Having ice on demand can be pretty convenient, especially if you love entertaining people at home.
However, ice makers, particularly on Samsung fridges, tend to overfill the buckets if you don’t give them some TLC.
We’re here to help you understand why your ice maker keeps overfilling your buckets. We’ll also show you step-by-step instructions to resolve the underlying cause of your problem.
Why is my Samsung fridge ice maker overflowing with ice?
Your Samsung fridge ice maker will overfill the buckets if they are inserted incorrectly. Just install the buckets properly to stop them from overflowing with ice.
Another reason could be a component failure. If the sensor or the inlet valve is broken, replace the part to fix the problem.
Knowing how your Samsung ice maker works(Samsung fridge ice maker how it works) can help you better understand what causes it to overflow.
In a nutshell, your ice maker needs a steady supply of water, optimal temperature, and voltage to start ice production. Once your freezer is cold enough, voltage triggers water to flow from the inlet valve to the ice tray.
As the water freezes into ice, the machine ejects the cubes into the bucket. This repeats until a sensor or a mechanical arm in your ice maker detects that the bucket has reached maximum capacity.
Then, ice production stops.
Now, if your ice maker keeps producing ice, even when the buckets are full, it could be caused by any of the following:
- The ice bucket isn’t inserted correctly.
- The ice maker sensor arm is malfunctioning.
- The water inlet valve is defective.
How do I stop my ice maker from overflowing?
Check if your ice buckets are installed properly. Sometimes, all you have to do to stop your ice maker from overfilling them with ice is to install the buckets correctly.
If you have a faulty sensor arm or inlet valve, replace the defective part to resolve the problem.
| Causes | Solutions |
| The ice bucket is inserted incorrectly. | Open the freezer door and remove the ice bucket. Check the user manual to find out how to install the ice buckets in your Samsung fridge model. Then, install the ice bucket and shut the door. |
| The ice maker sensor arm is malfunctioning. | Open your freezer door and remove the upper tray. Make sure the rails on both sides of the tray are fully extended. Carefully lift the tray and remove it from the freezer. Unmount the sensor arm from the ice maker. Then, replace it with the new sensor. Reinstall the upper tray. After, close the freezer door and plug the fridge. |
| The water inlet valve is defective. | Unplug your fridge and turn off your home’s water supply. Then, move your unit to access the back panel. Remove the back panel and disconnect the blue water line on top of the old inlet valve. Unmount the old valve and pull it out as far as possible. Remove the cover box, electrical plug, support bracket, and retaining clip to free the old valve. Unfasten the locking clamps and disconnect the water lines from the old valve. Get the new valve and attach the water lines along with their locking clamps. Reinstall the plug, support bracket, retaining clip, and cover box. Secure the new valve on its mounting bracket and connect the blue water line. After reattaching the back panel, plug in the fridge and turn on the water supply. |
The ice bucket is inserted incorrectly.
If the ice bucket isn’t installed properly, the sensor can’t detect when it is full. It won’t trigger the ice maker to stop production, causing the bucket to overflow with ice.
This usually happens on Samsung top-mount and 4-door refrigerators because of how their buckets are designed.
Not to worry, we’ll show you how to reinstall your ice buckets. However, since the location of the buckets can vary depending on your Samsung fridge model, we recommend checking your user manual.
Top-Mount Refrigerators
The ice bucket on top-mount refrigerators shouldn’t be installed backward or sideways to prevent ice from overflowing.
Solution: To install an ice bucket on a Samsung top-mount fridge, follow these steps:
- Step 1: Open the freezer door and simply remove the ice bucket from the shelf.
- Step 2: Empty the ice bucket to prevent it from overflowing.
- Step 3: Look for the front side of the bucket and make sure it’s facing your direction. The front side has a more prominent edge.
- Step 4: Slide the bucket inside and keep it aligned with the ice maker.
- Step 5: Close the freezer door.
Bespoke 4-door Refrigerators
Samsung Bespoke 4-door Flex models have dual ice buckets. One is for cubed ice while the other is for ice bites.
Both ice buckets should go right under the ice maker. They go on the top shelf, specifically on the highest rail.
Solution: To install the ice buckets on a Samsung Bespoke 4-door fridge, follow these steps:
- Step 1: Open the freezer door.
- Step 2: Hold the ice bucket tray with both hands. Then, gently slide it out, tilt the rear part, and lift the entire tray out.
- Step 3: Empty the ice buckets.
- Step 4: Reinstall the tray on the correct rail. Lift the tray at an angle where the front is higher than the back.
- Step 5: Lower the tray onto the top rail and slide it in place.
Once you’ve reinstalled the ice buckets in the correct position, your ice maker should stop overfilling the buckets. However, if the issue persists, you might want to look into component failure as a possible cause.
The ice maker sensor arm is malfunctioning.
Your Samsung ice maker knows exactly when to stop dumping ice into the bucket because of an optical sensor or a mechanical arm.
If this sensor malfunctions, your ice maker will continue producing ice even when the buckets have reached maximum capacity. In that case, you’ll need to replace it.
What you’ll need:
- Phillips screwdriver
Solution: To replace a Samsung ice maker sensor arm, follow these steps:
- Step 1: Unplug your fridge.
- Step 2: Open your freezer door and make sure the rails on both sides of the upper tray are fully extended.
- Step 3: Carefully lift the tray and pull it out of the freezer.
- Step 4: Use a Phillips screwdriver to take out the screw on the sensor arm.
- Step 5: Remove the sensor arm from the ice maker.
- Step 6: Install the new ice maker sensor arm. Hold it in place while you secure it with the screw.
- Step 7: Hold the upper tray and tilt it to the rear. Gently lower it down onto the freezer box tray and push it all the way back.
- Step 8: Pull the tray forward to make sure the wheels are installed correctly.
- Step 9: Close the freezer door and plug in the fridge.
| Quick Note: Some Samsung fridges have optical sensors built into the ice maker assembly. Now, if this sensor fails, you might have to replace the entire ice maker. We recommend contacting Samsung’s service center, so you can get an expert to diagnose the problem and determine how to proceed with the troubleshooting. |
The water inlet valve is defective.
The inlet valve controls the flow of water to the ice maker and dispenser. When it’s damaged and unable to close properly, water will continue to flow into the tray.
Aside from overfilled ice buckets, you will notice water leaks from your ice maker(Samsung ice maker leaking).
A faulty water inlet valve will also need to be replaced.
What you’ll need:
- Towel or any absorbent fabric
- Phillips screwdriver
- 12 mm wrench
- Water inlet valve
Solution: To replace a water inlet valve, follow these steps:
- Step 1: Unplug your fridge, and shut off your home’s main water supply.
- Step 2: Pull out your fridge to access the back panel.
- Step 3: Use a Phillips screwdriver to remove the screws on the back panel.
- Step 4: Put a towel under the inlet valve to absorb any leaks when you disconnect the water lines.
- Step 5: Use a 12 mm wrench to remove the compression nut and pull the blue water line out. Then, slide it up the unit to get it out of the way.
- Step 6: Remove the screw on the mounting bracket and dismount the valve.
- Step 7: Pull the old inlet valve out of the unit as far as you can.
- Step 8: Press the locking tabs on the cover box and gently pull it out to remove it. Then, disconnect the electrical plug.
- Step 9: Remove the support bracket securing the water lines to the fridge.
- Step 10: Take out the retaining clip on the tubes and set it aside.
- Step 11: Remove the locking clamps on the tubes and pull out both of the water line connections from the old valve.
- Step 12: Get the new valve and connect the water lines. After. reinstall the locking clamps to keep the water lines secure.
- Step 13: Reconnect the electrical plug and support bracket. Then, reinstall the cover box and retaining clip.
- Step 14: Mount the new valve on the bracket and secure it with the screw.
- Step 15: Connect the blue water line to the new valve, and attach the compression nut.
- Step 16: Reinstall the back panel.
- Step 17: Turn on the water supply, and plug in the fridge.
If you’ve checked these components and found no issues, call a professional. It’s likely that your ice maker is malfunctioning and needs a replacement.
