How to repair Samsung refrigerator | water leak problem

How to repair Samsung refrigerator ice build-up and water leak problem.
Temperature sensor from Amazon: https://amzn.to/48C8GnG
Part #: DA32-00006W (Replacement Thermostat Defrost Temperature Sensor).

My double door (French door) Samsung refrigerator was leaking water inside the fridge, and it was collecting and pooling underneath the bottom drawer. I also noticed frost and some ice build-up on the back wall of the refrigerator. I found out that this is a common problem in Samsung refrigerators and in many different models of Samsung refrigerators.

THERE ARE 3 DIY SOLUTIONS THAT COULD HELP FIX Samsung refrigerator (model RF263AEBP) problem with ice or frost build-up and water leaking under the bottom drawer:

#1: The first and the easiest thing you should do before anything else is to see if you have a clogged drain tube, and you can get to the drain tubes from the access panel located in the rear of the refrigerator at the bottom. Once you open up the access panel, you will see two drain tubes, one for the freezer (on the left) and one for the refrigerator (on the right), and these allow the water to run down into the drain pan (or drip pan or drain tray or drip tray) where it evaporates. If the nipple that fits at the top of the drain tube is clogged, you need to clean that out.
This will cost nothing and is super easy to do. For some of you, this will solve the problem. Mine was completely clogged, but cleaning the drain tube didn’t fix my problem.

#2: If that doesn’t work, then you might want to try installing a bigger drain clip, which is located behind the panel on the back wall of the refrigerator. First, I unplugged and thawed the refrigerator overnight. Depending on the model you have, the locations of the screws that you need to take off to take off the panel on the back wall of the refrigerator are going to be different. For model RF263AEBP, there are 3 screws at the bottom and another screw behind a tab at the top. You have to be careful not to pull out the panel too far because it is attached to the back wall via some wires in the upper left corner.
According to a lot of youtubers, the original, manufacturer-installed drain clip that is attached to the heating element needs to be replaced because it is too small and inadequate to melt the ice and guide the flow of the melted water down the drain hole. A larger replacement drain clip is readily available from numerous online vendors. Many Youtubers recommended this, so it might work for some of you. To my great disappointment, installing a new drain clip did NOT fix the water leak problem for me. It didn’t even help the slightest bit. Since the part was really cheap (~$5), I didn’t waste a lot of money on a part that didn’t fix the problem.

#3: Last but not least, what worked for me finally was replacing the temperature sensor, which I’ve read can go bad more often than you’d think. It is also located behind the panel in the back of the refrigerator and I used a screw driver to pry the sensor out of the bracket on which it was mounted. It was a real drag to have to completely thaw the refrigerator overnight with the doors open and then disassemble the panel in the back of the fridge for the second time! So, my recommendation for anyone trying to fix this problem would be that they order both the drain clip and a new sensor, and replace both at the same time because both parts are inexpensive and it’s not worth the time to put everything back together only to have a go at it again. After I replaced the temperature sensor, I noticed that the frost was no longer forming on the back panel and there was no water leak.

In summary, any one or combination of the following 3 steps could fix the issue for the vast majority of cases:
1) Clean the clogged drain line or drain tube
2) Install a bigger drain clip
3) Replace the temperature sensor (also called defrost sensor)
In my case, I needed to clean the drain tube and replace the temperature sensor. The drain clip wasn’t a source of the problem nor a solution.
How to clean drain tube, install drain clip, and replace temperature sensor on Samsung refrigerator.

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