Samsung Refrigerator Repair in Toronto — Freezer cold but fridge warm

• The signature Samsung 'freezer cold, fridge warm' code is 22E / 22C, an evaporator-fan fault on the fridge-cooling side: the board gets no RPM feedback from the evaporator fan, cold air stops circulating into the fresh-food cabinet, and the fridge drifts to the 50s while the freezer holds. The part is the model-correct 146-series evaporator fan motor, the DA31-00146E (a 2520-RPM 12V BLDC / brushless-DC unit; cross-references DA31-00146C/G/H) — note vendors catalog this SKU as the FREEZER evaporator fan motor mounted behind the rear panel, and on single-evaporator cabinets that one fan feeds both compartments, while Twin-Cooling cabinets run a separate fan per compartment, so we match by model/serial rather than fitting a generic. The classic tell is fan noise that stops the instant you open the door. Because the fan frequently stalls on ice rather than dying outright, we thaw and clear the iced blade and spin-test it by hand first, replacing the 146-series motor only when it won't run.
• When the fridge warms but the fan tests good, the next leg is a drifted defrost/temperature sensor throwing 5E / 5C: the DA32-00006W evaporator defrost NTC (replaces DA32-00006S) mistimes or skips the defrost cycle, frost packs the evaporator fins edge-to-edge, and airflow into the fridge cabinet starves before the freezer does. On Twin-Cooling dual-evaporator cabinets this is specifically the fresh-food-coil defrost sensor; on single-evaporator side-by-sides and top-mounts there is one evaporator (in the freezer) and its defrost thermistor ices that single coil, choking the air the damper meters into the fridge. A known trap is that heavy frost can encase the sensor in ice and make it read out-of-range, so we run forced defrost (Fd, or Rd for refrigerator-side on dual-evap models that offer it) to clear the coil first, then meter the sensor against its temperature curve before condemning it.
• If the coil ices solid but the defrost sensor reads in spec, the defrost heater itself has gone open: the DA47-00244U metal-sheath defrost-heater assembly (120V, with an inline thermal cutoff) never fires, so frost rebuilds on the evaporator every cycle and chokes the fridge-side vents within a day or two while the freezer hangs on. We pull the rear evaporator panel and ohm the heater for continuity — an open reading, often with a discoloured sheath, is the tell — and replace the assembly rather than chasing the sensor, because a hairdryer thaw alone just re-ices and replacing the wrong leg of the defrost circuit is a guaranteed repeat call.
• On single-evaporator Samsung side-by-sides (RS25/RS27) and many top-mounts the cold for BOTH compartments comes off the freezer coil and is metered into the fridge by a motorized air damper, so a damper stuck shut is the classic no-code 'freezer fine, fridge warm' call. With the evaporator fan confirmed running, we put a hand at the fresh-food vent: no airflow with a good fan points at a damper iced or jammed closed. We confirm the damper is commanded open (and verify it isn't simply foam-sealed shut by frost migrating off a failing defrost circuit) before replacing the assembly, because a damper that won't cycle open with a good motor reading sends us back to the harness or board, not the damper.
• A box that clicks every few minutes with BOTH the fridge and freezer warming is the compressor start circuit, not single-side airflow: the DA35-00099G PTC start relay (replaces DA35-10013Q) clamps onto the compressor and delivers the start-current surge, and when it fails the compressor tries, trips its overload, and clicks. The distinguishing tell from a true freezer-works-fridge-warm fault is that the freezer is warming too — so we confirm the freezer is genuinely holding near 0F before chasing the 22E/sensor/damper path. We do the shake test (a rattle means the relay is shot) and verify voltage to the overload, then swap the inexpensive DA35-00099G before ever quoting a compressor.
• 'OF OF' (Cooling Off / Demo mode) on the display is not a failure and is a frequent false 'fridge stopped cooling' call: in this showroom mode Samsung disables the compressor and fans so the unit runs lights and display but never cools — per Samsung's own support page it shows as 'OF OF' or 'O FF.' We always check for it first on a warm-fridge call before opening any panel, because a key-combo (hold the two designated buttons, or all three on some models, until the chime) clears it with no part and no charge.
• On Twin-Cooling dual-evaporator cabinets the fresh-food and freezer evaporators are separate, so a warm fridge with a cold freezer is diagnostic on its own: a 22E fridge-side evap-fan condition (the model-correct 146-series motor) or a 5E defrost-sensor fault (DA32-00006W) on the fresh-food coil explains it, while a 21E points to the freezer side instead. Because each compartment runs its own fan and defrost heater, we use forced defrost (Fd) and the self-diagnostic readout to isolate which evaporator's circuit is stalled — and we rule out a true sealed-system loss before quoting refrigerant or a compressor — since a single-compartment warm-up is almost never the compressor.

Samsung freezer cold but fridge warm in Toronto — the local specifics

• The recurring Samsung-in-Toronto pattern on freezer-works-fridge-warm calls is a 22E/22C evaporator-fan fault where the fan has stalled on ice rather than failed outright — owners report fan noise that stops when the door opens — frequently traced back to a drifted 5E/5C defrost sensor or an open DA47-00244U heater that let the evaporator coil frost over and choke the fridge-side airflow first; on single-evaporator side-by-sides the same complaint with no code is just as often a damper jammed shut.
• We bring the model-correct 146-series evaporator fan motor (DA31-00146E), the DA32-00006W defrost/temp sensor, the DA47-00244U defrost-heater assembly and the DA35-00099G PTC start relay to these Toronto calls, plus gaskets and the forced-defrost (Fd/Rd) routine to clear and re-diagnose the coil before any part goes in — and we check for the no-part 'OF OF' demo-mode false alarm first.

For the full Samsung refrigerator module — every fault, part number and code — see Samsung refrigerator repair in Toronto, and for the same fault across all brands the refrigerator freezer cold but fridge warm guide.