Samsung Refrigerator

This page at http://keithl.com/samsung
Samsung RT18M 6213 WW/AA
- Compressor MSV4A1AL1R/TT3
- 0F364DBKB00391P
Contact me at keithl AT keithl DOT com (plain ascii, not html please).

Problem

Even at "5 bars", "Fridge" compartment won't cool more than 40 degrees below ambient room temperature
- ambient can be 85F in August
- "Power Cool" temporarily lowers temperature.

More information

Temperatures measured using thermocouples on Taylor "outdoor" thermometers.
Installed in wooden kitchen refrigerator compartment
- Opening is 33 inches wide (plus extra inch inside), 68 inches high, 27 inches deep, with 3 inch space in back.
- Hot not-air-conditioned garage behind back wall - aluminum foil on inner wall minimizes radiant heat.
- Extra open space inside the back of lower fridge compartment, surrounding the round black vent.
Refrigerator very quiet. I expected some compressor noise.
Draws 3 to 100 watts, monitored with a Kill-a-Watt digital power meter.
Freezer compartment works fine at "two bars", opened twice per day, mostly to access "power cool" for fridge.
Added a 300 cubic foot per minute floor vent blowing air at lower back left side, see pictures below.
- Floor vent reduces maximum temperature excursion by 4F, but vent fan is noisy and consumes 40 more watts.

Usage

Mostly use refrigerator for fresh food, dairy and lots of vegetables
No icemaker installed, rarely use ice, not many frozen foods

Purchase and Warranty

Purchased 2019 July 9 for $648 from Home Depot 4401 SW 110th Ave Beaverton OR 97005. Delivered 2019 July 22
Purchased additional 3 year Home Depot protection plan for $90 ... but Home Depot doesn't answer phone within 40 minutes.

Photos taken on 80 fahrenheit July morning - Click photo for larger view

	Thermocouple temperatures, top is left compartment wall, bottom is interior upper glass shelf
	Inside of compartment. Thermocouple on "stovetop wall", 300 cfm vent at bottom, power routed through Kill-a-Watt meter, foil radiant barrier and 3 inch styrofoam ball spacer in back
	Kill-a-Watt meter feeding power to refrigerator. Can exceed 100 watts during "Power Cool". Usually runs below 3 watts.
	Vents at back bottom of refrigerator. No detectable sound, no air blows in or out
	Close-up of left back vent. What's that strange bit of light brown foam just inside the vent?
	Basement: AC Infinity fan and duct silencer to floor vent above. Thermocouple attached to sheet metal duct. Currently running at full speed, 300 cubic feet per minute, about 40 watts. Much quieter at partial speed, but refrigerator runs too hot.
	Basement: Duct connection to refrigerator floor vent. FYI Samsung engineers: Not relevant to the refrigerator, but the blue device on the lower right is a medical grade isolation transformer for my electronics workbench, isolating line voltage hot and neutral for workbench safety. Thermally isolated from the vent above, with cooling air blown towards the far right, away from the refrigerator vent intake. Your workbench should have this.

Note 1: I have a rope taped around the back for gently rolling the refrigerator out of the compartment. The force bears on the edges of side panels, not the back panel or the door or the bottom. Much safer than the hand truck used by the delivery people; I don't know what they might have damaged underneath.

Note 2: COVID-19 is rampant in the United States in July 2020. I hope to get warranty service, but I request technicians wear protection inside the house. I can provide face masks and shields, and "clean-room" style outer isolation clothing, donned in the garage before entering the house.