Samsung RFG297HDRS Not Cooling — Compressor and Fans Not Running

Hi, I’m Mike, your appliance troubleshooting expert—happy to help with your Samsung RFG297HDRS. On the display, do you see “OF”/“O FF”/“Cooling Off,” and do you hear the compressor or any fans running from the back or inside when the doors are closed?

When you open the freezer, do you feel any air moving from the rear vents and is there a thick, snowy frost on the back wall panel?

After it’s been plugged in for a few minutes with all doors closed, do you feel the rear compressor getting warm and/or hear a brief click or the back condenser fan try to start?

Have the interior lights/display stayed on continuously, and was there any recent power outage, surge, or moving/unplugging of the fridge?

Thanks—that helps narrow it down.

Based on: both sections warm, no compressor, no condenser or evaporator fans, normal display, and no frost, the most likely cause is a failed main control board (the power/control PCB). On this model the board supplies low-voltage power to all DC fans and commands the inverter-driven compressor; when it fails, you typically get exactly what you’re seeing—lights and display work, but all cooling components stay off. Less likely possibilities include:

• Stuck “Cooling Off/Demo” state not showing properly on the display (rare).
• A UI-board or sensor (thermistor) fault falsely telling the board it’s at temperature—but that usually won’t silence every fan and the compressor together.
• Inverter board or compressor failure—these would stop the compressor, but your interior fans would normally still run, so they don’t fit your symptoms well.

What a technician would do: verify the main board’s DC outputs to the fans, check for 120 VAC to the compressor inverter and command signal from the board, and scan thermistor values via service mode. If the board’s outputs are dead, replacement of the main control board is the fix; if board outputs are good but the inverter/compressor doesn’t respond, then the inverter or compressor is at fault.

Safety note: these checks involve live voltage exposure; avoid removing panels or probing live circuits unless you’re trained.

Would you like me to walk you through safe, step‑by‑step checks to confirm the board before calling for service?