Why is My Refrigerator Noisy?

Strange noises coming from a refrigerator is one of our most common service calls. This means our repairmen know just how to diagnose the problem and repair it. Call Jet City Appliance Repair today! The #1 Seattle refrigerator repair service.

A noisy refrigerator is the worst. If the refrigerator in your kitchen seems to be a bit louder than it usually is there are a few simple place that you can check while attempting to find the answer. There are a lot of fans on a home refrigerator that often create strange noises. The refrigerator might also not be level too. Or you may have a compressor that’s wearing down. If your refrigerator is much noisier when the ice maker is operating, the noises could be from a broken a water valve.

There are some basic things that must be be checked. Like is the refrigerator too full? A refrigerator that is too can result in glass containers and other items to clink and clank together. This can cause a lot of annoying noises inside the refrigerator that’s not ideal because the refrigerator is running and naturally creating a minor vibration.

If you have a model of refrigerator that has a built-in water dispenser or ice maker but you don’t have the water hooked up, be positive you turned off the water dispenser and ice maker. There’s almost always a button on the water dispenser that can be used to shut off the dispenser. And with the ice maker, you need to pull up the metal bar. If the refrigerator is installed near a wall, it will cause the standard operating noise to seem louder than it really is. This is a result of the echoing of the noise of the machine. Pull it out away from the kitchen wall and see if that helps or not. A refrigerator should be around 2 inches away from the back wall to lower the sound.

If it isn’t one of these basic and easier fixes, it is time to explore the issue further. Most of the time, the refrigerator fans are the cause of a loud refrigerator. There are fan blades that sometimes get clogged and dirty. Often times the fan motors do as well. There’s a condenser fan in the refrigerator and an evaporator on the refrigerator too. Sometimes the refrigerator condenser fan gets a coating of dust on it and needs to be cleaned regularly. If the coating builds up and gets too heavy it will sometimes wear out the bearings inside of the fan’s motor.

Clean the Fan & Refrigerator Condenser Coils

The first thing to do is unplug the refrigerator. The condenser fan is usually located in the rear of the refrigerator. A lot of the time you will need to have a wrench or screwdriver to get the back panel off. Once exposed you will see a fan behind it. If it’s full of dirt and dust, find a cloth and gently wipe it off. While you are in there you should look at the coils too. The coils are usually right there and covered in the same dust and grime that the fan is. Wiping down the coils will only take a few minutes and it will help the refrigerator run efficiently. This is actually a common issue that can cause a refrigerator to run non-stop.

Turn the fan blades in the refrigerator. Do the blades spin freely? If they don’t the fan motor bearings are broken. This is an easy fix, as the fan assembly is usually a component that can be ordered and can be replaced by just disconnecting it. However, before you do this, be sure the refrigerator is unplugged. Do this same process for the evaporator fan in the refrigerator, which is located behind the freezer. This is not typically the problem, as this particular fan is protected by being within the walls of the refrigerator. But, if the noises are coming from the top of the refrigerator that is the area to check.

If you think it might be the compressor, the large, usually gray or black object under the refrigerator near the coils, we recommend calling Jet City Appliance Repair. That isn’t a repair a homeowner should try.

ADDITIONAL REFRIGERATOR RESOURCES

• How Does a Refrigerator Work?
• Ice Maker Not Working
• Water Dispenser Not Working
• Refrigerator Not Cooling