Why is My Refrigerator Noisy?

refrigerator loud noises

Strange noises coming out of a refrigerator is one of our most common customer calls. That means our repairmen know exactly how to troubleshoot the issue and correct it. Call Champion Appliance Repair today! The #1 refrigerator repair.

A loud refrigerator is extremely annoying. If the refrigerator in your house seems to be a little louder than normal there are a couple of simple things that you can look at while attempting to find the answer. There are many fans on a refrigerator that could create loud noises. The refrigerator might also not be balanced too. Or you may have a compressor that is wearing down. If your refrigerator is a lot louder when the ice maker is making ice, the sounds could be from a broken a water valve.

There are some obvious components that should be checked first. Like is the refrigerator filled too full? A refrigerator that’s too will often result in glass jars and other foods and liquids to clink and clank together. This can create a lot of loud noises inside the refrigerator that’s not ideal because the refrigerator is cooling and thereby creating a small vibration.

If you own a refrigerator that has a water dispenser or ice maker but don’t have the water connected, be sure you turned off the dispenser and the ice maker. There’s typically a button on the dispenser on the refrigerator that can be used to turn off the water dispenser. And with the ice maker, you simply need to pull up the metal bar. If the refrigerator was installed really close to a wall, it might cause the standard operating sound to seem louder than it is. This is because of the echo of the sound of the refrigerator. Move the refrigerator out a bit away from the wall and see if that helps or not. A refrigerator should be around 2 inches from the back wall to reduce the sound.

If it isn’t any of these basic and common fixes, it’s time to explore the issue further. The majority of the time, the fans are the cause of a loud refrigerator. There are fan blades that sometimes get clogged and dirty. There are times the fan motors do as well. There’s a condenser fan in the refrigerator and an evaporator on the refrigerator too. Sometimes the condenser fan gets a coating of dust on it and then should be cleaned on a regular basis. If it gets too heavy it might wear out the bearings inside the refrigerator fan’s motor.

Clean the Fan & Refrigerator Condenser Coils

behind the refrigerator. A lot of the time you will need a wrench or screwdriver to get the back panel off. As soon as it’s off you’ll see a fan inside. If it is covered in dust and dirt, take a cloth and gently clean it off. While you are in there you should check the coils as well. These are usually near there and will be full of the same grime and dust that the fan is. Wiping down the coils only takes a few minutes and it will help the refrigerator run more efficiently. This is actually a very common issue that can cause a refrigerator to run non-stop.

Turn the fan blades in the refrigerator. Do they spin easily? If they don’t it means the fan motor bearings are not working. This is a simple fix, as the fan assembly is usually a unit that can be purchased online and can be replaced by just disconnecting it. However, before you do this, ensure the refrigerator is not plugged in. Do this same process for the evaporator fan, which is typically located behind the freezer. This is not typically the problem, as this particular fan is protected within the walls of the refrigerator. But, if the noises are coming from the top of the appliance that’s the area to check.

If you think it could be the compressor, the large, usually gray or black object beneath the refrigerator near the coils, we advise calling Champion Appliance Repair. That isn’t a repair a homeowner should try.

ADDITIONAL REFRIGERATOR RESOURCES

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