Why is My Refrigerator Noisy?

refrigerator unusual noise

Loud sounds coming out of a refrigerator is one of our most popular customer calls. That means we know exactly how to diagnose the issue and correct it. Call Cox Appliance Repair today! The #1 Anaheim refrigerator repair service.

A loud refrigerator is extremely annoying. If the refrigerator in your kitchen is a little louder than usual there are a few easy things that you can look at while trying to find the cause. There are a lot of fans on a home refrigerator that might create strange sounds. The appliance might also not be level too. Or you might have a compressor wearing down. If your refrigerator is louder when the ice maker is making ice, the sounds could be a broken a water valve.

There are a couple of basic things that must be be checked first. Like is the refrigerator filled too full? A refrigerator that’s too might result in glass bottles and other foods and liquids to clink together. This will cause a lot of annoying sounds inside of the refrigerator that isn’t ideal because the refrigerator is on and thereby producing a small vibration.

If you have a refrigerator that has a water dispenser or ice maker but don’t have the water hooked up, be sure you turned off the dispenser and ice maker. There is almost always a button on the dispenser that can be pressed to shut off the dispenser. And as far as the ice maker, you need to lift the metal bar inside of it. If the refrigerator was installed right by a wall in the kitchen, it could cause the normal operating sound to seem much louder. This is because of the echoing of the noise of the appliance. Slide the refrigerator out away from the kitchen wall and see if that helps. A refrigerator should be about 2 inches away from the back wall of the kitchen to lower the noise.

If it’s not one of these basic and common fixes, it’s time to dive on in. Most of the time, the fans are the reason for a loud refrigerator. There are fan blades that sometimes get dirty and clogged. Sometimes the fan motors do too. There is a condenser fan in the refrigerator and an evaporator on the refrigerator too. Many times the condenser fan will get a coating of dust or fuzz on it and should be cleaned on a regular basis. If the coating gets too heavy it will sometimes wear out the bearings inside of the refrigerator fan’s motor.

Clean the Fan & Refrigerator Condenser Coils

First, 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 screwdriver or wrench to remove the back panel from the refrigerator. Once exposed you’ll notice a fan inside. If it’s full of dust and dirt, grab a cloth and gently clean it off. While you are in there check the coils as well. The coils are usually near there and will be full of the same dust and grime that the fan is. Cleaning the coils will only take a few minutes but it will certainly help the refrigerator run more efficiently. This is a very common issue that causes a refrigerator to run non-stop.

Spin the fan blades. Do they spin easily? If not it means the fan motor bearings are broken. This is an easy repair, as the fan assembly is usually a part that can be purchased online and can be replaced by just disconnecting it. However, before you do this, be sure the refrigerator isn’t plugged in. Do the same process for the evaporator fan in the refrigerator, which is located behind the freezer unit. This is not usually the problem, as this fan is concealed within the walls of the refrigerator. But, when the noises are coming from the top of the appliance that’s the area to look.

If you think it might be the refrigerator compressor, the large, typically black or gray object beneath the refrigerator by the coils, we advise calling Cox Appliance Repair. That is not a repair a homeowner should attempt.

ADDITIONAL REFRIGERATOR RESOURCES

Copyright ©2024  Cox Appliance Repair