Why is My Refrigerator Noisy?

refrigerator noisy

Strange sounds coming out of a refrigerator is one of our most popular customer calls. This means our repairmen know exactly how to diagnose the issue and correct it. Call Spring Appliance Repair NOW today! The #1 Spring refrigerator repair service.

A noisy refrigerator is the worst. If the refrigerator in your kitchen seems to be a little louder than usual there are a couple of simple place that you can look at while attempting to find the answer. There are many fans on a home refrigerator that often create loud noises. The appliance could also not be balanced too. Or you could have a compressor that is wearing out. If your refrigerator is much louder when the ice maker is making ice, the sounds might be from a broken a water valve.

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

If you own a refrigerator that has a water dispenser or ice maker but you do not have the water line hooked up, be positive you turned off the water dispenser and ice maker. There’s usually a button on the dispenser that can be pressed to shut off the dispenser. And as far as the ice maker, you just need to lift the bar inside of it. If the refrigerator was installed near a wall, it could cause the standard operating sound to seem much louder. This is due to the echo of the sound of the refrigerator. Move the refrigerator out from the wall and then see if that helps at all or not. A refrigerator should be close to 2 inches away from the back wall to lower the sound.

If it isn’t one of these basic and common fixes, it is time to dive on in. Most of the time, the fans are the cause of a loud refrigerator. There are fan blades that can 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. Often times the condenser fan gets a coating of dust or fuzz on it and needs to be cleaned often. If the coating gets too heavy it might wear out the bearings inside the fan’s motor.

Clean the Fan & Refrigerator Condenser Coils

First, the refrigerator. A lot of the time you will need a wrench or screwdriver to remove the back panel. As soon as it is off you’ll see a fan inside. If it is full of dirt and dust, get a rag and gently wipe it off. While you are in there you should check the coils too. The coils are usually near there and will be covered in the same grime and dust that the fan is. Wiping down the coils only takes a few minutes but it will certainly help the refrigerator run efficiently. This is actually a common problem that sometimes causes a refrigerator to run non-stop.

Spin the fan blades. Do the fan blades spin freely? If they don’t the fan motor bearings are not working. This is an easy fix, as the fan assembly is typically a component that can be ordered and can be replaced by simply disconnecting it. However, before doing any of this, ensure the refrigerator isn’t plugged in. Do the same process for the evaporator fan, which is typically located behind the freezer. This is not typically the problem, as this particular fan is concealed within the walls of the refrigerator. But, if the sounds are coming from the top of the refrigerator that is the area to check.

If you think it could be the refrigerator compressor, the big, usually gray or black object under the refrigerator by the coils, we suggest calling Spring Appliance Repair NOW. That’s not a repair a homeowner should proceed with.

ADDITIONAL REFRIGERATOR RESOURCES