Why is My Refrigerator Noisy?

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

A loud refrigerator is the worst. If the refrigerator in your home seems to be a bit noisier than it usually is there are a couple of simple things that you can check while trying to find the answer. There are several fans on a home refrigerator that could create loud noises. The refrigerator might also not be balanced too. Or you might have a compressor that’s wearing down. If your refrigerator is louder when the ice maker is making ice, the sounds could be from a broken a water valve.

There are a few obvious components that must be be checked first. Like is your refrigerator too full? A refrigerator that’s too might cause glass jars and other items to clink and clank together. This will cause a lot of unpleasant noises inside of the refrigerator that’s not ideal because the refrigerator is running and thereby producing a small vibration.

If you own a model of refrigerator that has a water dispenser or ice maker but don’t have the water line hooked up, be sure you turned off the water dispenser and the ice maker. There’s almost always a button on the water dispenser that can be used to turn off the water dispenser. And with the ice maker, you simply need to lift the bar. If the refrigerator is installed really close to a wall in the kitchen, it might cause the normal running noise to seem much louder than it is. This is a result of the echo of the noise of the machine. Move the refrigerator out a bit away from the kitchen wall and see if that helps at all or not. A refrigerator needs to be about 2 inches from the rear wall of the kitchen to limit the sound.

If it isn’t one of these basic and common fixes, it’s time to dive on in. The majority of the time, the fans are the cause of a loud refrigerator. There are fan blades that will often get clogged and dirty. Sometimes the fan motors do as well. There’s a condenser fan in the refrigerator and an evaporator on refrigerators too. Many times the refrigerator condenser fan gets a coating of dust on it and then should be cleaned on a regular basis. If the coating builds up and gets too heavy it can wear out the bearings inside of the refrigerator fan’s motor.

Clean the Fan & Refrigerator Condenser Coils

The first thing to do is to unplug the refrigerator. The condenser fan is typically located in the rear of the refrigerator. Most of the time you will want a screwdriver or wrench to get the back panel off. Once exposed you will notice a fan behind it. If it’s covered in dirt and dust, find a rag and gently clean it off. While you are in there look at the coils too. These are typically near there and will be full of the same grime and dust that the fan is. Wiping down the coils only takes a couple of minutes but it will certainly help the refrigerator run more efficiently. This is 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 the fan motor bearings are not working. This is an easy repair, as the fan assembly is usually a part that can be ordered and can be replaced by just disconnecting it. But, before doing any of this, be sure the refrigerator is not plugged in. Do the same process for the evaporator fan, which is located behind the freezer. This is not typically the issue, 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 place to look.

If you think it could be the compressor, the large, usually gray or black object beneath the refrigerator by the coils, we advise calling Yates 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