Why is My Refrigerator Noisy?

refrigerator noisy

Strange noises coming from a refrigerator is one of our most popular customer calls. This means our technicians know exactly how to diagnose the problem and fix it. Call Magic Appliance Repair today! The #1 Nebraska refrigerator repair service.

A loud refrigerator is very annoying. If the refrigerator in your kitchen seems to be a bit louder than usual there are a couple of easy things that you can look at while attempting to find a solution. There are many fans on a refrigerator that might create loud sounds. The appliance could also not be balanced too. Or you may have a compressor that is wearing down. If your refrigerator is much louder when the ice maker is working, the noises could be a broken a water valve.

There are a couple of basic components that should be checked. Like is your refrigerator filled too full? A refrigerator that’s too could cause glass jars and other items to clink together. This can cause a lot of unpleasant noises inside of the refrigerator that’s not ideal because the refrigerator is cooling and thereby creating a minor vibration.

If you have a model of refrigerator that has a water dispenser or ice maker but you don’t have the water hooked up, be sure you shut off the dispenser and the ice maker. There’s typically a button on the dispenser on the refrigerator that can be pressed to shut off the dispenser. And with the ice maker, you just need to lift the metal bar inside of it. If the refrigerator is installed near a wall, it could cause the standard running noise to seem much louder than it really is. This is due to the echo of the noise of the appliance. Pull the refrigerator out away from the kitchen wall and see if that helps or not. A refrigerator needs to be about 2 inches from the rear wall of the kitchen to reduce the noise.

If it isn’t one of these basic and common fixes, it is time to explore the issue further. Most of the time, the refrigerator fans are the reason for a loud refrigerator. There are fan blades that can get clogged and dirty. Often times the fan motors do as well. There’s a condenser fan and an evaporator on the refrigerator too. Sometimes the refrigerator condenser fan gets a coating of dust or fuzz on it and then needs to be cleaned often. If the coating builds up and gets too heavy it can wear out the bearings inside the refrigerator 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 screwdriver or wrench to get the back panel off from the refrigerator. As soon as it’s off you will notice a fan behind it. If it is covered in dust and dirt, take a cloth and gently clean it off. While you’re in there look at the coils as well. The coils are usually near there and full of the same dust and grime that the fan is. Cleaning the coils will only take a couple of minutes and it will help the refrigerator run more efficiently. This is a common problem that causes a refrigerator to run non-stop.

Spin the fan blades in the refrigerator. Do the blades spin easily? If they don’t it means the fan motor bearings are not working. This is an easy repair, as the fan assembly is usually a unit that can be ordered and can be replaced by simply disconnecting it. But, before doing this, be sure the refrigerator isn’t plugged in. Do the same process for the evaporator fan, which is located behind the freezer unit. This is not usually the problem, as this fan is protected by being within the walls of the refrigerator. But, if the sounds are coming from the top of the appliance that is the place to look.

If you think it could be the compressor, the big, typically gray or black object beneath the refrigerator near the coils, we suggest calling Magic Appliance Repair. That’s not a repair a homeowner should try.

ADDITIONAL REFRIGERATOR RESOURCES