Why is My Refrigerator Noisy?

refrigerator noisy

Loud sounds coming from a refrigerator is one of our most common customer calls. That means we know exactly how to troubleshoot the problem and fix it. Call Hall Appliance Repair today! The #1 Washington refrigerator repair service.

A noisy refrigerator is very annoying. If the refrigerator in your kitchen is a little noisier than it usually is there are a few easy place that you can look at while trying to find the cause. There are several fans on a standard refrigerator that often 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 operating, the sounds could be a broken a water valve.

There are a couple of basic components that should be checked first. Like is your refrigerator filled too full? A refrigerator that’s too could cause glass containers and other food items to clink and clank together. This will cause a lot of unpleasant sounds inside the refrigerator that’s not ideal because the refrigerator is on and naturally producing a small vibration.

If you have a refrigerator that has a built-in water dispenser or ice maker but don’t have the water line hooked up, be sure you shut off the dispenser and ice maker. There is almost always a button on the dispenser that can be pressed to turn off the water dispenser. And with the ice maker, you just need to pull up the bar. If the refrigerator was installed really close to a wall, it could cause the standard running noise to seem a lot louder. This is because of the echo of the noise of the refrigerator. Pull it out a bit away from the kitchen wall and see if that helps. A refrigerator should be around 2 inches away from the rear wall of the kitchen to limit the noise.

If it’s not any of these basic and easy fixes, it is time to dive on in. The majority of the time, the fans are the reason for a refrigerator that is loud. There are fan blades that will often get dirty and clogged. Sometimes the fan motors do as well. There is a condenser fan and an evaporator on refrigerators too. Sometimes the condenser fan will get a coating of dust on it and then should be cleaned regularly. If the coating builds up and gets too heavy it will sometimes wear out the bearings inside of the fan’s motor.

Clean the Fan & Refrigerator Condenser Coils

First, the refrigerator. A lot of the time you will need a screwdriver or wrench to get the back panel off. As soon as it’s off you’ll notice a fan in there. If it’s full of dirt and dust, grab a cloth and gently clean it off. While you are in there you should check the coils too. These are typically near there and full of the same grime and dust that the fan is. Cleaning the coils will only take a couple of minutes but it will certainly help the refrigerator run efficiently. This is actually a very common problem that causes a refrigerator to run non-stop.

Turn the fan blades in the refrigerator. Do the fan blades spin easily? If they do not it means the fan motor bearings are broken. This is an easy repair, as the fan assembly is typically a part that can be purchased online and can be replaced by just disconnecting it. However, before doing any of this, be sure the refrigerator is unplugged. Do the same process for the evaporator fan, which is located behind the freezer. This isn’t typically the problem, as this fan is concealed by being inside the walls of the refrigerator. But, if the noises are coming from the top of the appliance that is the area to check.

If it’s possible that it might be the compressor, the big, usually gray or black object beneath the refrigerator by the coils, we advise calling Hall Appliance Repair. That is not a repair a homeowner should proceed with.

ADDITIONAL REFRIGERATOR RESOURCES

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