Why is My Refrigerator Noisy?

Strange sounds coming from a refrigerator is one of our most common customer calls. This means Midlothianour technicians know just how to diagnose the issue and correct it. Call Hi-Tech Midlothian Appliance Repair today! The #1 Midlothian refrigerator repair service.

A loud refrigerator is extremely annoying. If the refrigerator in your house seems to be a bit louder than normal there are a few easy things that you can check while trying to find the cause. There are several fans on a refrigerator that could create loud sounds. The appliance might also not be level too. Or you may have a compressor that is wearing out. If your refrigerator is much louder when the ice maker is working, the noises might be a broken a water valve.

There are some obvious components that must be be checked first. Like is the refrigerator too full? A refrigerator that’s too might result in glass bottles and other food items to clink together. This will cause a lot of loud sounds inside the refrigerator that’s not ideal because the refrigerator is on and producing a small vibration.

If you have a refrigerator that has a water dispenser or ice maker but do not have the water line hooked up, be positive you turned off the water dispenser and the ice maker. There’s usually a button on the water dispenser that can be pressed to turn off the water dispenser. And with the ice maker, you need to lift the metal bar inside of it. If the refrigerator was installed very close to a wall, it can cause the standard running noise to seem louder. This is due to the echo of the sound of the machine. Pull the refrigerator out a bit away from the wall and see if that helps at all or not. A refrigerator needs to be close to 2 inches from the rear wall to limit the sound.

If it is not any of these simple and common fixes, it is time to dive on in. Most of the time, the fans are the reason for a refrigerator that is loud. There are fan blades that will often get clogged and dirty. Often times the fan motors do as well. There’s a condenser fan in the refrigerator and an evaporator on refrigerators too. Sometimes the refrigerator condenser fan gets a coating of dust on it and needs to be cleaned often. If the dust builds up and gets too heavy it might 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 want to have a wrench or screwdriver to remove the back panel from the refrigerator. As soon as it’s exposed you’ll notice a fan in there. If it is covered in dirt and dust, take a cloth and gently clean it off. While you are in there you should look at the coils too. The coils are usually near there and covered in the same dust and grime that the fan is. Cleaning the coils only takes a couple of minutes but it will help the refrigerator run efficiently. This is a common issue that can cause 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 a simple fix, as the fan assembly is typically a part that can be purchased online and can be replaced by just disconnecting it. But, before doing any of this, ensure the refrigerator is unplugged. Do this same process for the evaporator fan in the refrigerator, which is typically located behind the freezer unit. This isn’t usually the problem, as this particular fan is concealed by being within the walls of the refrigerator. But, when the sounds are coming from the top of the appliance that is the place to look.

If it is possible it might be the refrigerator compressor, the big, usually gray or black object beneath the refrigerator near the coils, we recommend calling Hi-Tech Midlothian Appliance Repair. That’s not 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