Why is My Refrigerator Noisy?

refrigerator noisy

Loud noises coming out of a refrigerator is one of our most common customer calls. This means our repairmen know just how to troubleshoot the issue and repair it. Call Like-New Appliance Repair today! The #1 Cincinnati refrigerator repair service.

A noisy refrigerator is the worst. If the refrigerator in your home seems to be a little louder than usual there are some easy things that you can check while trying to find the answer. There are many fans on a standard refrigerator that could create strange noises. The refrigerator might also not be balanced too. Or you may have a compressor that’s wearing out. If your refrigerator is a lot louder when the ice maker is making ice, the sounds could be a broken a water valve.

There are a few obvious components that should be checked first. Like is the refrigerator too full? A refrigerator that is too might result in glass containers and other items to clink and clank together. This will create a lot of loud sounds inside the refrigerator that is not ideal because the refrigerator is running and naturally producing a small vibration.

If you own a model of refrigerator that has a built-in water dispenser or ice maker but don’t have the water line connected, be positive you turned off the dispenser and the ice maker. There’s almost always a button on the water dispenser that can be pressed to shut off the dispenser. And with the ice maker, you need to lift the metal bar inside of it. If the refrigerator is installed right by a wall in the kitchen, it could cause the normal operating noise to seem a lot louder. This is because of the echoing of the sound of the refrigerator. Pull the refrigerator out a little away from the kitchen wall and see if that helps or not. A refrigerator needs to be around 2 inches from the rear wall to reduce the sound.

If it’s not any 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 is a condenser fan in the refrigerator and an evaporator on the refrigerator too. Sometimes the refrigerator condenser fan gets a coating of dust on it and should be cleaned on a regular basis. If the dust gets too heavy it will sometimes wear out the bearings inside the refrigerator fan’s motor.

Clean the Fan & Refrigerator Condenser Coils

First, the refrigerator. A lot of the time you will want a wrench or screwdriver to remove the back panel from the refrigerator. As soon as it is off you will see a fan behind it. If it’s full of dirt and dust, find a cloth and gently clean it off. While you are in there check the coils too. These are usually near there and covered in the same grime and dust that the fan is. Wiping down the coils only takes a couple of minutes and it will help the refrigerator run efficiently. This is actually a very 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 the fan motor bearings are broken. This is a simple fix, as the fan assembly is usually a unit that can be ordered and can be replaced by just disconnecting it. However, before attempting this, ensure the refrigerator isn’t plugged in. Do the same process for the evaporator fan in the refrigerator, which is located behind the freezer unit. This is not typically the problem, as this fan is concealed by being within the walls of the refrigerator. But, when 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 large, typically gray or black object under the refrigerator near the coils, we recommend calling Like-New Appliance Repair. That’s not a repair a homeowner should proceed with.

ADDITIONAL REFRIGERATOR RESOURCES

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