Why is My Refrigerator Noisy?

Strange sounds coming from a refrigerator is one of our most common customer calls. This means our repairmen know just how to diagnose the problem and fix it. Call C&L Fort Lauderdale Appliance Repair today! The #1 Fort Lauderdale refrigerator repair service.

A loud refrigerator is the worst. If the refrigerator in your home is a little noisier than normal there are some easy things that you can look at while attempting to find the answer. There are a lot of fans on a refrigerator that often create strange noises. The refrigerator could also not be balanced too. Or you could have a compressor that’s wearing down. If your refrigerator is much louder when the ice maker is making ice, the noises might be a broken a water valve.

There are some basic things that must be be checked. Like is your refrigerator filled too full? A refrigerator that is too will often result in glass jars and other foods and liquids to clink together. This will cause a lot of unpleasant sounds inside of the refrigerator that’s not ideal because the refrigerator is on and creating a small vibration.

If you have a refrigerator that has a built-in water dispenser or ice maker but you do not have the water line connected, be sure you turned off the dispenser and ice maker. There’s almost always a button on the dispenser that can be pressed to shut off the water dispenser. And as far as the ice maker, you need to pull up the bar. If the refrigerator was installed right by a wall, it can cause the normal running sound to seem a lot louder. This is a result of the echoing of the sound of the refrigerator. Move it out a little from the kitchen wall and then see if that helps at all or not. A refrigerator needs to be close to 2 inches from the back wall of the kitchen to limit the sound.

If it’s not any of these simple and easy fixes, it is time to explore the issue further. Most of the time, the fans are the reason for a loud refrigerator. There are fan blades that will often get dirty and clogged. Often times the fan motors do too. There’s a condenser fan in the refrigerator and an evaporator on refrigerators too. Sometimes the condenser fan gets a coating of dust or fuzz on it and then needs to be cleaned often. If the coating gets too heavy it will sometimes wear out the bearings inside the refrigerator fan’s motor.

Clean the Fan & Refrigerator Condenser Coils

behind the refrigerator. A lot of the time you will want a screwdriver or wrench to remove the back panel from the refrigerator. As soon as it’s off you will see a fan inside. If it’s full of dirt and dust, get a rag and gently clean it off. While you are in there you should check the coils as well. The coils are typically near there and will be full of the same grime and dust that the fan is. Cleaning the coils only takes a couple of minutes and it will certainly help the refrigerator run efficiently. This is actually a very common problem that can cause a refrigerator to run non-stop.

Spin the fan blades. Do the fan blades spin freely? If not it means the fan motor bearings are not working. This is a simple fix, as the fan assembly is typically a component that can be purchased online and can be replaced by just disconnecting it. However, before you do any of this, be sure the refrigerator is not plugged in. Do the same process for the evaporator fan, which is typically located behind the freezer. This isn’t usually the issue, as this fan is concealed within the walls of the refrigerator. But, when the noises are coming from the top of the refrigerator that’s the place to look.

If you think it might be the compressor, the big, usually gray or black object under the refrigerator near the coils, we suggest calling C&L Fort Lauderdale Appliance Repair. That’s not a repair a homeowner should try.

ADDITIONAL REFRIGERATOR RESOURCES

• How Does a Refrigerator Work?
• Ice Maker Not Workin
• Water Dispenser Not Working
• Refrigerator Not Cooling