Why is My Refrigerator Noisy?

refrigerator loud noises

Loud noises coming out of a refrigerator is one of our most common customer calls. This means our technicians know exactly how to diagnose the problem and correct it. Call Elite Bloomington Appliance Repair today! The #1 Bloomington refrigerator repair service.

A noisy refrigerator is the worst. If the refrigerator in your house is a bit noisier than usual there are some easy place that you can check while trying to find the answer. There are many fans on a refrigerator that often create loud sounds. The appliance might also not be balanced too. Or you could have a compressor that is wearing out. If your refrigerator is much louder when the ice maker is working, the sounds might be from a broken a water valve.

There are a few obvious components that need to be checked. Like is your refrigerator filled too full? A refrigerator that is too might cause glass jars and other items to clink together. This can cause a lot of annoying noises inside the refrigerator that isn’t ideal because the refrigerator is running and thereby creating a minor vibration.

If you own a model of refrigerator that has a water dispenser or ice maker but you don’t have the water connected, be positive you turned off the dispenser and ice maker. There is usually a button on the dispenser on the refrigerator that can be used to shut off the water dispenser. And as far as the ice maker, you simply need to lift the bar inside of it. If the refrigerator was installed really close to a wall, it might cause the standard running noise to seem a lot louder than it really is. This is a result of the echo of the sound of the refrigerator. Move the refrigerator out from the wall and then see if that helps at all or not. A refrigerator should be about 2 inches from the rear wall to reduce the noise.

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

Clean the Fan & Refrigerator Condenser Coils

First, the refrigerator. A lot of the time you will need to have a screwdriver or wrench to get the back panel off. As soon as it’s off you will notice a fan behind it. If it’s full of dirt and dust, grab a rag and gently wipe it off. While you are in there check the coils too. The coils are typically near there and full of the same dust and grime 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 can cause a refrigerator to run non-stop.

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

If you think it might be the compressor, the large, usually gray or black object under the refrigerator by the coils, we recommend calling Elite Bloomington Appliance Repair. That’s not a repair a homeowner should attempt.

ADDITIONAL REFRIGERATOR RESOURCES