Why is My Refrigerator Noisy?

Loud sounds coming from a refrigerator is one of our most common customer calls. This means our technicians know exactly how to diagnose the issue and fix it. Call Express Centreville Appliance Repair today! The #1 Centreville refrigerator repair service.

A loud refrigerator is the worst. If the refrigerator in your home is a little noisier than it usually is there are a couple of simple place that you can check while attempting to find the answer. There are several fans on a home refrigerator that often create loud noises. The refrigerator might also not be balanced too. Or you might have a compressor that is wearing down. If your refrigerator is louder when the ice maker is making ice, the sounds could be from a broken a water valve.

There are a couple of basic components that need to be checked first. Like is the refrigerator filled too full? A refrigerator that is too might result in glass jars and other food items to clink together. This will cause a lot of loud sounds inside of the refrigerator that is not ideal because the refrigerator is cooling and thereby producing a small vibration.

If you have a refrigerator that has a built-in water dispenser or ice maker but you don’t have the water line hooked up, be positive you turned off the water dispenser and 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. If the refrigerator is installed very close to a wall in the kitchen, it can sometimes cause the normal operating noise to seem much louder than it is. This is because of the echoing of the sound of the refrigerator. Move the refrigerator out from the wall and then see if that helps at all. A refrigerator should be close to 2 inches away from the rear wall of the kitchen to lower the sound.

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

Clean the Fan & Refrigerator Condenser Coils

behind the refrigerator. Most of the time you will need to have a wrench or screwdriver to get the back panel off from the refrigerator. As soon as it is off you will see a fan in there. 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 typically near there and covered in the same grime and dust that the fan is. Cleaning the coils will only take a few minutes and it will certainly help the refrigerator run efficiently. This is a common problem that sometimes causes a refrigerator to run non-stop.

Turn the fan blades. Do the fan blades spin easily? If they don’t it means the fan motor bearings are broken. This is an easy fix, as the fan assembly is usually a unit that can be ordered and can be replaced by simply disconnecting it. But, before trying any of this, be sure the refrigerator is not plugged in. Do this same process for the evaporator fan in the refrigerator, which is typically located behind the freezer unit. This is not 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’s the place to check.

If you think it might be the refrigerator compressor, the big, typically black or gray object under the refrigerator near the coils, we recommend calling Express Centreville Appliance Repair. That is 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