The refrigerator isn’t quiet, but it shouldn’t make noises that interrupt conversations or prevent you from sleeping. If your appliance produces unfamiliar or annoying noise that is accompanied by other issues such as food not cooling correctly, you have a cause for concern.
Unless you have the skills, let an experienced refrigerator repair professional inspect the fridge, find the source of the noise, and fix it. Some of the noises that the refrigerator can produce include:
Rattling sounds mean something is loose. The most common culprit is the plumbing pipes at the back that provide water to the water dispenser and ice maker.
Rattling noises are common when you have recently repaired your fridge but failed to properly secure the plumbing line before reassembling the fridge.
Rattling noises aren’t alarming, and you have nothing to worry about, but if the refrigerator is bouncing around, you can easily damage the fridge leading to a leak. So to prevent this from happening, fix the rattling noises as soon as you notice them.
Are the rattling noises coming from the bottom of the fridge? The chances are that the drain pan is moving around as the refrigerator is running. You should adjust the drain pan so that it stops moving.
Dripping noises
Dripping noises are common in refrigerators, but sometimes they get out of hand, which is a sign of trouble. So you should always have your ear out for any sign of trouble.
Normal dripping noises come from the exterior of the fridge after you have turned off the compressor. The sounds also come about from the freezer compartment as you put water into the ice maker.
If you notice dripping sounds inside the refrigerator compartment, you have a reason to be worried. This is because the sounds mean you might be leaking into the defrost system.
Normally, the system melts frost and whisks it away quietly. When there are dripping noises, something is wrong, and you should ask a professional to give it a look.
Squealing noises
A normal functioning refrigerator shouldn’t sound like a bird, or small critter is trapped inside. Is your appliance making chirping or squealing sounds?
The chances are that the evaporator is malfunctioning. If you have the skills, you can try accessing the evaporator by removing the contents in the freezer and looking at the inside panel at the back of the freezer.
While at it, check whether the blades are operating smoothly by simply spinning them. You also should inspect the evaporator wires for signs of wear and tear.
If the fan blade isn’t moving freely and the wires are damaged or showing signs of corrosion, consider replacing them.
Popping noises
Popping noises are no cause for concern as they often result from the plastic parts of the fridge as they contract and expand due to the rising and falling of the temperature.
You will notice the noises often during the defrosting cycle, especially in new refrigerators, as they acclimate to the new humidity and temperature levels in the new house.
If your fridge is new, you have nothing to worry about as the noises fade with time.
However, if you hear a loud pop, you have a problem you should address immediately. A loud pop will happen when the refrigerator light bulb explodes or goes out.
If the noise is due to a bulb explosion and you recently replaced it, you were using the wrong bulb. It’s also possible that the light socket has started to short circuit.
If you didn’t recently replace the bulb, the light socket is the problem. To prevent the problem from coming about in the future, replace the light socket. Of course, replace it with one that is designed for the type of your house.
Banging noises
You will hear banging sounds as ice falls from the ice maker into the bucket. You should note that you will have similar noises when something inside the fridge falls over.
You shouldn’t be worried about banging sounds, but if the thumping or knocking is consistent and extremely loud, you have a reason for concern.
Ask an experienced commercial appliance repair Alexandria professional to inspect the source of the problem and fix it.
