Sometimes you’re just standing in the kitchen or you make your way to the otherwise quiet kitchen due to a sudden hunger impulse in the middle of the night, and you hear a weird noise. When you follow it, it turns out it’s just your fridge. There’s no reason to be worried at most of the sounds emitted by your fridge.
That said, the ominous part is when something loud or a little too persistent ensues. And this is no matter that will just go away on its own. Unless you’ve accidentally overstuffed your fridge. So of course, as soon as something seems afoul with it, you should root out that cause. Today, we’re going to help you figure out the source of the problem on your own, let you know what you shouldn’t be worried about, and when to call a pro.
Normal Sounds
New York City fridges today are made up of all kinds of moving parts which allow them to do what they do and this naturally entails a variety of noises in their daily operation. The most recognizable of these sounds is the steady, calm hum. Here you are hearing the compressor cycling on and off to keep the interior the right temperature. A faint rising home then dropping off happens all the time.
Popping
This is really common in new fridges and it happens during the expansion and contraction of the plastic components of the fridge, since the temperature does change in there, as a specially regulated, cooled environment. If this goes on for more than 30 minutes, that’s odd, and it may be that the ice is failing to melt in time.
Gurgling
The refrigerator is partially kept cool by refrigerant being fed through cooling lines, as is the ice maker. So there are liquids being circulated all the time, which makes it an ordinary sound you’ll hear. You could also hear dripping at the end of a defrost cycle.
Soft Whirling
The evaporator fan circulates inside the freezer and fridge, as does the condenser coil fan down at the bottom in a separate compartment.
Ticking Sound
This is likely coming from the ice maker. This is because the machine has a timed motor that slowly goes through its ice maker as it makes ice. This is normal.
Causes for Concern
Now for sounds that actually demand your concern and should be resolved ASAP, as your diet and what you put in your body is no joke.Most of these causes can be addressed yourself or easy for professionals like Subzero Repair.
Go get the screwdriver.
Grinding and Humming
It could either be your fan blade or the motor. If the fan can turn without any trouble, it’s probably the motor. Hear something too loud for comfort? It’s most likely the motor to blame.
Don’t forget about the compressor way in the back either, because if it’s suffering it’s probably from being worn out and working overtime. You might have filth and blockages in too many places.You are going to need to use the screwdriver to detach the evaporator panel to check it out, along with the coils and fan.
Condenser fans normally just switch on sometimes and don’t cause much of a ruckus. If yours is making a squealing sound, it’s likely the motor bearings have run out.
Whistling
Especially when you’re using the ice maker and you hear this, it may have to do with the water inlet valve malfunctioning. Mineral deposits can build up in the valve.
Freezer Helicopter Noise
Usually, this is from being overstuffed. If you simply remove a lot of the bags stashed in there and then listen closely, you might discover it’s vanished, now that nothing is pushing against the back panel anymore.
Ice Buildup
This is the next hypothesis to follow after you’ve freed up space around the panel. You can check if this is the case by taking everything out and seeing if the air is being emitted from the vent or if ice is trapping it in likely keeping it trapped in.
Rattling
This from the back hints there’s a loose condenser fan or dying compressor. If you’ve already spotted the unit is sitting level and the shelves are sitting neatly, count on a mechanical problem.
Non-Stop Clicking
Repeated compressor clicking is a sign of the start relay having pooped out. It’s crucial for juicing the compressor, and a broken relay can keep the refrigerator from running at all.
Where to Start to Look
The main culprits in NYC are going to likely have to do with:
Freezer and fridge evaporator fans
In order to get back into these panels, you’ll need to undo the screws. Don’t use any kind of heavy tools, as you will destroy the fragile plastic that the inner components are made out of.
All you have to do here is try to spin those little things in motion and see if that mechanic is well and good. They very well might have some ice on them and if they do you’ll need to defrost them just by turning off the cooling and letting the outside heat vanish them. You’ll get clued into this by hearing some knocking. That’s from the fan hitting a clunk of ice. If this keeps going on, you’ll eventually have to replace the fan.
Condenser Fan
This is a really forgotten guy and you’re going to have to bend down. It’s either in the front or the back and for that reason it gets down and dirty, gathering all that nasty pet hair and filth. Its job is to fan the coils, which holds onto the heat that’s jettisoned from the fridge to keep it chill.
If all the blades are peachy, and especially if the sound is really loud, the motor’s probably what you’ll be replacing.
Water Inlet Valve
You need to get that water and the refrigerant into the ice box to regulate the temperature. Sometimes it gets kinked. Sometimes it gets disconnected altogether. Just listen closely and if you hear something coming from it, the bad news is you can’t repair it. The good news is it costs next to nothing and you can swap in a new one easy-peasy.
Compressor
These are the most technical of all the parts and you shouldn’t touch it with a 30-foot pole. They’re also sealed for good reason and only a pro can work with it, not that there’s any point since it would be a horrible financial decision to just replace this.