Refrigerator problem
Refrigerator Making a Loud Noise
Buzzing, clicking, rattling or knocking — the kind of noise narrows it more than the volume does.
What this usually means
A refrigerator contains three things that can be heard: two or three fans, a compressor, and water moving. Almost every noise complaint resolves to one of them, and which one is usually clear from the character of the sound and from whether it changes when a door is opened. A fan noise stops when the door opens; a compressor noise does not.
Five observations that narrow it
Answer these before anyone visits. Each one removes a whole branch of the diagnosis, and they cost nothing.
What kind of noise: buzz, hum, click, rattle, knock or squeal?
Does it stop when you open the freezer door?
Is it constant, or does it come in bursts every few hours?
Is it coming from the back, the bottom, or from inside the compartment?
Has anything changed about where the appliance stands?
Causes, cheapest first
In roughly the order a technician rules them out. The expensive answer is at the bottom because it is usually the last one true, not the first.
Not level, or touching a cabinet
noneA unit resting against a wall or a neighbouring cabinet transmits normal vibration into the structure, which amplifies it.
Evaporator fan hitting frost
lowA fan blade catching ice makes a distinctive intermittent scraping, and it stops the moment the freezer door opens.
See frost building up in the refrigeratorCondenser fan obstructed
lowDebris in the fan at the bottom or back gives a rattle that does not change when doors are opened.
Ice maker cycling
noneA short burst of clicking and rushing water every few hours is the ice maker filling and harvesting, and it is normal.
Compressor or its mounts
moderate to highestA knock or a deep hum from the bottom rear that is new and getting worse is the one noise worth acting on quickly.
Check these before you book
- Open the freezer door and note whether the noise stops.
- Check the appliance is level and not touching the cabinets or the wall.
- Time the noise; anything on a several-hour cycle is probably the ice maker.
- Listen at the back and at the bottom and say where it is loudest.
- Note whether it started suddenly or has grown over weeks.
How urgent is this?
Most refrigerator noises are not urgent. A new knocking or deep humming from the compressor, especially with any loss of cooling, is the exception.
What fixes it
The work behind the causes above, with what it costs relative to the rest.
Refrigerator Diagnostic Visit diagnostic
The visit that decides what the repair actually is, before any part is ordered.
Compressor and Sealed System Repair highest
The expensive end of the list, and the one where the type of refrigerator decides whether to do it at all.
Evaporator and Condenser Fan Repair low
Two fans, two completely different failures — one stops the cold arriving, the other stops the heat leaving.
Ice Maker Repair and Replacement low to moderate
Most no-ice calls end upstream of the ice maker, at a valve, a tube or a bin sensor.
Related problems
Frost Building Up in the Refrigerator
Ice on the back wall, around the door, or over the whole freezer — and each location means something different.
Refrigerator Running Constantly
The compressor never cycles off, and the cabinet may still be holding temperature.
Ice Maker Not Making Ice
When the freezer is cold, the question is whether water is arriving — not whether the appliance can freeze.
Back to your everyday
Let’s get your refrigerator working again.
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Not a refrigerator? Each of these is its own appliance, and has a site of its own.
- Freezerstandalone upright freezers
- Ice makerstandalone and undercounter ice machines
- Wine coolerwine cabinets