Refrigerator Making a Loud Noise? Here Are the Good and Bad Sounds You Should Look Out For

Is your refrigerator running? It's the start of many comedy sets, bad jokes, prank calls, and the reason you're here. If you've ever gone to bed and listened to your refrigerator's subtle drone and buzz, you may have asked yourself if that is supposed to be happening. Maybe you've heard a cracking sound and a pop or two and have started worrying about the potentially rotten food you'll find in your fridge when you check. Mr. Appliance of Flower Mound is here to act as your refrigerator interpreter, with a handy guide to demystify the range of sounds a noisy fridge can make. If your refrigerator is making a loud noise, our Flower Mound appliance repair specialists are here to help.

Normal Refrigerator Sounds

If your refrigerator is making a loud noise, it might not be necessary to call a repairman right away. A wide range of noises emanate from your fridge, which actually signifies that your refrigerator is running smoothly. These units have many complex parts and systems, and they all generate some noise. So, let's look at some of the noises coming from your refrigerator to see if they're all bad.

Humming and Buzzing

Is your refrigerator humming or buzzing? While your fridge compressor operates to keep your food cool or frozen, you will hear a faint buzzing or humming from the unit. This humming sound is normal, and it is important to note that the refrigerator compressors in modern fridges activate more frequently than older models. If your fridge makes a humming sound, you can always inspect the coils in the back of it to see if they are the source of the noise.

Snap, Crackle, and Pop

If the type of noise your refrigerator makes sounds more like a breakfast cereal, you don't have to worry. As your refrigerator goes through its cycles of defrosting and cooling, thermal expansion and contraction occur. This is normal. The temperature change causes the shell of the unit to make popping and cracking noises.

Flowing Water Means a River

It also means your refrigerator is running properly. If the fridge makes a loud noise that sounds like rushing water, it is most likely coolant flowing through the unit. Gurgling sounds also suggest the unit is going through a defrost cycle as the water melts and flows through the tubes.

Click, Clank, Clunk

If your fridge is making a loud noise, like a hard object falling into a plastic bin, that's what's happening. Your ice maker produces ice and drops it into the storage bin for your convenience. It turns out your noisy refrigerator is just doing its job.

The Fans Go Wild

Your refrigerator humming and whirring is a sign that its fans are operating normally. It shouldn't be loud enough to hear it from the other room, as excessive noise indicates a problem with the fan. However, a minor buzzing or humming indicates that your evaporator and condenser fans are working properly. If either of these fans has an actual problem, your refrigerator making a loud noise will be the first sign.

Abnormal Refrigerator Sounds

A refrigerator making a loud noise can indicate that you have an issue. We'll break down the different sounds so you can diagnose the problem and feel more comfortable before contacting a professional to fix your noisy fridge. Sounds coming from the back of the fridge and the back of the freezer section could indicate that you need repairs.

Who is That Knocking at the Door?

It might be your fridge and, eventually, our appliance repair team. If your refrigerator makes a loud noise that sounds like knocking on a door, it is often an issue with your compressor. Whether it's loose mounts or something hitting the internal compressor components, professional assistance could be required to solve the problem. It could also be your ice maker disconnected from the water supply.

Buzzing and Grinding

If you have strange noises from your refrigerator, it could indicate ice buildup on the evaporator fan, fan blades hitting ice and frost, a malfunctioning defrost system, or dirty condenser coils. If the loud buzzing noise persists after cleaning debris from the coils, it could be the evaporator fan blades. To clean them, you can use a vacuum cleaner. Our professionals can diagnose the problem and provide a reliable fix.

The Squeaky Wheel Gets the Grease

If your refrigerator makes a loud noise that sounds like a squeaky wheel, it could be your door seals or the evaporator fan. Located at the back of the fridge, you can check if the fans are running properly. This can lead to your freezer compartment working harder to freeze the food properly. This is probably the issue if you open the freezer and hear a squeak.

Construction Site Sounds

Is your refrigerator making a loud noise that includes grinding or scraping sounds? Does your refrigerator rattle? Do the noises from your refrigerator sound like a construction site? Those rattling noises and grinding noises could suggest either a loose drain pan is causing the issue or that your fans are hitting an object. Noises from refrigerators are never calming, but if your unit starts making sounds like a construction site, you need to check it for ice and frost buildup or whether the drain pan at the bottom is too loose.

Refrigerator Making Noise? Count on Mr. Appliance for Flower Mound Refrigerator Repairs - Call us Today

We hope we have calmed your concerns about your refrigerator making a loud noise. Those loud humming noises, minor pops, and snaps are nothing to worry about. However, if your refrigerator is making a loud noise, cleaning the condenser coils or other easy fixes doesn't remedy the issue. It is best to call a professional as soon as possible to find the issue causing the refrigerator noise. Mr. Appliance of Flower Mound can fix a noisy refrigerator in no time flat. There are a range of reasons your unit makes loud noises, some good, some bad, but our professionals can diagnose them all. We have you covered, whether your loud humming sounds are due to water dripping into the defrost heater or your unit isn't connected to the water supply. We can often fix a noisy fridge in just one visit.

The next time you hear loud noises from your fridge, contact us for refrigerator or freezer repair. We proudly serve Flower Mound and the surrounding areas of Denton, Frisco, and Lewisville.