Most refrigerator noises are normal: gurgling refrigerant, popping walls, clicking relays and a steady hum from the compressor and fans. Grinding, scraping or a loud rattle usually comes from a fan blade hitting ice or debris, so start by finding whether the sound is in the freezer or behind the bottom rear panel.
Sounds a healthy fridge makes
A modern refrigerator is busier than the old ones. It has a variable-speed compressor, two or three fans, a water valve, an ice maker and a defrost heater, and each one makes its own sound at a different point in the cycle. Whirlpool publishes a long list of sounds it considers normal, and it's worth matching yours against it before you take anything apart.
Long run times surprise a lot of people. Whirlpool says newer high-efficiency compressors can run for longer stretches, and that a warm kitchen, a big grocery load or a door that keeps getting opened makes them run longer still.
- Gurgling or bubbling: refrigerant moving through the tubing after the compressor stops, or defrost water running to the drain pan.
- Popping or cracking: the inside walls expanding and contracting as temperatures change.
- Sizzling or hissing: meltwater dripping onto the warm defrost heater during a defrost.
- Clicking or tapping: relays and the control switching parts on and off. A single click as the compressor starts or stops is normal.
- Whooshing: the evaporator and condenser fans moving air.
- Steady low hum or a high-pitched pulsing: the compressor and fans adjusting to hold temperature, often right after the doors have been opened.
- Rattling or vibrating: refrigerant or water flowing, something sitting on top of the cabinet, or a fridge that isn't level.
Pin down where the noise is coming from
Before you pull a single panel, spend five minutes listening. A chirp or grind that seems to come from behind the freezer's back wall is usually the evaporator fan. A noise at floor level near the back is the condenser fan or the compressor. Buzzing that starts right as you press the dispenser paddle, or a few seconds after the ice maker dumps cubes, is the water valve.
Write down when it happens too. A sound that comes and goes with the compressor points to a fan or the compressor itself. One that only shows up every few hours may be the defrost cycle. A noise only when you open or close a door is a hinge or a door rubbing on something.
For the checks below you'll want a flashlight, a bubble level, a screwdriver or nut driver that fits the rear access panel screws, a vacuum with a brush attachment and a towel. Budget 30 to 60 minutes.
Level the fridge and clear the top
Rattling and vibration are often the cabinet itself. Put the bubble level on top of the fridge, front to back and side to side. Pull off the base grille and turn the front leveling legs or rollers until the bubble is centered both ways and the cabinet doesn't rock. Whirlpool also points out that a flexible floor passes vibration straight through, so a fridge on an old wood subfloor may always buzz a little more than one on concrete.
Then look at the top of the cabinet. Cereal boxes, a stack of baking sheets or a small appliance up there will rattle every time the compressor starts.
Doors that squeak or grind when they open usually rub on a cabinet or a wall. Leveling helps here too, since Whirlpool notes that a level cabinet takes strain off the hinges and cuts down on creaks.
Water valve buzzing, chattering or hammering
The water inlet valve sits at the back of the fridge near the bottom, where the supply line connects. A short buzz while you dispense water or while the ice maker fills is normal. A buzz or hum that keeps repeating when the fridge has no water connected means something else. The ice maker is calling for water that can't arrive, and the valve keeps opening on an empty line. Whirlpool's fix is to turn the ice maker off if the fridge isn't hooked up to a supply.
Chattering while you dispense points to a kinked supply line, according to Whirlpool. Pull the fridge out gently and look for a sharp bend in the tubing, especially if the fridge was recently pushed back hard against the wall. A thump or hammer sound during a fill is the water line filling, which Whirlpool also lists as normal.
Grinding or chirping in the freezer: the evaporator fan
The evaporator fan sits behind a cover on the back wall of the freezer and blows air across the cold coil into both compartments. When it gets noisy, the sound is usually a chirp, squeal or grinding from the freezer area, and PartSelect adds that the fridge may also run warmer and make ice more slowly. PartSelect and Fix.com both list the same handful of causes: a worn motor, a loose or damaged blade, worn rubber grommets that let the motor shake on its bracket, and ice forming around the blade.
Ice on the fan is a clue, and it's a big one. Frost building up behind the cover usually means the defrost system isn't clearing the coil, or warm humid air is getting in past a door. Changing the fan won't fix that, and the noise will return. Many fridges flag a stalled fan with a code, such as Er FF or Er rF on LG, 21E or 22E on Samsung, and FAE1 on Whirlpool.
To look for yourself, unplug the fridge, empty the freezer and remove the screws holding the rear cover. Check that the blade is tight on the shaft, spins freely by hand and isn't touching ice. Replacing the motor is a moderate job on most models. Don't run the fridge with the cover off to listen for the noise, since that puts your hands near live parts.
Rattling at the bottom rear: the condenser fan
On most fridges with the coils underneath, the condenser fan sits beside the compressor behind a rear access panel. It pulls room air across the condenser coils to carry heat away. Dust, pet hair, a stray twist tie or a bit of packaging can get sucked into the blade and make a ticking or rattling sound. Worn blades and worn rubber grommets do the same, according to Fix.com and PartSelect.
Unplug the fridge, pull it out and remove the lower rear panel. Turn the blade by hand: it should spin smoothly with no wobble. Vacuum out any debris and clean the condenser coils while you're there, since a clogged condenser makes the fan and compressor work harder. A condenser fan that's seized or noisy also shows up as a warmer fridge, and LG flags it as Er CF.
Ice maker and dispenser noises
An ice maker that's working makes a racket now and then. You'll hear the water valve buzz briefly as the mold fills, water trickle in, and a clatter as the cubes fall into the bin. That cycle keeps repeating until the bin is full.
If the door grinds when you dispense ice but little or nothing comes out, cubes may have frozen together in the bin. Break up the clump or empty the bin and try again. On models with an ice compartment in the door, a small fan keeps that space cold, and a noisy or iced-up fan there tends to arrive with slow ice production. LG calls that Er IF, and Samsung uses 40E.
Compressor noises that need a technician
The compressor is the black, dome-shaped part near the condenser fan. A low hum from it is normal. A loud knock when it starts or stops, a metallic rattle from inside the dome, or a click every few minutes while the fridge stays warm can point to a compressor or start-component problem.
The compressor and its start parts run on line voltage and connect to the sealed refrigerant system. Diagnosing them takes live electrical testing, and any work that opens the refrigerant lines requires an EPA-certified technician. Your part of the job ends with clean coils, a level cabinet and a note of when the noise happens.
When to call a professional
Call a technician if the noise is coming from the compressor itself, if a fan noise returns soon after you've cleared ice from the blade, or if the fridge is also running warm. Frost that keeps building up behind the freezer panel points to a defrost fault that needs proper diagnosis.
Parts involved
- Evaporator fan motor
- Condenser fan motor
- Compressor
- Water inlet valve
- Ice maker assembly
- Ice bin, auger and chute
- Ice room fan motor
Error codes for this problem
- Er FFFreezer fan is blocked or not runningLG
- Er rFRefrigerator fan is not running properlyLG
- Er CFCondenser fan errorLG
- Er IFIce maker fan problemLG
- 21EFreezer fan is not turningSamsung
- 22EFresh food fan errorSamsung
- 40EIce room fan errorSamsung
- FAE1Evaporator fan faultWhirlpool