Refrigerator Making Noise

Checks you can do safely before you call

1. Find where the noise comes from. Stand beside the fridge with the doors closed and listen at the top, the bottom front and the back. Noise from inside the freezer, under the base or behind the cabinet leads to different parts. This step needs no tools and no unplugging.
2. Open the freezer door while it's making the noise. On many models the evaporator fan pauses while the door is open, so a sound that stops right away points to that fan. Shut the door again within a few seconds to keep the cold in.
3. Level the refrigerator. Unplug it first, then adjust the front feet or rollers until the cabinet sits steady and the doors swing closed on their own. Leave a small gap between the cabinet and the wall, counters and cupboards.
4. Check under and behind it. With the fridge unplugged, or its breaker switched off, remove the base panel and look for debris near the condenser fan or a drain pan sitting loose. Vacuum dust from the coils you can reach without bending the fins, and keep your fingers away from the fan blade. To see behind a freestanding fridge, shut its water valve and have someone help you roll it out, keeping the water line slack. Anything behind a screwed-on cover, and any built-in, is for the technician.
5. Check the ice maker's water. Plug the refrigerator back in first. When the buzzing comes as the ice maker fills, confirm the water valve feeding the fridge, under the sink or behind it, is fully open, and shut it again if you see any drip at the line. Turn the ice maker off when no water line is connected.

When to call a technician

• Grinding, scraping or squealing goes on after the fridge is level and the base is clear.
• The noise comes from inside the freezer and frost is building on its back wall.
• You hear clicking every few minutes and the fridge is warming.
• The compressor hums loudly but the cabinet doesn't get cold.
• A burning smell or a crackling sound comes from the back: switch off its breaker, then unplug it, and leave it off.

What happens at the diagnostic visit

The technician listens with the panels off to pin down the source, then checks the evaporator fan for ice and worn bearings, the condenser fan and its mounting, the compressor's start relay and current draw, the water inlet valve and the drain pan. A fan noise caused by frost leads to a defrost check as well, so the noise doesn't return.

The diagnostic visit is $89 for a standard residential appliance and $129 for a built-in unit or commercial equipment; a premium brand on its own doesn't make an appliance built-in. The price comes before any part is replaced. Read about the fridges we work on at refrigerator repair.

Brand and model notes

• Samsung: on Samsung models with Twin Cooling, frost can form on the fresh-food evaporator and reach its fan, which makes a scraping or chirping sound from the fridge section rather than the freezer. See Samsung.
• LG: many LG refrigerators use an inverter or linear compressor that changes speed, so the pitch of the hum rises and falls through the day. That alone isn't a fault, but a new knock or rattle from the back is worth a check. The LG page has more on LG.
• Sub-Zero: on many full-size Sub-Zero built-ins the compressor and condenser fan sit at the top of the unit, so their noise comes from above the doors rather than from the floor. For built-ins, see Sub-Zero and our built-in appliance page.
• Whirlpool and GE: on many freestanding models from both brands, the condenser fan and the compressor sit in the lower back compartment behind a cover, so a rattle there can be a loose cover or debris near the fan. Read about each one: GE and Whirlpool.