Why is my fridge making a noise, and what do the noises mean?
Most fridge noises are the appliance working correctly — gurgling, cracking, ticking and a low hum are all normal. The ones that matter are rattling, buzzing that changes with the door, and a loud click every few minutes.
- Difficulty
- beginner
- Time
- 20 min
- Read
- 4 min
Short answer
Gurgling and trickling is refrigerant moving, cracking and popping is plastic expanding and contracting during a defrost, and a low steady hum is the compressor. Rattling usually means something is touching something — the drip tray, a pipe or the appliance against a wall. A repeated loud click with no cooling is the compressor's relay failing to start it.
Cold appliances have become quieter and houses have become more open-plan, so noises that were always there are now noticed. Almost all of them are normal, and knowing which is which saves an unnecessary call-out. The useful distinction is between noises made by fluid and metal doing their job and noises made by two things touching that should not be.
Step by step
- Identify gurgling, trickling or bubbling as normal.That is refrigerant boiling and moving through the evaporator, and on a frost free appliance it is meltwater running down to the drain during a defrost cycle. It is loudest just after the compressor stops. Nothing is wrong.
- Identify cracking, popping and ticking as normal.Plastic parts and metal shelving expand and contract as the temperature swings through a defrost cycle. It is startling at night and it is the same noise a cooling radiator makes.
- Identify a low steady hum as the compressor.It runs perhaps a quarter to a half of the time and is normal. It gets louder when the appliance is working hard — after the door has been open, after a big shop, or in hot weather.
- Identify a soft whoosh as the fan on a frost free appliance.It runs while the compressor runs and stops when the door opens on most models. Opening the door and hearing it stop confirms it is the fan and confirms the door switch works.
- Track down a rattle by touching things.With the appliance running, gently press the drip tray at the back over the compressor, then any loose pipework, then the rear panel. If the noise stops when you press something, you have found it. A folded piece of card or a cable tie usually cures it.
- Check whether the appliance is touching a wall or a cabinet.Compressor vibration transmitted into a kitchen unit or a plasterboard wall is far louder than the compressor itself. Pull it out slightly, check the clearances, and check nothing is stored down the side.
- Check it is level.A spirit level across the top and front to back. An appliance rocking on an uneven floor buzzes and rattles at certain compressor speeds and is silent at others, which is why the noise seems to come and go.
- Take a loud click every few minutes seriously.A repeated click without the hum following it is the start relay trying and failing to start the compressor. The appliance will not be cooling properly. It is a common, repairable fault and needs an engineer.
- Take a grinding, scraping or squealing noise seriously.Almost always the evaporator or condenser fan — a failing bearing, or blades catching on ice. A scraping noise from a frost free freezer usually means ice has built up where it should not be.
- Note when the noise happens.Only with the door open means the fan or the door switch. Only after the door closes means normal recovery. Every few hours for twenty minutes means the defrost cycle. Constantly, with no quiet periods, means the appliance is never satisfying its thermostat.
Common mistakes
- Calling an engineer for gurgling or cracking — Both are the appliance working exactly as designed. Refrigerant moves and plastic expands, and every fridge ever made has done both.
- Ignoring a repeated click — It means the compressor is being asked to start and failing. Left running, the repeated attempts can damage the compressor, which turns a cheap relay repair into a terminal fault.
If it doesn't work
Loud buzzing that starts and stops with no pattern
Cause: Something vibrating against the cabinet or the wall — Fix: Press the drip tray, the rear panel and any pipework in turn while it buzzes. Pad or secure whatever silences it.
Repeated clicking, appliance not cold
Cause: Compressor start relay or overload protector failing — Fix: Engineer. It is usually an inexpensive part, but running the appliance in this state can damage the compressor itself.
Noise only when the door is open
Cause: The evaporator fan and its door switch — Fix: Normal on many models, though most switch the fan off with the door. A rattling fan with the door open needs the fan looking at.
Suddenly much louder after being moved
Cause: Out of level, or resting against the wall or a unit — Fix: Level it, restore the clearances behind and at the sides, and check the rear spacers are still fitted.
Hissing, spitting or sizzling every few hours
Cause: Water dripping onto the defrost heater during a defrost cycle — Fix: Normal on frost free appliances. It lasts a few minutes and coincides with the appliance going quiet otherwise.
Questions people ask
Is my fridge supposed to be silent between cycles?
Not necessarily. Frost free models run a fan whenever the compressor runs, and meltwater trickling continues after it stops. A completely silent appliance that is also not cold is the combination to worry about.
The noise is worse at night. Is something wrong?
Usually just the background. A 40dB appliance is invisible in a busy kitchen and obvious at 2am. If it has genuinely got louder rather than more noticeable, check levelling and clearances first.