Fridge starting to make noise

I've a GE refridgerator that's no more than 10 years old. Lately it's started making some noise. I guess I'd desribe it as sometimes sounding like a noisy fan but occasionally making a clattering noise.

We're thinking about having someone out to look at it but as it doesn't ALWAYS make the noise we're not sure if it makes sense to pay for someone to come out and not be able to do anything if it's not making the noise at the time.

Any idea what this noise might be?

Reply to
engwar1
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I'm having a similar problem today. I'll be interested to see what the answers to your query might be.

Reply to
Sasha

Most likely one of the fans. You can, no matter what others say, oil them. First you need to find out if it's in the freezer or under the refrigerator. If it is a fan, let me know which one and I'll walk you through oiling it.

On most of these units the fan in the freezer goes off when you open the door. Makes it easy to see if that where the noise is coming from.

Al

Reply to
Big Al

I have a hotpoint of similar vintage with a noisy recirculation fan (loudest inside the fridge and freezer. The noise is caused by deformed fan blades hitting something while they turn or the bearings on its motor allowing ot to move in and out which allows the clatter.

May have been caused by a long defrosted clump of ice that once encased it or from overloading the freezer and pushing the back wall in.

In any case, it (fan or the fan blade) can be replaced or sometimes strainghtened out but it is located behind the panel in the back of the freezer and requires some disassembly to get at it.

I find that calling and asking the guy at the reapir parts store what I need is pretty reliable. He sells so many parts he just matches the symptom up with a replacement part automatically.

Reply to
PipeDown

vacuum the dirt out of all the bottom or rear coils and clean out the drain pan underneath. you could unplug and completely manually defrost the refrigerator at room temperature for 48 hours with the doors open and a 20" window fan blowing on it from the kitchen table. plug it back in and allow it to get cold for 24 hours. this will allow any accumulation of hidden ice to vanish, and probably give you a nice giveaway refrigerator, while you are waiting for your new energy star refrigerator to be delivered.

Reply to
buffalobill

Exactly. I asked my girlfriend what she wanted for her birthday, but she was sleeping at the time. So I never found out.

Might be the coil cooling fan. I would move the fridge away from the wall, take off the cardboard cover on the back so that I could see the mechanism, and look at it closely with a work light or a bright flashlight. Maybe you'll see something. If not, put the fridge back part way if possible so that you can still get your head in there. and leave the flashlight handy. Then when it makes the noise again, go look. Your ears will make your face point straight at the trouble.

I had a mouse get caught in my fan, and there was no noise at all, and no air blowing out the front bottom of the fridge. I turned the blade (you might try turning the blade with pencil when it is not running, and seeing if it turns smoothly. If you're sure it's not going to start, you could get a better feel with your fingers. It wasn't going full speed but I got hit by that fan and it didn't even leave a bruise, much less a cut. Anyhow, I rotated the blade and the mouse fell out. Everything was fine for 3 months and then the fan stopped again. Found some insulation that had fallen into it. Maybe a coincidence or maybe I loosened it somehow.

Reply to
mm

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