refrigerator gurgling/knocking/popping "normal"?!?

[Kyle]

Bought a Kenmore bottom-freezer fridge/freezer last November, and since the day it was delivered it has made a noise when the compressor kicks on that sounds like syncopated knocking or popping noises. It almost sounds like "hard" bubbles popping inside a pressurized plastic line, if that makes sense.

I had Sears' home service out to look at the unit, and the tech said it's part of the new (worse) design, something about the way two plastic lines of differing inside diameters are joined together and the pressure difference. I specifically asked if this could cause wear problems down the line with the compressor or other parts of the cooling system and he said "no".

Not for nothing, but I don't believe the guy. After 40 years of refrigerators whose only sound is the fan, I have to put up with a refrigerator that knocks like my car's engine when I forget to put premium gas in the tank? That's either a crock of poo, or the dumbest damned design idea.

Is the guy right? Does anyone have experience with new 'fridges making these noises? Am I going to have to suck it up and put up with hearing the noise from my bedroom in the middle of the night? Or should I call a local (reliable) appliance repair place and have them check it out?

[Ed Pawlowski]

I've heard some of the newer units and th ey are noisy compared to the old stuff. I don't know if the reason given was correct or not though, but gurgling seems quite common.

Why is the refrigerator in your bedroom? Put it in the kitchen and you'll find it easier to cook too.

[Kyle]

When I griped

You'd think I would know better, since there's more room in the kitchen than the bedroom. But when I get that craving for a bowl of Barbara's Cinnamon Puffins at 3AM, I don't want to have to stumble the

12 steps to the kitchen to get it if I can reach out from my bed to the 'fridge.

Or, alternately, I could work on my lack of grammar skills!

[edmi0002]

edmi0002 had written this in response to

: Hello,

I think I may have the same thing with a GE Hotpoint top freezer. A popping ish sound whenever I guess the compressor kicks on. Its model HTS17GBSWW. I got zero help from GE's 'support' line, they just read off a sheet saying what that some noises are normal operation, they didn't have anyone that would listen to the sound back on recording.

I don't want to pay 100 bucks to have someone come out and then it doesn't kick on when they happen to arrive. This can't be normal sound can it? I have never heard a refrigerator make this noise before.

GE sucks!

Kyle wrote:

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[Winston]

:

Amana (Maytag) does it too. Sometimes it's pretty LOUD!

It's perfectly normal. Nothing to see here folks. Move along.

:)

--Winston