A refrigerator that gurgles, ticks, pops and occasionally sounds like water dropping onto a hot plate is usually a refrigerator doing its job. Owners notice these sounds most in the first fortnight after a new appliance arrives, and again after a kitchen is remodelled and the room gets harder surfaces to reflect off.
Sounds That Are Normal
- Gurgling or trickling as refrigerant moves through the system, most obvious after a cycle ends.
- A sizzle or a hiss during defrost, when water drips onto a warm element and flashes off.
- Popping and creaking from plastic liners and shelves expanding and contracting as temperatures change.
- A fan rising and falling in pitch. Variable-speed fans and compressors do not run flat out all the time; they modulate, and the sound modulates with them.
- Clunks from the ice maker as the tray twists and cubes drop into the bucket.
- Water running into the drain pan after a defrost cycle.
Sounds Worth Reporting
- A rhythmic ticking or clicking from the back that repeats every few minutes, particularly if the fresh-food section is also drifting warm.
- A scraping or rattling from inside the freezer that changes when you press the door switch, which can be a fan blade catching on frost.
- A loud buzz or hum from the compressor area with no cooling at all.
- A squeal from the evaporator fan bearing, usually loudest right after the door closes.
Cheap Things That Amplify Noise
Before assuming a fault, check the cabinet is level and sitting firmly on all four feet, that it is not touching a wall or cabinetry at the back or sides, and that nothing is resting on top. A refrigerator with one foot barely touching the floor transmits normal compressor vibration into the cabinet and the room. If the noise is rhythmic and cooling has also fallen off, do not wait it out. Book a Whirlpool refrigerator repair visit and, if you can, record a few seconds of the sound on your phone with the kitchen otherwise quiet.