A refrigerator can make different sounds when in operation. Sounds could be buzzing, rattling, popping, humming and a whole lot of variant sounds. You may be wondering why is my refrigerator making gurgling noise.
Well, before you start panicking, most of these noises are a normal part of this home appliance operation. some of these noises only happen at internal of the fridge. As you already know, the refrigerator is not the quietest household appliance.
A refrigerator making gurgling noises is common with many of these appliances and most of the causes and reasons are a part of the machine normal operation.
But sometimes the sounds can be unbearable and with a few refrigerator noise troubleshooting steps, you can fix it the issue without any professional repairer.
Here are some possible causes and fixes of refrigerator gurgling noises.
Possible Causes and Fixes of Refrigerator Making Gurgling Noise
These could be the reasons why your refrigerator is making a gurgling noise.
Leaky Water Supply Lines
There is a possibility that the water supply line could be leaky or damaged. If this is the case, you mind find a bubble of liquid on the floor. When the water line is damaged, if the air is pulled into the waterline as the refrigerator is pulling in freshwater, that causes gurgling noise to be created.
The way this problem can be fixed is, you either replace the damaged or leaky water hose yourself or contact a professional to assist you.
Melted Water from a Defrosting Cycle
When a refrigerator is defrosting, you may hear gurgling and dripping sounds. This is normal and it can take sometimes up to 30 minutes to complete. When the appliance is defrosting, the heating coil is turned on and the melted water from the frost flow down to the drain pan to be evaporated.
This process is automatic and you can’t prevent it in most refrigerators. All you can do in this case is to keep the door closed to prevent unnecessary frost buildup.
Compressor Processing Refrigerant Noise
Sometimes the gurgling noise can be caused by the compressor that is processing the refrigerant. As you may already know, the compressor is the most important component of the refrigerator and without it, the fridge cant perform.
To tell if the gurgling noise could be from the compressor procession, place your hand on the door or the side of the refrigerator to see if you can feel a slight vibration. If that’s the case, then it is normal. When you open the refrigerator anytime, you let in hot air and this means the compressor has to work harder to cool things back to normal. That is what causes the gurgles.
The way to fix this is, to reduce the number of trips you make to the fridge. Opening and closing frequently won’t help the situation. Once the process is over, I am pretty sure the sounds will minimize.
Drain Tube Gurgling Noise
When you hear a gurgling sound when shutting the fridge door, this is normal because it is as a result of air being forced through the drain tube. This is because the air force in the fridge has to exit somewhere.
The gurgling noise you hear is the trapped air from the door closing being forced through this water trap and going out of the cabinet. It does not harm but the sound is enough to concern anyone.
This gurgling noise can last for just a few seconds but the noise will eventually dissipate.
You may notice the drain tube gurgling noise during times of high humidity, which more commonly produces this sound than in periods of low humidity.
The way to fix this is to wait while the water equalizes in the refrigerator.
Similar Reads:
How to fix fridge rattling noise
Water Valve on Back of refrigerator
If you are hearing buzzing and gurgling noises simultaneously, you may want to first check the water valve at the back of the fridge if it has an ice breaker.
Make sure the valve is turned completely on and not constricting the flow of water to the refrigerator via the water supply line.
In some refrigerator models, this filling process is on a timer, and you might hear the buzzing and/or gurgling every 15 minutes or so.
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