Have you ever walked past your refrigerator and wondered why there was a humming noise coming from it? Why do fridges make noise? Stick around, you may actually find that it’s a good sign!
Fridges are very technical appliances. There are many things that go into making a refrigerator work properly. Some are including fans, compressor, pips, coils, evaporator, bulbs, icemaker and so much more.
Cooling System
The cooling system alone is very complex and might be a little confusing, but it is good to know. In order for the refrigerator to cool completely it needs a few things;
- evaporator (changes the state of refrigerant form from liquid to gas)
- refrigerant (liquid that evaporates to create cold temperatures)
- condenser coils (move refrigerant throughout system)
- compressor (a pump that pushes refrigerant through the coils)
- fan (distributes cold air through the fridge and freezer)
Process
For the refrigerator to start cooling, the liquid refrigerant starts in the evaporator, as stated above, the evaporator turns the refrigerant to gas. The gas now goes through the coils and absorbs heat from the food. The gas is then pulled by the compressor and pushed through the condenser coils radiating heat into the air. The gas changes state into a liquid and goes through the evaporator repeating the process. During this process, the fan is blowing cold air throughout your fridge and freezer keeping it cold.
Why does my fridge hum?
Now you know the process of the cooling system, but what does that have anything to do with the humming? Well, it has everything to do with it. The reason behind the humming is the compressor and the fan working. When these two devices are running it creates a humming or buzzing noise from your fridge. There is no need to worry when you hear this, as long as it is faint. The faint buzzing or humming is actually showing you that your refrigerator is running properly.
What isn’t a good noise?
Rattling noises. These noises are not good and are possibly caused when fridge doors get left open. When a door is left open, frost starts to builds up on the evaporator and the fan will start to make a rattling noise. Defrost the fridge when this happens.
90% of the time, when a refrigerator is making a weird noise, the fan is reason behind it. If this is the case, replacing the fan will help.