Weird Continuous Humming Noise From Fridge

[Brandonm222]

Hi everyone bit of an issue. I have a Samsung fridge (RF23HCEDBSR) and this weird humming noise is coming from it. I thought it was full of ice so I pulled everything out of the fridge and left it open for 24 hours. That didn't stop the noise. Any ideas?

[realaud]

Well, since hums have different frequencies and sounds it would be hard to try and decipher without being next to the fridge.  Is it like a hum/rattle, just a buzz or just a noisy compressor?  Is it loud or just a persistent low roll? Does it stop and start or is it constant? Sometimes dust on the back coils can cause a hum, so you should regularly (maybe quarterly?) move the fridge out of its cubby and vacuum the coils.  How old is he refrigerator?  Does it appear to be cooling properly?

[Brandonm222]

Thanks for the reply the fridge is 5 years old. I usually clean the coils every couple of months and it is cooling properly just making the loud humming noise. Here is an upload of the hum.

https://m.youtube.com/shorts/95Jom5X3Ahs

[realaud]

I heard that once on a refrigerator we had years ago. Is it all the time, or just when the compressor is running? It could be ice buildup on the internal circulating fan.  If the fan is not completely free of debris, the airflow will cause it to emit a sound like that. (Kind of like making a leaf whistle between your thumbs).  The circulating fan is usually behind the back wall of the inside of the fridge.  If it happens when the compressor goes on, that would be an issue with the compressor. It is my understanding that the compressor and condenser have a 10-year warranty on certain models.  I have a French door and mine has a label right on it that says so. 

[Brandonm222]

I changed the fan that is in the fridge thinking it might have been that but the noise came back. You are thinking it's behind the fridge?

[realaud]

My refrigerator has a fan behind the back wall inside the fridge.  Is it humming all the time or just when the fan or compressor kicks in?  It is important to know when the sound is occurring.  Fans do not run all the time, nor does the compressor or condenser. So if it's a constant hum, it's probably not any of those.  Could be the motor.  Your best bet would be to call a repair service, as it could be indicative of something in danger of imminent failure - or it could just be a bit of dust in a moving part that's only annoying, not fatal.

[Brandonm222]

https://youtube.com/shorts/x8oU4h8Lzk4?si=cZVhkj0z7gQfV3gY

I changed the fan at the top area of my fridge and that has now caused the sound to change. It now creates this new sound. It is fairly consistent. Any thoughts what it could be?

[realaud]

Well that sounds like the fan is knocking against something.

[Brandonm222]

Which fan would that be the one behind the twin cooling panel or a different one?

[realaud]

Since the sound changed after you changed the fan, it would probably mean that there was some irregularity with the fan you installed.  Check that it is clean and that it is not knocking against anything, including any wires used to attach the fan.