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It’s that time of the year again when you get your ice machine back to work and start making a lot of ice. However, when you turn it on, do you hear more hissing, clicking, snapping sounds and other loud noises from your ice fridge? Is your ice maker making noises?
Well, even though it might seem unusual for a usually quiet machine to make these sounds, it’s not uncommon at all. There are more than a few reasons that influence the ice machine to make such bizarre sounds. Let’s find the reasons and also the solutions so that you have a super quiet ice machine once again.
Why Does Ice Maker Makes Noises, How to Make it Quiet?
There might be several reasons that cause your otherwise quiet ice maker to make loud, disturbing noises. Keep on reading below to understand more about why your ice fridge is not as noiseless as before and also find out the best solutions for these issues for a quiet fridge again.
1. A Faulty Compressor
One of the main components that keep your ice maker machine cool and quiet is its super-silent compressor. This part doesn’t make any hissing sound while carrying coolant liquid back and forth in the machine. However, being an electric component, a compressor might “go south” any time. When this happens, your ice maker starts making funny noises and hampers the peace of your kitchen.
When the compressor in your noiseless ice maker isn’t working properly, it will make loud knocking and clicking noises constantly to inform you that it’s time to change it for good!
You can either repair or replace this component altogether to ensure that your ice maker fridge is incredibly silent again.
2. Broken Water Pump
A faulty compressor is not the only component that influences your otherwise quiet ice maker to make weird noises. The water pump in the machine can also make funny sounds when it worn-out over the time. If the ice maker is suffering from a faulty pump, it will make loud knocking and banging noises constantly, and stop making ice altogether [because the water cannot move from the reservoir to the cooling chambers].
To stop your ice maker from making such weird noises, it’s the best option to replace the recirculation pump completely. A new pump would not only distribute the water perfectly but also make the fridge silent again.
3. Wrong Placement
It’s not always that broken or damaged components will make your quiet ice makers noisy suddenly. The placement also matters if you want to keep your ice fridge silent yet operating.
In fact, it has a lot to do actually. As your ice fridge tends to vibrate when it starts to operate, wrong positioning and placement can make it produce loud, funny noises. Interestingly, wrong ice maker placement can make all sorts of sounds, from hissing to knocking, banging and pulsating, and make your kitchen a super noisy place.
That being said, the solution to this problem is extremely simple. You just need to put the fridge on a stable and even surface so that when it vibrates [due to the ice making process], it’s not unstable, and therefore, won’t make any noise. If the floor isn’t stable, try placing it on a stable base or stabilizer feet in your ice maker to suppress sound successfully.
They will hold the machine tightly in place and make sure that it doesn’t make noise and hamper your peace of mind [giving the fact that your quiet ice maker doesn’t any other damaged parts].
Also, while placing the ice maker under the counter, ensure that you have empty spaces on all the sides [left, right, back, up]. It will offer great ventilation and won’t heat up the machine. When the ice maker heats up, it tends to produce additional noises.
4. Faulty Condenser Fan or Motor
Another thing that might make your extremely quiet ice machine noisy suddenly is its condenser fan. Even though it makes a very mild generally, when the motor gets damaged, the condenser fan starts to produce loud, bizarre sounds whenever you turn on the fridge to make some ice. This noise creates a disturbance in the surrounding as well as hampers the ice making process.
If you feel that the loud noise is coming from the condenser fan, don’t hesitate to replace its motor immediately with a new, quiet one. This will cut off the sound and make your ice maker as quiet as before.
However, before replacing the motor, first, try to clean the dust and debris [if there is any] from the fan blades using a soft brush and see if the sound stops or not. Many a time, excessive dirt and debris also influence the fan to make loud weird noises.
Determining the Possible Problems From Noise
Well, finding the part or component that is making your quiet ice maker noisy is easy-you just need to follow the sound and understand its type perfectly. Seems unrealistic?
Well, let’s explain.
Rattling Sound From the Bottom
If you hear a loud rattling noise from the bottom of the ice maker, don’t delay checking the drain pan. If the pan is misplaced, it is likely to make such types of noises.
A Loud and Constant Clicking Sound
Similarly, when you realize your ice fridge is producing a clicking sound, understand that it’s mostly because the water line valve is not operating rightly. When a water line valve is loose or not connected to the water supply tightly, it starts making such funny noises.
Noise From the Back
On the other hand, if the noise comes from the back of your ice making machine, it’s probably because of a faulty compressor or condenser fan. Check them immediately to find the culprit easily.
Continuous Knocking
A faulty condenser fan also makes loud knocking noises in the ice maker. When you hear a continuous knocking sound from your fridge, know that it’s time to replace the fan motor.
Noise From Inside
Another important sound to notice is if it’s coming from inside the ice maker. In such a case, you have to understand that the circulation fan motor isn’t working properly, and needs immediate attention.
Normal Sounds From a Ice Maker
In addition to the fan sound, a very light buzzing sound is also not uncommon in an ice maker. It is the sound of the automatic defrosting cycle. If you hear this buzz, know that you have nothing to worry about.
The fan is one of the most important components of an ice maker as it circulates cold air throughout the machine and keeps it cold and freezing. Although the fan in a quiet fridge is also noiseless, it still makes a very gentle sound when it starts to operate, and there is nothing to worry about it. The intensity of the sound depends on the speed of the fan.
A Piece of Advice
We can bet that when your smartphone starts troubling you, you troubleshoot and repair it by simply turning it off and on again. The same can be true for your ice maker fridge also.
When it starts creating noise, you can turn it off, unplug the device, and then turn it on again to resolve the problem. However, don’t forget to leave it off for a few hours before starting the fridge again. Sometimes ice might form in places it shouldn’t have formed, and this practice will melt those ice and make the fridge quiet again.
Another thing you should never do is remove the parts and components of your ice maker while cleaning it. As you are not an expert, there are high chances that you won’t be able to put the components rightly back in their place. This will not only cause probable damage to the machine but might also stop forming ice and start making alarming noises.
Additionally, when you decide to repair or replace the faulty components in your ice fridge, it’s better to call an expert rather doing it yourself. Because of lack of the right knowledge and experience you might impair the machine to a point where it would stop working forever.