Finally figured out why my fridge was making that weird noise

Ngl I dealt with this annoying humming sound from my fridge for like 3 months straight. Thought it was dying or I needed a repair guy to come out which would've cost me at least $150. Then I pulled it out to clean behind it last Saturday and noticed the condenser coils were caked with dust and dog hair. Grabbed my vacuum attachment and cleaned them off completely. The noise dropped by like 80% within an hour of plugging it back in. Turns out dirty coils make the compressor work harder and get louder over time. Has anyone else noticed a weird appliance noise that turned out to be a simple cleaning fix?

2 comments

2 Comments

wright.kevin1mo ago

My parents fridge did the exact same thing last year and I spent a whole afternoon lecturing them about how it was probably the ice maker motor or something super technical. Turns out their golden retriever had been shedding directly into the bottom vent for like six months. I vacuumed out what looked like a whole other dog from under there and the noise stopped instantly. Made me feel real smart for all that "expert" advice I gave them. So yeah I feel your pain, sometimes the dumbest fix is the one you ignore for months.

amyh211mo ago

Saw something on a home repair blog recently where a guy took apart his entire washing machine looking for a clogged pump before finding out his kid had stuffed a sock into the air intake vent on the side. Same idea, the dumbest little things cause the biggest headaches. Always check for pet hair or literal garbage before you start ordering parts online. Did you at least get to give the dog a hard time about it?