There’s nothing quite like spoiled food to turn a dream sail into a bad vacation. If you leave shore without your refrigeration system working properly, this could happen to you. Just like clean, fresh water is essential to being at sea for long periods of time, the ability to keep things cold is too. This is why you’ll want to ensure your system is working properly before you take off. What does a bad refrigerator compressor sound like?
Table of Contents
What Does a Bad Refrigerator Compressor Sound Like?
Grinding, Scraping, or Knocking
Sizzling
Recurring Clicking, Buzzing, or Vibrating
Rattling
Loud Humming
Order Replacement Parts
What Does a Bad Refrigerator Compressor Sound Like?
If you listen hard enough, your refrigeration system is trying to talk to you. Yet, it can be difficult to know whether it is telling you “I’m working hard over here!” and “Help me!” This is because systems like this make noise quite often, and they’re usually not a cause for concern. How can you tell the difference? What is a good noise and what is a bad noise?
Grinding, Scraping, or Knocking
There could be an obstruction in one of the system’s fans. There is a condenser fan located in the bottom of the refrigerator and an evaporator fan in the freezer compartment. You will want to remove any debris that may be blocking the fan blades as well as inspect the fan for broken parts that need to be replaced before you leave shore.
Sizzling
Don’t worry! While a sizzling sound might sound scary, it’s likely not a cause for concern. It is probably just water dripping on the defrost heater.
Recurring Clicking, Buzzing, or Vibrating
The sound is probably the icemaker attempting to make ice but not being connected to a water supply. Either connect it or shut it off altogether so the sound will stop.
Rattling
The cause of the rattling noise may be as simple as the sides or back of the fridge touching another surface, like a wall or kitchen cabinet. Pull the fridge out a few inches and see if it stops. Otherwise, the drain pan below the refrigerator may have come loose.
Loud Humming
Refrigerator compressors make low humming or buzzing sounds as part of their normal operation. A low sound is not a cause for concern. That being said, if the refrigeration system‘s noise gets louder and louder to the point where you can hear it from the other side of the boat, you’ll need a replacement part.
Order Replacement Parts
Now that you know what does a bad refrigerator compressor sound like, you can know if you need to make a repair. When you need new parts for your marine refrigeration system, we encourage you to order from Cruise RO water and power. COOLBLUE refrigeration systems are as reliable as your land based 120v kitchen refrigerator, while using half the daily amps of other 12v refrigeration systems. The best part is that no refrigeration technician or experience is needed!
