Why is a Refrigerator Ticking Like a Clock?

As your refrigerator runs, it does so in a bit of a noisy way. However, outside of a gentle hum that you only hear when close to the appliance, you should not really be hearing any other noises from the appliance. However, if you have started to hear ticking like a clock, but not as rhythmic, it can be a sign of a problem. Yet, what problems cause your refrigerator to manifest a ticking sound?

Dirty Condenser Coils

If you are standing near your refrigerator and hear a loud tick once every few minutes, it typically means that you have a dirty condenser coil on your appliance. What is happening is dirt has built upon the coils. It ends up overloading the coils as they cannot dissipate heat, so they reset themselves with a ticking sound. Usually, this only happens to one coil, so the refrigerator will still cool, but it won’t be as cold as you are used to.

Faulty Start Relay

The start relay in your refrigerator essentially jump-starts the compressors when your refrigerator needs to cool down. However, the part can go faulty. When it does, it can manifest in a distinct ticking sound as it tries and fails. However, a more noticeable symptom is how hot your refrigerator is as the cooling cycle fails to run.

Faulty Defrost Timer

Finally, the defrost timer can also manifest a ticking noise. If it has gone bad, unlike the other two issues, your refrigerator will still cool. However, your defrost may not start or may not stop. This means you may notice a distinct build-up of ice in your freezer or even have problems maintaining the temperature inside it as your refrigerator runs furiously while trying to cool it.

Do you have a refrigerator or appliance that is manifesting problems? We can help. Contact us today to see what Central Valley Appliance Repair can do to help you get your appliances fixed up fast.