Repair Tips: How to Diagnose Unfamiliar Noises Coming From Your Appliance

Paying attention to the noises your appliance makes can alert you to a problem before the issue leads to a complete appliance breakdown. To help you avoid an appliance emergency, we’ve listed a handful of sounds that indicate your dishwasher, refrigerator, or dryer is malfunctioning.

Dishwasher

• If you’ve noticed the level of noise coming from your dishwasher has increased, you could be dealing with a clogged or defective drain pump. Fixing a clogged pump simply requires you to remove the blockage, however, if the pump is not obstructed by debris, and your dishwasher continues to operate with excessive noise, the drain pump may need replacing.

• A high-pitched sound during the water filling process indicates two possible issues. The first revolves around inefficient water pressure. When the water pressure in your home is too low you will most likely hear a squealing noise, thankfully, increasing the pressure should solve this problem. On the other hand, if your water pressure is sufficient, the issue may be the water inlet valve. Calling a professional to inspect and replace the part is your best option.

Refrigerator

• While refrigerators generally make a good amount of noise, a squealing or rumbling sound that grows louder when you open the fridge door may signal a serious malfunction. Unfortunately, when this sound persists, you are probably dealing with a worn evaporator motor. If a defective evaporator motor is the problem, you will need to contact a local appliance repair company to replace it.

• When a ticking noise is coming from your refrigerator, the defrost timer is the likely culprit. To solve the issue, you will need to purchase and install a new timer.

Dryer

• Even though your dryer isn’t the quietest machine, a thumping sound is not a noise you want to hear coming from it. If you do encounter such a sound, you’re probably dealing with a worn out drum roller. Unfortunately, the only way of fixing this problem is by replacing the malfunctioning rollers.

• If you hear a loud rattling sound, your dryer may have a small object stuck in the blower wheel. Fortunately, this issue can be easily fixed by taking out the wheel and locating the item. Once you’ve removed the object, re-install the blower wheel and test your dryer to ensure the sound is no longer present.

 If you’re concerned with the sound coming from your appliance, please contact us today and we’ll be happy to help you.