How To Fix Samsung Refrigerator Fan Noise? – Troubleshooting Guide

Samsung refrigerators make a little bit of noise when they function correctly. While a gentle humming sound is normal, loud noises from the appliance’s fans are signs of a problem requiring your attention.

Your Samsung refrigerator fans make loud noises when the fan blades are frozen, the condenser fan is dirty, one or more fan motors are faulty, or if the fridge isn’t placed correctly. Ice and dirt build-ups are easy to clean away. However, you must replace defective motors as they are not repairable.

As you read through this guide, you’ll discover why your Samsung refrigerator is noisy and what you can do to fix it.

Hearing loud noises coming from your Samsung fridge fan can be pretty stressful. But don’t worry too much.

Now that you’ve identified the source of the noise, here are its most likely causes:

#1 Frozen Fan Blades

What it is: Each of the fans in your Samsung refrigerator consists of the fan blades that move the air and the motor that turns those blades.

Anytime the fan motor is activated, it’ll turn those fan blades to force air towards where it’s needed. 

Condenser fan blades drive air past the condenser coils behind the appliance. However, evaporator fan blades drive cold air past the evaporator coils and into your Samsung fridge compartments.

What’s happening: The first reason noises come from the fan blades is that they’re frozen. This reason applies only to the evaporator fan blades you’ll find inside your Samsung refrigerator compartments.

Unfortunately, the cold air in those compartments sometimes carries excess moisture. That can quickly cause frost and ice to build up around the fan blades.

As the fan blades rotate, they’ll repeatedly strike the buildup of hard ice, causing the loud knocking or grinding noise you hear from the appliance.

How to fix it: The solution to this problem is to melt away the frost and ice buildup around the fan blades. To do that, shut off your Samsung refrigerator and leave the door open to defrost the compartment naturally.

Avoid using a hairdryer or heat gun, as the focused blast of heat from those tools will damage the plastic panels inside your fridge.

Read: How To Reset Samsung Refrigerator Control Panel? 3 Easy Steps

#2 Dirty Condenser Fan

What it is: You’ll find the condenser fan behind your Samsung fridge and close to the floor. Like any other fridge fan, it consists of a fan motor which turns a set of fan blades.

The condenser fan is there to blow air through the condenser coils and dissipate heat into the surrounding air. 

The fan plays a crucial role because those coils get very hot. Heated refrigerant, which has removed heat inside your fridge compartment, passes through those coils.

What’s happening: While the fans inside your refrigerator experience frost and ice buildups, the condenser fan outside will experience a dirt buildup instead.

Similarly, a severe dirt buildup will prevent the fan blades from spinning freely. The fan motor will have to compensate by working harder, producing the loud noises you hear from the back of the Samsung refrigerator.

How to fix it: You can solve this problem by removing any dirt trapped in the condenser fan. Some of that will be easy to do, allowing you to do the job using a brush and perhaps a vacuum cleaner.

However, you’ll also want to remove the motor and disassemble it so you can perform a deep clean. Doing so will help you reach any dirt that’s found its way into the motor’s inner workings.

Read: Why Samsung Refrigerator Control Panel Not Responding?

#3 Faulty Fan Motor

What it is: All the fans in your Samsung refrigerator, whether the condenser or evaporator fans, rely on a fan motor to function. 

When the motor receives electrical power and signals from the fridge’s control board, they’ll begin spinning the fan blades for as long as needed.

What’s happening: Loud noises will come from a fan motor if a foreign object gets stuck inside it. The same will also occur if the fan develops a fault after being used for an extended period or if it was defective even during manufacturing.

The fan motor consists of many tiny moving parts, so a fault, defect, or foreign object will affect those parts and cause loud noises to come from inside the motor.

How to fix it: Unfortunately, a faulty fan motor must be replaced. Despite the fault or defect the motor might have, this component is not serviceable or repairable.

So, you’ll have to detach the motor’s wire connector and remove any screws holding it in place. Then, you’ll reconnect a new motor and mount it the same way as before.

A new motor won’t make any loud noises and will still work with the fan blades you already have.

Samsung refrigerators make a little bit of noise when they function correctly. While a gentle humming sound is normal, loud noises from the appliance’s fans are signs of a problem requiring your attention.

Your Samsung refrigerator fans make loud noises when the fan blades are frozen, the condenser fan is dirty, one or more fan motors are faulty, or if the fridge isn’t placed correctly. Ice and dirt build-ups are easy to clean away. However, you must replace defective motors as they are not repairable.

As you read through this guide, you’ll discover why your Samsung refrigerator is noisy and what you can do to fix it.

Hearing loud noises coming from your Samsung fridge fan can be pretty stressful. But don’t worry too much.

Now that you’ve identified the source of the noise, here are its most likely causes:

#1 Frozen Fan Blades

What it is: Each of the fans in your Samsung refrigerator consists of the fan blades that move the air and the motor that turns those blades.

Anytime the fan motor is activated, it’ll turn those fan blades to force air towards where it’s needed. 

Condenser fan blades drive air past the condenser coils behind the appliance. However, evaporator fan blades drive cold air past the evaporator coils and into your Samsung fridge compartments.

What’s happening: The first reason noises come from the fan blades is that they’re frozen. This reason applies only to the evaporator fan blades you’ll find inside your Samsung refrigerator compartments.

Unfortunately, the cold air in those compartments sometimes carries excess moisture. That can quickly cause frost and ice to build up around the fan blades.

As the fan blades rotate, they’ll repeatedly strike the buildup of hard ice, causing the loud knocking or grinding noise you hear from the appliance.

How to fix it: The solution to this problem is to melt away the frost and ice buildup around the fan blades. To do that, shut off your Samsung refrigerator and leave the door open to defrost the compartment naturally.

Avoid using a hairdryer or heat gun, as the focused blast of heat from those tools will damage the plastic panels inside your fridge.

Read: How To Reset Samsung Refrigerator Control Panel? 3 Easy Steps

#2 Dirty Condenser Fan

What it is: You’ll find the condenser fan behind your Samsung fridge and close to the floor. Like any other fridge fan, it consists of a fan motor which turns a set of fan blades.

The condenser fan is there to blow air through the condenser coils and dissipate heat into the surrounding air. 

The fan plays a crucial role because those coils get very hot. Heated refrigerant, which has removed heat inside your fridge compartment, passes through those coils.

What’s happening: While the fans inside your refrigerator experience frost and ice buildups, the condenser fan outside will experience a dirt buildup instead.

Similarly, a severe dirt buildup will prevent the fan blades from spinning freely. The fan motor will have to compensate by working harder, producing the loud noises you hear from the back of the Samsung refrigerator.

How to fix it: You can solve this problem by removing any dirt trapped in the condenser fan. Some of that will be easy to do, allowing you to do the job using a brush and perhaps a vacuum cleaner.

However, you’ll also want to remove the motor and disassemble it so you can perform a deep clean. Doing so will help you reach any dirt that’s found its way into the motor’s inner workings.

Read: Why Samsung Refrigerator Control Panel Not Responding?

#3 Faulty Fan Motor

What it is: All the fans in your Samsung refrigerator, whether the condenser or evaporator fans, rely on a fan motor to function. 

When the motor receives electrical power and signals from the fridge’s control board, they’ll begin spinning the fan blades for as long as needed.

What’s happening: Loud noises will come from a fan motor if a foreign object gets stuck inside it. The same will also occur if the fan develops a fault after being used for an extended period or if it was defective even during manufacturing.

The fan motor consists of many tiny moving parts, so a fault, defect, or foreign object will affect those parts and cause loud noises to come from inside the motor.

How to fix it: Unfortunately, a faulty fan motor must be replaced. Despite the fault or defect the motor might have, this component is not serviceable or repairable.

So, you’ll have to detach the motor’s wire connector and remove any screws holding it in place. Then, you’ll reconnect a new motor and mount it the same way as before.

A new motor won’t make any loud noises and will still work with the fan blades you already have.