A Popping Sound in an Ice Maker Switch

Ice-Maker Sounds

• It's not unusual for an ice maker to be noisy as it cycles through ice production and dispensing. Several seconds after you dispense ice into a glass, the ice-maker chute snaps closed. A thudding sound occurs when the ice bin fills with ice. Hums or clicks happen when water enters the ice maker valve. As liquid travels up the water line to the ice maker, the line can hiss, bang or thump. These are normal noises, so don't be concerned if you suspect any of these.

Refrigerator Sounds

• Your refrigerator or freezer also makes many loud sounds that may be disconcerting but are a part of the production cycle. Clicking or small popping noises typically mean that a timer, defrost or temperature control has turned on or off. Popping noises from the freezer happen when defroster coils cool after a defrost cycle. The defroster uses heat to thaw accumulated ice, and the combination of heat and ice leads to popping. During the defrost cycle, you might also hear sizzling as melted water comes into contact with the coil.

Troubleshooting

• If your freezer's ice maker is not connected to the water supply, buzzing or clicking can occur as the unit tries to function. If you don't want to use the unit, turn off the ice maker using the switch or by raising the shutoff arm inside the ice bin. If you want the ice maker to work, unplug the refrigerator and connect the water line to the water supply. Place a saddle valve on the cold water tap under the kitchen sink to tap into the water supply, insert the water line into the saddle valve and reconnect the power on the refrigerator.

Additional Considerations

• When power is restored after an outage, you might hear a clicking noise that lasts for several minutes. This is the refrigerator's compressor trying to start itself. Noises can seem louder for a refrigerator that is set near cabinets, walls and other hard surfaces, such as a wooden floor. Also, a new refrigerator may make different noises than an old one. Most ice-maker and refrigerator noises are not problematic. If none of these factors is causing your ice-maker noise and the unit is connected to the water supply, it's time to call a service technician.