My Freezer Is Ticking

Ice on Evaporator

• Even if a refrigerator has an automatic defrost system, ticking, or clicking, may indicate that the evaporator fan meets ice on the evaporator, which means the defrost system does not work properly. Manually defrosting the appliance entirely can help. The procedure requires moving food from the freezer and refrigerator to another cold storage unit and taking out freezer ice bins and trays. Prop open the appliance's doors, arrange towels on the floor in front of the unit and then disconnect power to the refrigerator. It will take over 24 hours for the refrigerator to defrost completely. Clean up water with towels, and then restore power to the refrigerator. Listen for clicking after the unit cools. If it still clicks, contact the refrigerator's manufacturer for service for the defrost system.

Ice Maker

• If a refrigerator ice maker's motor is defective, it can cause a ticking sound when the ice maker is in use. Test the ice maker by shutting it off for four hours, and then open the freezer and push down on the freezer light switch while you switch on the ice maker. Keep holding down the switch, and let the ice maker power through a harvest cycle. If the ejector arm slows or stops and the ticking sound resumes, then the ice maker motor is faulty and needs to be replaced. Contact the refrigerator' manufacturer for assistance.

Condenser Fan

• Sometimes the condenser fan is responsible for a ticking noise, typically because of a buildup of lint and dirt that obstructs the fan's movement. The solution is to disconnect the refrigerator and clean the fan on the back of the refrigerator with a soft brush. While you are at it, clean the condenser coils below the fan because they also can get dirty, which reduces overall cooling and causes noise.

Freezer Fan

• Another source of problems and noise is the freezer fan. The procedure to remove ice from the fan begins with disconnecting power to the refrigerator and removing all items from the freezer. The screws that hold the appliance's back panel on its rear wall need to be removed. Lifting off the panel allows you to check for excessive ice on the freezer fan. Use a hairdryer to melt the ice, and mop up the water, taking care not to bend or damage the fan. Then replace the rear panel and reconnect power to the refrigerator. If the noise returns when the freezer cools, the fan motor needs to be replaced.