Popping sound in your mini fridge can excruciating annoyance to people inside an establishment where the sound is being made. It is even worse at night when a small pop sound in your mini fridge can cause discomfort.
What is causing the mini fridge popping noise? Your mini fridge popping noise is caused from thermal expansions from temperature shifts from hot and cold, causing structures inside to expand and contract, resulting in popping noise. Compressor overloading is also a culprit for the popping noise.
Howard, a Southern California-based appliance repair company, states that the mini fridge popping noise may result from the motor being overworked. They also cite the temperature regulation inside the mini fridge as a cause for the popping sound because it causes the frost to crack, creating the sound.
Fridge popping sound at night
The only difference between the popping sound during the day and at night in a fridge is the house is quieter at night; hence the popping sound is louder. The fridge popping sound at night is because of thermal expansion happening inside your fridge. Other reasons such as your motor being overworked, and vibration may also be contributing to the popping sound at night.
Chances are you have started hearing popping noises from your fridge at night, and you are wondering why these noises occur, and especially at night. Luckily, this is a widespread problem, and many people who own a fridge report hearing popping sounds at night and not during the day. With many people experiencing the same problem over time, it means there is a solid and logical answer to why the popping sound occurs.
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During the night, your house is mostly quiet, and even if you live in a neighborhood with compact houses, chances are they are all asleep or quiet. This also means that any small sound that is made is likely to be heard because it is not drowned by other noises in the background. A fridge popping sound is one such noise that can easily be heard at night and not during the day, a phenomenon that the University of Illinois terms as psychological. This is because it is not a very loud sound, and during the day it is drowned by noises in the background. Therefore, this may create a situation where people are convinced that the sound only occurs at night, whereas they only hear the sound at night because it is much quieter than during the day.
Here is a table that describes some of the sounds that are coming from fridges. Data was gathered from various online forums on appliances and how to fix them:
| What strange sound do you hear from your fridge? | Percentage of Responses |
|---|---|
| Loud rattling sound | 17% |
| Low purring noise | 8% |
| Clicking sound as if a switch is being turned off and on | 42% |
| Knocking or popping noise | 33% |
Insignia mini fridge popping noise
Your Insignia mini fridge popping sound is a result of the motor or compressor being overworked. There is also a high chance that the sound is due to vibration inside your refrigerator or the constant changes in temperature inside the mini fridge causing contracting and expansion of components
Your Insignia mini fridge popping sound can be caused by several reasons including:
- Compressor overload: Your Insignia compressor overload may have suffered a locked rotor resulting in the popping sound. It may also be due to the compressors being too hot or trying to start under high pressure.
- Evaporator coil: If you notice that the popping sound starts immediately after the defrost cycle begins, then the problem may be the evaporator coils. A malfunctioning timer stuck in the cooling cycle also has the same impact because it makes evaporator coil get cold resulting in popping sounds.
- Vibrations: Popping sounds because of vibrations in Insignia mini fridges is rare. However, that is not to say it doesn’t happen. It is caused by compressor motors vibrating its surrounding areas and causing items nearby to hit each other.
- Thermal expansion: This is the most common cause of the popping sound for Insignia mini fridges. It is caused by constant changes in temperatures, from cold to bottom in an on and off cycle. This cooling and heating causes plastics and other items in the refrigerator to contract and expand, a process that produces a popping sound.
- Water Valve: Depending on your Insignia mini fridge, you may find that some come with ice makers, and such mini fridges have a water valve. This valve regularly opens to allow water to flow into the fridge. The opening and closing of the water valve cause the popping noise.
- Pulsating sound: This is caused by loose screws or accessories in the fridge. Their movement causes a popping sound.
Haier mini fridge popping noise
Your Haier mini fridge popping sound is a result of your evaporator coils cooling after defrosting or when you plug in your mini fridge for the first time. There is also a possibility that the popping sound is due to components contracting and expanding as the temperature changes.
You may start to notice your Haier mini fridge making popping sounds. Fortunately, in most cases, the popping sound is not a sign of a malfunction. The sound can start to occur in your Haier mini fridge as a result of the cooling of evaporator coils after they have done a defrost or during the plugin in the mini fridge.
It can also occur because of vibration caused by compressor motors. These vibrations cause collisions inside the freezer, and a pop sound can be heard from the outside. IT can also be caused by the opening and closing of the water valve in Haier mini fridges with ice makers.
Thermal extension can also contribute to the popping sound. This occurs during temperature changes in the fridge, which causes the popping sound. Having lost screws inside your Haier mini fridge has also been found to be a cause of the popping sound.
The popping sound you hear coming from your Haier mini fridge can also be a result of the defrost heater. The heater is designed to heat up your mini fridge and remove frost build up. When the heater is turned on, you will hear a popping sound. Normally the defrost process happens about four times a day, hence you should expect the popping sound each time your mini fridge is defrosting.
There is also a higher chance that what you are hearing as a popping sound from your Haier mini fridge may not be a popping sound, but instead a sound-alike. Unsurprisingly, your mini fridge (I recommend the Frigidaire Can Beverage Cooler, click here for pricing on Amazon). produces a lot of sounds. Some of those sounds may sound like a popping sound. Examples of such sounds include the sound produced in the ice maker during either harvesting or settling. Also, the sounds produced by door seals can sometimes sound like popping sounds.
Magic chef mini fridge popping sound
Your Magic Chef mini fridge is making a popping sound because of a natural expansion of the metal around the compressor as the unit heats and cools. This is according to the Magic Chef manual that also adds that their mini fridge popping sounds mostly occur when it is new.
In the official Magic Chef mini fridge manual, the manufacturer points out that you can experience a popping sound from your fridge because of the compressor motors coming on. The manual also goes further to explain the popping sound can also be caused by metal parts in the fridge. During the expansion and contraction of these metals because of changes in temperatures, a popping sound can sometimes occur inside the minifridge.
The popping sound in the Magic Chef mini fridge can also be caused by vibrations that result from the compressor. The vibration causes items inside your fridge to knock together, producing a popping sound. When the sound is a result of vibration, you are more likely to hear it even at a distance. Also, vibration is also impacted by whether your mini fridge is placed on an uneven surface which causes the back-and-forth movement that results in popping sounds.
If the brand of your Magic Chef mini fridge has an ice maker, then chances are your popping sound is being caused by the opening and closing of the water valve. These water valves are located on the back of the fridge and the constant opening and closing of the valve as they feed water into the ice maker can create a popping sound inside your mini fridge.
There are also cases where the popping sound happens immediately after the defrost process begins. In such cases, the popping sound is caused by the evaporator coil, which when it gets cold, produces the sound. A malfunctioning timer also results in the cooling of the evaporator coil, as it remains stuck in the cooling cycle, and during defrosting, the evaporator coil produces the popping sound.
Hisense mini fridge popping sound
Your Hisense mini fridge popping sound is a result of thermal expansion. Normally, a fridge is a cold appliance. However, the temperatures change regularly as the cooling cycle turns on and off. This can cause a popping sound, especially during the defrosting process.
If you have started to notice your Hisense mini fridge producing a popping sound, the most common reason is thermal expansion. This causes the expansion and contraction inside the refrigerator which produces the popping sound.
There are also other reasons such as the pop sound may be because of pulsating sound. This is when there are loose screws inside your fridge that cause a pop sound. Also, when your mini fridge is not placed on an even surface, the pulsating effect can also happen as things move back and forth and collide with each other.
Vibration is another reason your Hisense mini fridge may be making the pop sounds. It occurs because of the compressor motor, which causes items inside the mini fridge to collide with each other producing a pop sound.
Compressor overload of your Hisense mini fridge may also be contributing to the popping sound. This occurs when the compressor has suffered a locked rotor, which causes the popping sound. The compressors can then become too hot, which also causes the popping sound.
If your Hisense mini fridge has an ice maker, then the reason for the popping sound can be the opening and closing of the water valve that feeds water into the ice maker. This is a normal process and should not cause panic if your Hisense starts producing the pop sound with every opening and closing of the water valve.
Related topics are the following. How to make your mini fridge less noisy by determining can a mini fridge sit on carpet safely? Also, in a small room what are the dimensions of a mini fridge exactly?
Samsung refrigerator makes loud popping noise
Your Samsung refrigerator makes a loud popping sound due to the thermal expansion of the plastic parts inside. As the temperature rises and falls, it causes a popping sound. This mostly happens during defrosting and when the refrigerator is new.
If your Samsung refrigerator is making a loud popping noise and you are wondering what to do, don’t press the panic buttons! The problem is not as serious as the sounds may make you believe.
For starters, most Samsung refrigerators make the popping sound when they are new and plugged-in power for the first time. This is because the new refrigerators parts are working to acclimatize with the unfamiliar environment. In such cases, the popping sound is normal and fades with time.
There is also thermal expansion which causes plastic parts in the Samsung refrigerators to expand and contract, causing the popping sound.
Your Samsung may also be making a loud popping noise due to the opening and closing of the water valve. This mostly happens for Samsung refrigerators that come equipped with icemakers. To feed water into the ice makers, the water valve is used, and during its opening and closing, it can produce a loud popping sound.
If you have done repairs recently on your Samsung refrigerator, the popping sound may be because of loose screws and other accessories in the fridge bumping into each other. Luckily, this movement can be stopped by tightening the screws and ensuring there are no loose accessories inside the refrigerator.
Your Samsung compressor motor rotations may also be causing the popping sound by causing vibrations resulting in surrounding items bumping into each other and causing a popping sound. Cold evaporator coils also cause the popping sounds.
