My Freezer is Gaslighting Me

[easysurfer]

For about the past week, I've noticed my freezer making a louder sound then usually. At least I think so. That or I'm hearing things.

I'll go with the louder than usual. So, I've been reading up on possible causes after noticing that the sound is coming from a fan inside the freezer.

After some more looking around (web articles, youtube), I suspect possible causes. Build up of ice (I did over fill the freezer) or bad evaporator fan or bad motor.

Doing some more exploring, I tried what folks suggested on youtube. Unplugged, took all the food out of freezer, and used a hair dryer to melt any freeze up around the fan. Plugged back in, but after a short time the extra noise came back.

Next I assumed, maybe bad fan/evaporator motor. So, I decided to take off the back panel on inside of freezer to see if it is a bad fan/motor is that something I can change myself or hire someone. Didn't see any freeze up and there was a slight wobble on fan and did notice the noise. But too difficult for my skill level (too many wires and connections). So I put back the panel.

Since, then, the freezer has been as quiet as a church mouse. Not what I expected as I expected the louder noise.

Think I may have to follow what an old car shop used to say to me when I'd hear odd sounds from my car that weren't easily identifiable. Namely, wait until symptoms get worse, then revisit .

 

[pb4uski]

As the ol'man used to say........ If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

 

[easysurfer]

As the ol'man used to say........ If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

I was hoping to conclude a bad evaporator motor. But now I think maybe there was some ice that in the process of opening and looking melted away so now as quiet as a church mouse.

 

[joeea]

So I put back the panel.

Since, then, the freezer has been as quiet as a church mouse.

Sounds like panel rattle.

 

[easysurfer]

Sounds like panel rattle.

Whatever the cause, so far so good. No loud noise for several hours. Fingers still crossed.

 

[easysurfer]

Fingers crossing didn't help. The noise went away for about 24 hours, then started up again. Think I'm going to wait until the food supply in the freezer gets low enough for me to move into my small cube shaped freezer, then let the problem freezer defrost 24 hrs and listen again. If noise still occurs, may be time to call for service.

The noise really isn't so bad, until it shows up again .

I'm back to the evaporator fan motor about to go bad theory.