The short answer for this family
On the Alpha PAR RD RDTM family, a cabinet making a noise it did not make before is usually the compressor and its mounts. A top-mount machine takes its air from the warmest part of the room, so ambient and clearance problems outrank dirt on this family. The brand-generic order holds at the head here; what this platform changes is the order below it. The checks at the head of the ranking cost nothing but time; the cause at its foot is not owner work at any stage.
What you observe on these models
- Which of the family's models you are standing in front of — The matrix on this page is a single model whose family key marks it as the top-mount build, and that is worth reading first, because a top-mount machine takes its air from the warmest part of the room, so ambient and clearance problems outrank dirt on this family.
- A buzz or rattle that comes and goes with the compressor — It starts when the machine starts and stops when it stops, which points at mounting rather than at the pump.
- A whine or click that stops when the door is opened — Opening the door cuts the evaporator fan, so a noise that dies with the door is that fan.
- A crack or pop a few times a day — Metal expanding and contracting through a cycle. It is loud, it is sudden and it is normal.
Causes, most likely first on the RDTM family
- The compressor and its mounts — Ranked first because a top-mount machine takes its air from the warmest part of the room, so ambient and clearance problems outrank dirt on this family.
- A panel, shelf or item in the cabinet resonating — Second.
- A fan blade fouling its shroud or a worn fan bearing — Third. A dry bearing whines rather than clatters, and the note rises as the cabinet warms.
- Sounds that are normal for this machine — Fourth. Worth ruling in before parts are considered.
- A sealed-system or compressor fault — Last, and that placement is the point of the ranking: it is the least common cause and the only one that is not an owner fix.
- Body: This is not the brand-generic ranking. The head of the ranking matches the brand-generic order, but below it a fan blade fouling its shroud or a worn fan bearing moves up to third place, because the platform here is a cabinet whose condensing unit sits on top, where it draws warm air from the ceiling side of the room.
Check in this order on these models
- Listen at the machine compartment through a start and a stop — A noise that arrives with the compressor and leaves with it is a mounting question, not a cabinet one.
- Lay a flat hand on each panel in turn while it is running — A noise that changes under your hand has just told you which panel is passing it on.
- Open the door and hold the door switch in — If the noise appears with the switch held and dies when you let go, it is the evaporator fan and nothing else.
- Time the noise over a day — A noise that appears a handful of times and lasts a short while is a cycle doing its job.
- Body: The order follows the ranking, and the access decides the rest: on these models the condensing unit is overhead and needs a step to reach; the evaporator and drain are inside the cabinet.
Before you open anything
Safety
Unplug the appliance or switch off its breaker before removing any panel; a capacitor can hold a charge after the power is off. Never hold the door switch in with tape and then reach inside: the fan is running because the switch is defeated, and it will not stop for your hand.
Models in the RDTM family
Reference| Model number | Family key |
|---|---|
| RDTM116WE | alpha-par-rd:refrigerator:rdtm |
Where the owner limit falls on these models
Call when the noise is inside the machine compartment, when it is accompanied by a cabinet that has stopped holding temperature, or when it is a grinding rather than a rattle. A noise on its own, with the cabinet still cold, is rarely urgent. A noise with a rising cabinet temperature is, because the two together point at the fan that moves the cold air.
Other symptoms covered for this family
Lead Appliance Repair Technician · 12 years experience
Experienced technician with 12 years specializing in washing machine and dryer repairs across all major brands.
