Start here
A TW unit that has become noisy is, more often than not, telling you about the room it is in. Half of these complaints are ordinary refrigerant sounds heard in a quiet room, and excluding them first saves a visit, so the ranking here puts position and load above machinery. Start with normal refrigerant and expansion sounds and leave a worn fan bearing until everything cheaper has been excluded.
The observables
- A buzz that you can feel through the case — Felt as much as heard, and it changes if you rest a hand on a panel.
- The unit walks slightly over time — It ends up a finger further from the wall each week, which is vibration finding a path out.
- Gurgling or trickling after the compressor stops — Liquid settling in the pipework; this is an ordinary sound and not a fault on its own.
- NEAR MISS - loud and the cabinet is warming — Noise with a cooling complaint is a cooling fault first. The not-cooling page for this line covers it, and it is the combination that needs a technician.
Causes, most likely first on this line
- Normal refrigerant and expansion sounds — The leading cause on these models: gurgling, trickling, a soft hiss after a stop and an occasional tick from the cabinet as it changes temperature are all ordinary. Owners new to a compressor unit report every one of them as a fault.
- The cabinet not standing squarely — Second: the unit is light enough to be moved by its own machinery. Standing on three of its four feet, or on a surface that flexes, turns an ordinary start into a bang that carries through the room.
- Contents and baskets vibrating — Third, and worth excluding before going further: bottles touching each other, a wire basket resting on a rail and packaging against the liner all buzz at the compressor frequency. On a small cabinet the panels act as a soundboard, so a trivial contact is loud.
- A worn fan bearing — It ranks below everything free to check because replacing it means getting into the fan housing.
The order to work in
- Separate ordinary sounds from the complaint — Listen for the character: liquid trickling, a soft hiss after a stop, or a single tick as the cabinet settles are normal. A repetitive mechanical noise is not.
- Press each corner in turn — Slide the unit a hand-width and listen again. A noise that changes with position is the stance or the surface, never the compressor.
- Run the unit empty for a minute — Take everything out, close the door and listen. If the noise has gone, it was load, not machinery, and the fix is how the cabinet is packed.
Before any panel comes off
Safety
Unplug the appliance or switch off its breaker before removing any panel; a capacitor can hold a charge after the power is off. A fan can start without warning while the unit is live, so never reach into a machinery bay to feel for a noise on a running unit.
Models in the TW family
Reference| Model number | Family key |
|---|---|
| TW115 | alpicool:refrigerator:tw |
| TW35 | alpicool:refrigerator:tw |
| TW45 | alpicool:refrigerator:tw |
| TW55 | alpicool:refrigerator:tw |
| TW75 | alpicool:refrigerator:tw |
| TW95 | alpicool:refrigerator:tw |
When this stops being owner work
Anything you can change from outside the cabinet is owner work. A continuous whine from the fan housing, a knock that can be felt through the case, or a noise accompanied by longer run times is a call.
Same line, other symptoms
Lead Appliance Repair Technician · 12 years experience
Experienced technician with 12 years specializing in washing machine and dryer repairs across all major brands.
