The short answer
Noise complaints on the ATF line resolve faster when the sound is placed before it is named. Sixteen model numbers carry this family badge, and the matrix on this page is the list. There are three places a refrigerator can make noise — inside the freezer, in the machine compartment, and through the cabinet into the floor — and each has a short list of its own.
What the owner reports
- A chirp, squeal or grind from inside the freezer — Sound that disappears the moment the freezer door opens is the evaporator fan by definition — nothing else is switched that way.
- A clicking that repeats every few minutes — An even, repeating click every few minutes with no compressor settling into a run — the one noise on this page that is urgent.
- A buzz or hum that has become noticeably louder — A compressor on tired mounts transmits into the floor, so the cabinet appears to get louder without the compressor changing at all.
- A knock or thump on start and stop — Tubing that has shifted onto the cabinet transmits every compressor start as a single knock.
- Gurgling, popping or a running-water sound — Refrigerant moving and plastic expanding as the cabinet changes temperature both make noise, and neither is a fault.
- NEAR MISS — the noise comes with a warm cabinet — Noise together with a warm cabinet makes the cooling fault primary, and this page is not the one to work from.
Causes, most likely first on the ATF line
- Evaporator fan blade fouling ice or a worn fan bearing — First on the ATF line because this fan runs whenever the compressor does, in the coldest and wettest part of the cabinet, and its blade sits close enough to the coil that any frost build-up reaches it.
- Condenser fan obstructed or bearing worn — Second because it is the other motor that never rests, and because the machine compartment collects whatever the floor offers — packaging, pet hair, a dropped drain tube.
- Compressor mounts and cabinet levelling — Third. It explains the complaint that the appliance has got louder while working perfectly, which neither fan cause does.
- Compressor or start relay fault — Fourth because a relay clicking on a short repeating cycle is distinctive enough to identify by ear, and a compressor that is genuinely noisy is rarer than any of the three above it.
Check in this order, and why
- Open the freezer, hold the door switch closed and listen — A noise that stops with the door and returns with the switch is this fan and nothing else.
- Look for ice behind the bottom basket — A blade ticking against frost and a worn bearing sound alike, and the ice decides which repair you are looking at.
- Pull the cabinet out and watch the condenser fan turn — Obstructions here are usually visible before anything is unscrewed.
- Check the cabinet sits square on all its feet and touches nothing — This explains a noise that has grown rather than one that appeared.
Before any panel comes off
Safety
Isolate the appliance at its breaker or unplug it before any panel comes off — a capacitor can hold a charge after the power is off. The freezer door switch is a guard, not an inconvenience: if you hold it in to test the fan, keep both hands away from the blade and release it before reaching inside.
Models in the ATF family
Reference| Model number | Family key |
|---|---|
| ATF1836ARB | amana:refrigerator:atf |
| ATF1836ARQ | amana:refrigerator:atf |
| ATF1836ARS | amana:refrigerator:atf |
| ATF1836ARW | amana:refrigerator:atf |
| ATF1838AEB | amana:refrigerator:atf |
| ATF1838AEQ | amana:refrigerator:atf |
| ATF1838AES | amana:refrigerator:atf |
| ATF1838AEW | amana:refrigerator:atf |
| ATF2136ARB | amana:refrigerator:atf |
| ATF2136ARQ | amana:refrigerator:atf |
| ATF2136ARS | amana:refrigerator:atf |
| ATF2136ARW | amana:refrigerator:atf |
| ATF2138AEB | amana:refrigerator:atf |
| ATF2138AEQ | amana:refrigerator:atf |
| ATF2138AES | amana:refrigerator:atf |
| ATF2138AEW | amana:refrigerator:atf |
When to call a technician
The condition is what the fix turns out to be. An adjustment — levelling, clearing something that fell in, moving the cabinet off a wall — is owner work on these models. A part is not. A repeating click with a warming cabinet should be booked the same day rather than monitored.
Other faults 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.
