The short answer
On the ARU family the noise worth chasing first is a repeated click, because it is a compressor trying to start and failing. A cabinet in this class that clicks every few seconds is telling you it is minutes or weeks from stopping.
What you observe on these models
- A hum or buzz that runs with the compressor — It starts and stops with the machine, which places it at the compressor end of the cabinet.
- A rattle that changes if you lean on the cabinet — That is the cabinet, the feet or a loose panel rather than anything inside the sealed system.
- A repeated click every few seconds with no steady run — A start device attempting and failing. Worth attention even while the cabinet is still cold.
- NEAR MISS - a loud noise together with softening contents — Noise plus lost temperature is a cooling fault first. Treat it on the cooling page and the noise usually explains itself.
Causes, most likely first on this family
- Start relay or overload cycling — First on this family. It is cheap to fix and it strands the cabinet if it is ignored, and because the family is one platform whose model numbers share a prefix, the same fault turns up across the models listed above.
- Compressor running hot and cutting out on its overload — Second, and it sounds nearly identical. The difference is that it runs for minutes before the cut-out rather than seconds, and it usually comes with a fouled condenser or a hot room.
- Cabinet, feet and loose panels — Third. Drumming and buzzing from a rocking cabinet is the commonest noise complaint overall, but it does not produce the timed click above, which is why the click is separated out and ranked first.
- Compressor mounts and compressor wear — Last. Hardened mounts knock at start and settle; a worn compressor does not settle. Both sit here because the cheaper explanations above cover most of these calls.
Check in this order, and why this family dictates it
- Time the interval between clicks — Every few seconds means a start device; every few minutes means the compressor is overheating. Those are different repairs.
- Feel the condenser surfaces and the room — Second, because a hot cabinet in a hot corner explains the second cause without opening anything.
- Rock the cabinet and check the feet — Third: it removes the commonest background noise and makes the important one easier to hear.
- Listen for knocking that persists through a run — Last, and it is the finding that changes the conversation from a repair to a replacement.
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. Do not run the cabinet with its rear cover removed to chase a noise, do not wedge or pack anything against the compressor to quieten it, and never lever or bend the tubing at the back: a split line ends the cabinet and vents refrigerant into the room.
Models in the ARU family
Reference| Model number | Family key |
|---|---|
| ARU030S1ARSS | arctic-king:freezer:aru |
| ARU030S1ARWW | arctic-king:freezer:aru |
When to call a technician
Call when the compressor knocks or grinds through a run, when a click repeats every few seconds without the cabinet settling into a steady run, when there is a burning smell, or when the noise came with the contents starting to soften. Have the model number from the table above ready, because the mount and start parts are not shared across the whole family.
Other faults covered for this family
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