The short answer
Not every noise is a fault: on Black+Decker BCRDK models the sealed system gurgles and the cabinet ticks as it expands, and both are normal. What is worth chasing is a noise that rises with a fan, repeats once per turn, or arrives with the compressor. This page ranks them in the order that separates them fastest. Settle the build before the ranking applies: these models divide on a fan behind the freezer back wall.
What the owner actually sees
- A low buzz at the bottom rear of the cabinet — Usually the compressor or its mounts, and its pitch does not change when a door opens.
- A rattle that moves when the cabinet does — That is contact — a panel, a drip tray or the cabinetry beside it — rather than a failing part.
- A rising whine that starts a while after the door closes — The door-switch behaviour is what identifies it.
- A click every few minutes, sometimes with a pause in the running — A start relay trying and resting, which is worth attention because it goes with a warm cabinet next.
- A knock or hiss around the time the ice maker fills — The fill valve and the harvest are both noisy by design, and pausing the ice maker for a day proves it.
- NEAR MISS — a gurgle or a soft pop a few minutes after the door closes — Refrigerant moving and plastic changing temperature. Both are normal and neither needs a repair.
Causes, ranked for the BCRDK build
- The evaporator fan is touching ice, or its bearing is going — This takes the top spot on fan-fed builds, because the same frost that makes a cabinet warm makes the fan sing first. Treated early it is a fan; treated late it is a fan and a defrost fault.
- The cabinet is out of level or touching something — It sits above the mechanical causes on built-in and trimmed installations, where the cabinet is boxed in on three sides and a panel only has to touch once to buzz all day.
- The ice maker filling, harvesting or running dry — Ranked by pattern rather than by likelihood: it is common, but it is also self-proving, since pausing the ice maker settles the question in a day.
- The compressor mounts, or the start relay behind it — Its rank depends on the pattern — steady buzz is low priority, repeated clicking is not.
The order that finds it fastest
- Open the freezer door while the noise is happening — This single test splits the list in half and costs nothing.
- Put an ear to the back grille, then to the freezer door — Back and low is the compressor and condenser fan; inside and high is the evaporator fan and the ice maker.
- Press on the sides and top while it runs — Check the drip tray and the rear panel screws at the same time.
- Turn the ice maker off for a day — If the noise had a schedule, this proves it in one day without a tool.
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. Leave the door switch and its wiring exactly as they are: it cuts the fan for a reason, and a unit that runs with the door open ices the evaporator faster than it cools the food.
Where the owner job ends
Call when the noise is a scrape or squeal from behind the freezer wall, when the compressor clicks and rests rather than running, or when a noise arrives together with a cabinet that is no longer cold. Those three go with a part failing rather than a part touching. A rattle you can change with a hand, and a gurgle after the door closes, are not service calls at all.
Other faults covered for the BCRDK models
Lead Appliance Repair Technician · 12 years experience
Experienced technician with 12 years specializing in washing machine and dryer repairs across all major brands.
