The short answer for these models
A refrigerator that has started making a new noise is usually reacting to how it stands, what is on it and what is around it. Levelling, clearance and loose items explain most complaints. A grinding or a scraping that follows the cooling cycle is the exception and it deserves a look. On the BUC refrigerators the brand-level answer holds and the order does not: a glazed door leaks far more heat than a solid one by design, so the same fault reads as more severe on a glass-door unit and the baseline you are judging against has to change with it, so the door and glazing checks come before the rest on these models.
What you observe
- The BUC form you own, which changes what the rest of this list means — Check the door material. Glass changes the baseline: longer runs, some sweating and a warm shelf by the door are normal there.
- Gurgling or trickling from inside the walls — Liquid sounds from inside the structure are normal on a running cabinet and need nothing done about them.
- Sharp cracks or pops at intervals — They come in bursts after a temperature change rather than continuously, which is how you tell them from a mechanical fault.
Causes, most likely first on this family
- The compressor or its mounts — A compressor grows louder as its mounts harden, and a knock from it is a different order of problem from a buzz. This is where the order departs from the brand-level page: on the BUC models the construction settles it, so the door and glazing checks come before the checks that lead anywhere else.
- The defrost timer or a solenoid clicking — It belongs on the list because it is frequently reported and almost never a fault.
Check in this order, and why
- First — level the cabinet and check what it touches — Rock it gently corner to corner. Any movement at all is worth taking out before you listen to anything else. On these models this is the step the construction changes: read the result against the form you identified first, because the same finding means different things on the two.
- Second — place the sound front or back — Narrowing it to a compartment is what makes a service call short rather than exploratory.
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 wired exactly as it is: it stops fans for a reason, and defeating it to chase a noise is how people lose fingertips. Get help to move the cabinet rather than levering it on its own feet.
Where the owner job ends
Call once the cabinet is level, the top is clear, the gap behind it is honest and the sound is still there. Call sooner if it is a grind or a knock rather than a buzz, or if it arrived in the same week the cabinet stopped holding its temperature. Say whether the sound changes when the door opens; that one answer narrows the visit before anyone sets out.
The 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.
