The short answer
The Criterion HS family is the widest Criterion refrigerator line in the matrix below — several cabinets are listed twice, once in each build variant — and that changes how a noise is read here. The fan and frost causes that dominate the brand-generic answer still rank first, but on this family door and hinge hardware moves up the list, because a door-side part fitted from the other build of the same cabinet sits fractionally proud and buzzes against the case.
What you observe
- A buzz or warble from the freezer that stops when the door opens — The door switch cuts the evaporator fan, so the door names the fan for you.
- A rattle or buzz from a door or the trim that changes when you press on it — Hardware that is not seated: the fault this family produces more than its siblings do.
- A rattle from the base at the rear, following the compressor — Condenser fan, a loose cover, or debris in the machine compartment.
- A hum felt through the floor or the cabinetry — A resonance path rather than a failing part: feet, levelling, or a tight opening.
- NEAR MISS — a clatter every few hours followed by running water — An ice maker harvesting normally; the ice maker page covers the versions that are faults.
Causes, most likely first on this family
- Evaporator fan touching frost — Still first here, as on the brand generally: the fan sits behind the freezer rear panel where frost builds first and needs only to brush it to be heard through a closed door.
- Door, hinge or trim hardware from the other build — Second on this family, where the page above puts the condenser fan. Several cabinets exist in two builds, so a part that fits and looks right can still sit proud and resonate at particular compressor speeds.
- Condenser fan or debris at the base — Third. The noise follows the compressor rather than the doors, which is what separates it from the two above.
- Levelling and cabinet resonance — Last as a cause, first to rule out: it costs nothing and it turns a structural-sounding hum into a solved one.
Check in this order, and why
- Note the full designation and build suffix from the plate — On the widest family in this line it is the step that stops a wrong part being ordered later, and it takes a minute.
- Open the freezer door while the noise is running — The switch cuts the evaporator fan, so a noise that stops is that fan and a noise that continues is not.
- Press on each door, the handle and the trim in turn — This is the family-specific test: a buzz that changes under hand pressure is hardware, not a motor.
- Listen at the base at the rear, then check level — Left until last because both are quick and neither needs the cabinet emptied.
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, and a fan is the one thing in the cabinet that restarts without warning. Keep fingers clear of the condenser fan blade at the base even with the doors open, and get a second person for any move: these cabinets are front-heavy once the doors swing.
Models in the HS family
Reference| Model number | Family key |
|---|---|
| HS-188CN(UR-BD146-DQ)-F | criterion:refrigerator:hs |
| HS-188CN(UR-BD146-DQ)-R | criterion:refrigerator:hs |
| HS-262CN(UR-BD202-DQ)-F | criterion:refrigerator:hs |
| HS-262CN(UR-BD202-DQ)-R | criterion:refrigerator:hs |
| HS-386CN(UR-BD300-DQ)-F | criterion:refrigerator:hs |
| HS-386CN(UR-BD300-DQ)-R | criterion:refrigerator:hs |
| HS-507FWENDT | criterion:refrigerator:hs |
| HS-507FWENDT-R | criterion:refrigerator:hs |
When to call a technician
Levelling, tightening door hardware and clearing the base are owner work on these cabinets. Call a technician once the noise is behind the freezer rear panel, which comes off over the defrost heater and the evaporator, and call if you cannot establish which build your cabinet is and a door part is involved. Call at once for a screech from the compressor or a smell of hot insulation.
Nearest pages of this class
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