What you are looking at
Refrigerators make more noise than owners expect — fans, a compressor, expanding plastic and water moving through a sealed system — so the useful question is not whether it is noisy but which component the noise belongs to. The reason the cabinet touching a wall, a unit or its own water line heads the ranking on a Criterion is simple: a machine that has just been installed or moved is far more likely to be reporting its setup than its age, and setup faults appear immediately rather than gradually. Levelling, clearance and clearing a fan are owner work; a compressor or a fan motor replacement is not. The order below is written for a unit that is new, newly installed or recently moved; a machine that has run in the same spot for years ranks differently.
Signs that fit this page
- A loud whirring from inside the freezer that stops when the door opens — The evaporator fan, which switches off with the door.
- A rattle or hum from the lower back of the cabinet — The condenser fan or the compressor mounts.
- NEAR MISS — A single loud click every few hours — The defrost timer or a relay switching, which is also normal.
What is actually wrong, ranked
- The cabinet touching a wall, a unit or its own water line — Most likely here: a machine that has just been installed or moved is far more likely to be reporting its setup than its age, and setup faults appear immediately rather than gradually. Anything rigid touching the cabinet becomes a sounding board; a water line resting against the wall transmits the compressor into the room.
- A cabinet not level or standing on an uneven floor — Second on the list: Compressor vibration that would be inaudible on a level cabinet becomes a buzz when one foot is unloaded and the cabinet can rock.
- A drain pan that has moved or is rattling on its mounts — Third on the list, and the least likely: The pan sits over the compressor area where it is vibrated continuously, and one knocked out of position rattles with every compressor start. A value-tier build puts the cheap wearing parts — filters, hoses, seals, screens — in the path of everything the machine does, so they are where the fault usually is.
Check in this order, and why
- Pull the cabinet forward and check nothing touches the sides or the back — A line or a cord pressed against the wall is a common and easily fixed source. On a machine that is new to its spot this is checked before anything mechanical, because setup faults arrive immediately and wear faults do not.
- Push the top corners in turn and watch the feet — Any rock means a foot is not carrying weight, and that is where the noise is coming from.
- Look at the pan at the back underneath and check it is seated — A pan sitting crooked is both a noise source and a leak risk.
What to try before calling
- Give the cabinet clearance and route the water line and cord so nothing rests against the wall — A hand-space at the back and a finger-space at the sides is a reasonable target on most cabinets.
About 20 min
- Level the cabinet on all four feet, very slightly tipped back — Then push again to confirm nothing moves, and check the doors still close themselves.
Tools: spirit level, wrenchAbout 25 min
- Stop here if the next move needs a meter on live terminals — That is where an owner check ends and a service call begins.
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. Refrigerant is licensed work: oil or a hiss at the compressor means stop and call, and two people move a cabinet this size.
Where an owner fix ends
Call when the cabinet is level, clear of everything, the pan is seated and the noise persists — especially for a noise inside the freezer that suggests a fan striking ice, because that usually means a defrost fault behind it. One line to keep in mind while you wait: A refrigerator holds food safely at 40 °F (4 °C) or below.
Other faults on this machine
How specific this page is
This is the family-agnostic page for Criterion refrigerators. There is no per-model page under this one today. Where one appears it is linked from this block and it is the page to trust for a specific cabinet. Deliberately not here: wiring colours, resistance values, torque figures and part numbers, which differ between families.
Lead Appliance Repair Technician · 12 years experience
Experienced technician with 12 years specializing in washing machine and dryer repairs across all major brands.
