The short answer
There is no fan in this cabinet, so no noise can come from moving air inside it. Everything you hear comes from the compressor, from the refrigerant, from the plastic liner, or from the cabinet touching something. On a garage or basement floor the first two checks are how it stands and what it is standing near.
What you are seeing
- A hum or drumming that seems to come from the floor — Note: The cabinet is not standing firm on all its feet, and the floor is conducting normal compressor vibration.
- A buzz or rattle from behind, in time with the compressor — Note: Something loose near the compressor, or the cabinet touching a wall or shelving.
- Gurgling or trickling after the compressor stops — Note: Refrigerant settling. Entirely normal and present on every cabinet of this design.
- A single sharp crack from inside, often at night — Note: The plastic liner contracting as the cabinet cools. Normal and frequently mistaken for damage.
- A click every few minutes followed by silence — Note: That is the start relay and the compressor failing to run, which is a cooling and starting problem rather than a noise one.
- A metallic grinding that starts with the compressor and never varies — Note: Internal wear, and the last thing to reach for on this list.
Ranked causes on this brand
- Cabinet not standing firm on all its feet — Why this rank: First because a compact freezer lives on a garage slab, a basement floor or porch boards, none of which is flat, and a cabinet rocking on three feet conducts everything the compressor does into the floor.
- Cabinet touching a wall, shelving or another appliance — Why this rank: Second because these cabinets are pushed into corners and under garage shelving, and contact turns whatever it touches into a sounding board.
- Normal refrigerant and liner noises — Why this rank: Third because it accounts for a real share of the complaint, and because a quiet garage at night gives these sounds nothing to hide behind.
- Compressor mounting grommets hardened with age — Why this rank: Fourth: rubber mounts take a permanent set over years, after which the compressor is effectively bolted rigidly to the cabinet.
- Something loose resting on or against the cabinet — Why this rank: Fifth because in a garage or a basement a freezer becomes a shelf, and a tin, a tool or a box on top of it will buzz along with the compressor.
- Compressor internal wear — Why this rank: Last because everything above it is more common and free to check, and because on this class a compressor replacement costs more than the cabinet.
What to check, in order
- Press down on each corner in turn and try to rock the cabinet — Why: Movement means it is not standing firm, which is the top cause and it needs no tools.
- Pull the cabinet clear of walls, shelving and anything else it touches, then listen again — Why: If the noise changes or disappears, the surroundings were amplifying it and nothing has failed.
- Take everything off the top of the cabinet and off the shelf above it — Why: A freezer in a garage collects objects, and any of them can buzz in time with the compressor.
- Note whether the noise is continuous or matches the compressor cycling — Why: Continuous with the compressor points at the compressor or its mounts; noises after it stops are refrigerant.
- Listen for a click followed by silence rather than a running noise — Why: That pattern is a starting fault rather than a noise fault and it belongs on the cooling page.
Checks you can do safely
- Empty the top of the cabinet and any shelf directly above it, then listen again with the room quiet. — Tools: none — Time: ten minutes
- Press each corner of the cabinet in turn and note any rocking, then shim or adjust the feet until it sits firm on all of them. — Tools: spirit level, shims or an adjustable wrench — Time: twenty minutes
- Unplug the cabinet, draw it clear of the wall and of any shelving or neighbouring appliance, then plug it back in and listen. — Tools: none — Time: twenty minutes
- With the power off, look behind and underneath for anything resting against the cabinet or the compressor and remove it. — Tools: torch — Time: ten minutes
- Stand quietly beside the cabinet for several minutes and write down whether the noise runs with the compressor, continues after it stops, or repeats as a click. — Tools: none — Time: ten minutes
- If the noise is a click followed by silence, stop here and read the cooling page, because that is a starting fault rather than a noise. — Tools: none — Time: five minutes
Before you open anything
Safety
Unplug the cabinet before drawing it out, reaching behind it or touching anything around the compressor. The start relay and overload sit on the compressor pins at mains potential whenever it is plugged in, and a capacitor can hold a charge after the plug is out. The refrigerant circuit is sealed and must never be opened, cut or vented by an owner. Empty a loaded cabinet before moving it and get help: a full chest freezer is far heavier than it looks. Never chip frost with a tool. Unplug the appliance or switch off its breaker before removing any panel. A capacitor can hold a charge after the power is off. — Id: unplug-before-service
Where the service line falls
The cabinet stands firm, touches nothing, has nothing on top of it, and a hard vibration continues through the floor whenever the compressor runs. The noise is a metallic grinding or a rising whine that begins with the compressor and never varies with anything you change. The noise is a click every few minutes followed by silence, which is a start relay or a stalled compressor and needs a meter on live terminals. The noise arrived together with a loss of cooling, which turns a nuisance into a failure and changes the urgency. A compressor is implicated, because on a licensed badge there is no open parts catalogue and a compressor replacement on a cabinet of this size costs more than the cabinet.
Nearest pages
What this page does not cover
This page is generalized across every compact freezer sold under this badge, upright and chest, and assumes the fanless, manual-defrost design common to that class. It does not cover a specific model family, and it does not cover frost-free cabinets with an evaporator fan, where an internal noise is a real possibility. The rating plate on the back or inside the cabinet, not the badge on the front, names the actual manufacturer and importer; that plate is what a seller support desk will ask for, and under a licensed name it is the only reliable way to tell one production run from another.
Links down: - [FARBERWARE Freezer: Not Cooling or Not Freezing](/blog/farberware-freezer-cooling-failure) - [FARBERWARE Freezer: Door, Latch or Seal Fault](/blog/farberware-freezer-door-seal)
Lead Appliance Repair Technician · 12 years experience
Experienced technician with 12 years specializing in washing machine and dryer repairs across all major brands.
