What this usually is
The usual answer on this unit is the cabinet out of level or touching something, with a loose drain pan, grille or panel vibrating next. A freezer makes several noises that are simply the appliance working, and the list below separates them out. The checks cost nothing and rule out almost the whole list.
What you actually observe
- A rattle from low at the back of the cabinet — That is the condenser end and usually something loose rather than something broken.
- A buzz that comes and goes with the compressor — It runs when the compressor runs and stops when it stops.
- NEAR MISS: the noise comes with soft food — Then cooling is the real fault, and the noise is a clue on the way to it.
What it usually turns out to be, in order
- The cabinet out of level or touching something — A freezer standing on three of its four feet, or with a corner against a wall or a shelf, passes every compressor vibration into the building. It sounds like a fault and is not one. It leads the list on a West Bend freezer because a freezer is put where it fits rather than where it is installed, usually on an uneven garage or utility-room floor.
- A loose drain pan, grille or panel vibrating — The pan under the compressor sits loose by design and the lower grille clips on. Second on this unit, because these are the parts that are deliberately not fixed down, so they are the ones most often left out of position.
- An internal fan catching frost on an upright unit — Frost-free uprights have a fan behind the rear panel. Third, once the two above are clean: it is the only motor inside the cabinet and the only noise that changes when the door is opened.
- A failing compressor knocking under load — Worn internal mounts knock on start-up and rumble as the unit runs. Last, and that is the point of this order: it is the least likely cause and the costliest, which is exactly why everything cheap above it is ruled out first.
What to check first, second, third
- Press down on each corner in turn and listen for the sound to change — A noise that answers to hand pressure is a mounting noise.
- Unplug the unit and press the pan and the grille by hand while the noise is present — A buzz that stops under hand pressure is found.
- Open the door and press the door switch in, then listen — A noise that follows that switch is on the fan circuit and nothing else.
What an owner can safely check
- Check the unit sits firm on all four feet and clear of every wall and shelf — Adjust the feet until it does not rock at any corner.
Tools: a spirit level, a spannerAbout 20 min
- Unplug the unit, reseat the drain pan square and clip the grille home — Neither should touch anything else when it is seated.
Tools: a torchAbout 15 min
- STOP AT THIS POINT if the fault is on the sealed system — Refrigerant is licensed work and the tools for it are not owner tools.
Before you open anything
Safety
Unplug the freezer before you remove anything. A charged capacitor survives the power going off, so treat the inside as live. Ice comes off with time and warm air only, never with a knife or a screwdriver, because the walls have refrigerant tubing behind them. A full freezer is far heavier than it looks, so empty it before you move it.
When to call a technician
Call once levelling, contents, the pan and the fans are all ruled out and the noise remains, because what is left is the start circuit or the sealed system. Call sooner if the compressor clicks and gives up, if the noise arrives with soft food, or if the unit trips a breaker.
Related pages for this unit
Scope of this page, and where to go for more
This page covers the West Bend freezer as a class, not one family or model line. Where a family- or model-specific page exists it is linked here. Deliberately not here: fan and relay part numbers, compressor mount specifications and any panel removal sequence, all of which differ by family and belong on the page for that family.
Links: - [Water under a West Bend refrigerator, and where it comes from](/blog/west-bend-refrigerator-water-leak) - [West Bend freezer leaking onto the floor: where it comes from](/blog/west-bend-freezer-water-leak) - [Why a Whynter freezer has started making a noise](/blog/whynter-freezer-abnormal-noise)
Lead Appliance Repair Technician · 12 years experience
Experienced technician with 12 years specializing in washing machine and dryer repairs across all major brands.
