- The reason your refrigerator could be making a dripping sound is condensation. When warm moist air mixes with cool air, condensation occurs in cooling home appliances, such as a refrigerator.
- The condensate (water) formed runs down the walls to the bottom. It then drips out of the fridge to the back and is collected in the drip tray.
- If you see pooling water or the fridge is not cooling correctly you should investigate further.
Some household appliances make different kinds of sounds when they are not in use. The sounds produced by these appliances are sometimes normal and other times due to a fault. One of the most common sounds in home appliances like refrigerators is a dripping sound. So, why does your fridge sound like it is dripping water?
Over time, I have heard different sounds from my refrigerator. These sounds include that of running water. Like every other refrigerator owner, I was worried until I discovered where the sound was coming from and why.
In this article, I’ll share with you some reasons why your fridge is making dripping sounds. Also, you’ll find out if the sound is a regular occurrence and discover suitable ways to control it.
Is it Normal for a Fridge to Drip Water?
Home appliances that involve hot and cold air, like a refrigerator and a microwave, usually produce water. Most times, this production of water is inevitable.
Due to condensation it’s normal for a water to be found in your fridge. The water drips down into a drip tray and evaporates. Thankfully, your fridge will drip water without spilling it onto the floor with the drip tray in place.
Every refrigerator comes with a drip tray. If your fridge gets spoiled and loses the drip tray, it needs to be fixed or replaced to avoid water all over the house. Having water on the floor, especially close to an electrical appliance, is very dangerous.
Although it’s normal for a fridge to drip water inside it, water is not customary to leak from outside the refrigerator.
If water is leaking from your refrigerator, you should check if a container is leaking inside the fridge. For further investigation you can check if water is not evaporating from the drip tray at the rear of the fridge or if the drip tray is not holding water.
Is it Normal for the Fridge to Make Dripping Sounds?
Under normal conditions, a refrigerator is meant to run for years, every hour of every day, without any faults.
The sounds produced due to the natural and compulsory processes in refrigerators are normal and unavoidable. However, there are some sounds a refrigerator makes that are due to faults. As a responsible house appliance owner, you should never neglect any noise from your fridge.
But how will you know which noise is normal or due to a fault?
Other than the constant condensation process, there is another reason your refrigerator could be making dripping sounds and that is if you have an inbuilt ice-maker.
The ice tray (in the ice-maker) is a part of the fridge segmented into cube-like sections for making ice cubes. Once the water in the ice tray is frozen, the contents are tossed into an ice holder. After that, the empty tray is refilled with water.
The process of refilling the tray is automatic. As a result, the ice-making cycle will not end unless you manually switch off the ice maker.
The running water sound can be heard when the ice tray is being refilled with water. The refilling doesn’t take a lot of time, so you may not hear the sound often. The dripping of water causes the typical running water sound into the drip tray.
Is it Possible to Stop the Fridge from Making Dripping Sounds?
Since some of the sounds made by the fridge are normal, they can’t be stopped. Stopping them might even cause damage to a part of the whole refrigerator. The trick is then to control the outside environment around the fridge, minimising the sounds.
After finding out that the running water sound in your refrigerator is typical, you will still be bothered by the noise. However, you can control this noise by making your fridge soundproof.
Unique closets and cabinets that even refrigerators can fit into are being added to modern kitchens. These cabinets help reduce the dripping sound and any other unwanted noise the appliance makes. In addition, you can make the cabinet soundproof too.
Soundproofing is one of the most efficient ways to get rid of annoying refrigerator sounds. However, soundproofing the cabinet for appliances like a refrigerator should be done so that there’s enough space for ventilation. The reason is that air exchange is very vital for a fridge.
You can use studio foam, MLV with either insulation or foam, or vinyl to soundproof the cabinet. These materials are very effective in creating a soundproofed environment.
When you soundproof your refrigerator, the sounds it generates are absorbed. Therefore, you will not be able to hear any of the sounds the fridge produces. You can also soundproof the insides of the refrigerator or the outside.
Finding the source of the sound
No matter what sound your refrigerator makes, always check it out.
When you constantly hear a strange sound from your fridge, you may discover your fridge is broken and not cooling as it should. This is when you’ll need to either fix it or get a new one.
Before spending time and money to acquire a new refrigerator it’s a good idea to consult a professional. You could save on a huge expense.
In most cases it’s best if you stopped panicking unnecessarily whenever you hear noise from your fridge. As strange as the dripping or water noises sound, it is usually normal and can only be controlled, not prevented.