GE Refrigerator shut off noise?

[montecore]

We have a GE refrigerator that seems to be working fine however over the last week the frig would run as usual but when it shuts off from a normal cycle there is a noise the sounds like a "thump". I describe it as if a cat were on our kitchen table and jumps off and lands on the floor. I have localized this noise to somewhere at the bottom rear of the frig. Any thoughts?

[LazyPup]

Refrigerators and most Air Conditioners use what is called a hermetic compressor system. This simply means that the electric drive motor and compressor are sealed inside of a welded steel housing. Inside the housing the motor & compressor unit is mounted on three springs that are used as vibration dampers to reduce the operating noise. When the compressor is running it will normally tilt slightly over on the springs from the torque and when the motor stops the springs will quickly snap the motor&compressor assembly back to the full vertical position. As the units age sometimes one or more of the springs get a bit weak and the reaction is increased resulting in a slight bumping sound when the motor stops. While the slight bumping sound can sometimes be a bit annoying, otherwise there is no cause for alarm as compressors have been known to run for years even with broken mount springs.

[montecore]

Wow!!! Thanks for that wonderful explanation. Are those brings hard to fix or do you need to replace the whole unit? Where again are those springs located? Thanks again!

[LazyPup]

In the attached illustration you will see a photo of a typical domestic refrigeration compressor. As you can see the actual motor and compressor unit are built inside of a welded steel canister. The springs in question are inside of that welded can and therefore cannot be serviced, but as I stated before, the compressor will continue to work just fine even if one of those springs are broken.

[montecore]

LazyPup....thanks again for the info. Sometimes that thumping gets a little annoying and has scared my wife when I was not home. But I bet a new welded unit with installation would be a few hundred dollars. Would have an idea what something like that would cost? Otherwise I guess we will just have to live with it. Thanks again for all your help!

[LazyPup]

In most cases the total cost of replacing a refrigerator compressor will exceed the current value of the refrigerator itself, therefore it is seldom done.

i think you will find that this is one of those situations where we hear a noise and not knowing its origin we begin to fear the worst, therefore we are more attentive to the noise. Once we have isolated the source and have assured ourselves that it presents no present danger, it will soon just become another of those unnoticed white noises in our background.

[nkjmom]

I feel lots better

Thanks so much! I feel better. I am pretty handy and don't mind trying to fix things on my own. However, I'm smart enough to know when to check with someone smarter. Your answer makes a lot of sense, so I won't worry about this noise. Thank you for taking the time to post this!

[Dan O.]

Might fail eventually

I bet a new [compressor] with installation would be a few hundred dollars. Would have an idea what something like that would cost?

If the compressor was not covered by any kind of warranty and you had to pay for both it and labor, you can expect a compressor replacement job to run in the area of $350+

so I won't worry about this noise.

I wouldn't go that far. While the compressor could continue to work for years banging away because of a problem with its internal suspension, it could just as easily give up the ghost at any time. I suggest you keep an eye out for sales on replacement refrigerators so you can be prepared to replace it should it fail completely. It shouldn't however present any safety issues until then.

JMO

Dan O.
www.Appliance411.com
The Appliance Information Site
=D~~~~~~

[nkjmom]

Oh, I realize that my compressor has some age and could still fail at any time. I am just not going to assume that the failure is imminent. Thanks for the pointer..great forum!