How To Fix A GE Refrigerator Making A Loud Humming Noise

GE produces some of the best home appliances on the market, including a great range of fridges. But sometimes they become defective and need to be repaired. One common issue people have with their GE fridges is when they start to make unwanted noises, like humming sounds.

If your GE fridge is making a loud humming noise, it’s probably being caused by a faulty component within your fridge. To find the responsible part, you’ll need to check each of the components listed in this guide. Once you find which part is causing the humming noise, you should be able to fix your fridge and get it running again without the annoying humming sound.

This guide covers all major GE refrigerator models, including:

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90280JC

90280JD

90280JE

90280JF

90288JC

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Inspect the evaporator fan blade

The best place to start is to check the evaporator fan blade. Sometimes the fan blade becomes obstructed, which causes a loud humming noise to develop.

Here’s how to inspect the evaporator fan blade:

1. Unplug your fridge.
2. Open the freezer door and locate the evaporator fan unit.
3. Remove the cover from the fan, then try to turn the fan 360 degrees to see if it goes around without anything obstructing it. If the fan rotates without trouble, move on to checking the next component.
4. If something is obstructing the fan blade, remove the obstruction and put the cover back on the fan unit.
5. Turn your fridge back on and check if the noise has gone. If not, you’ll need to inspect the next component.

Inspect the condenser fan blade

The next possible cause of a loud humming noise is a defective condenser fan blade. The condenser fan is located at the back of your fridge unit and its purpose is to help cool the condenser coils. When the blade becomes obstructed by a loose object, or it becomes iced over, a loud humming noise might occur.

Here’s how to inspect the condenser fan blade:

1. Unplug your fridge.
2. Pull your fridge out from the wall so you can access the condenser fan.
3. Locate the condenser fan and remove the cover from the fan unit if it has one. Then try to turn the fan 360 degrees to see if it goes around without anything obstructing it. If the fan rotates without trouble, move on to checking the next component.
4. If something is obstructing the fan blade or it is covered in ice, remove the obstruction or let it defrost before putting the cover back on.
5. Plug your fridge back in and check if the noise has gone. If not, you’ll need to inspect the water inlet valve.

Inspect the water inlet valve

If the humming noise is especially loud while the ice maker is filling with water, then the water inlet valve might be the cause. The water inlet valve opens to let water into the ice maker unit and mineral deposits can build up over time in the valve causing the water to flow incorrectly, which can cause a loud humming noise to develop.

Here’s how to inspect the water inlet valve:

1. Locate the water inlet valve.  Check your GE fridge user manual if you’re not sure where it’s located.
2. Check if the water inlet valve is making a humming noise. If so, replace it. If no loud noise is coming from the valve, you can skip to the next component.
3. If you do replace the water inlet valve, you’ll need to unplug the fridge and turn the water supply off, remove the old valve, then attach the new one. Once installed, turn on the water supply and plug in your fridge to check if the noise has gone. If you still hear the noise, you’ll need to test the evaporator fan motor (see below).

Test the evaporator fan motor

Even if the evaporator fan is working, a problem could exist with the motor that controls it, and this could be causing a loud noise to emit from the fan. To test the evaporator fan motor, you’ll need a multimeter.

Here’s how to test it:

1. Unplug your fridge.
2. Locate the evaporator fan motor and disconnect the wires that are attached to it.
3. Test the motor with the multimeter.
4. If the test shows the motor doesn’t have continuity, it will need to be replaced. If the motor does have continuity, it’s working correctly and you can move on to testing the next component.
5. Once you replace the evaporator fan unit, plug your fridge back in to check if the humming noise has stopped. If you still hear the humming noise, check the next component.

Test the condenser fan motor

If the evaporator fan motor is not defective, the next component to check is the condenser fan motor. 

You can test the condenser fan motor by following these steps:

1. Unplug your fridge.
2. Locate the condenser fan motor and disconnect the wires that are attached to it.
3. Test the condenser fan motor with your multimeter.
4. If the test shows the motor doesn’t have continuity, it will need to be replaced. If the motor does have continuity, it’s working correctly and you can move on to the next component.
5. Once you replace the condenser fan unit, plug your fridge back in to check if the humming noise has stopped. If you still hear the humming noise, check the next component.

Replace the compressor

The final component that might be causing the loud humming noise is the compressor. Sometimes the internal components in the compressor unit wear out and cause a loud noise to emit from it. To check if the compressor is the cause of the noise, pull your fridge out from the wall and check if you can hear a loud noise coming from the compressor. 

If you can, it needs to be replaced by a qualified technician. However, given the cost of replacing the compressor, you might be better off buying a new fridge.