Refrigerator making thumping noise

[SFC]

Frig makes a thumping noise when it shuts off. I beleave it is a spring on the compressor-could be wrong. Anyone have this problem and how long did it last before it conked out?

[Macgyver55]

Check the compressor mounts.

[Eric Wettschreck]

Check the compressor mounts.

Yup. Normally they're spring mounted. A spring could be broken or a bolt could be broken/off. That's the cheap easy thing and hopefully it's your problem. Otherwise, the compressor could be telling you it's getting tired, but we won't go there until you've checked the mounts.

[zent]

The motors in hermetic compressors are spring mounted inside of the welded can. They have to start under load, so to reduce vibration they are mounted in this manner. You could have a mount that is broken and when the motor turns off you will hear a clunk. If the mount inside of the can is broken, the only fix is to replace the compressor. It may not cause you any trouble at all though. I had a domestic refrigerator that had this very problem for 10 years before we moved and the unit worked just fine. It comes down to how much the noise bothers you. I have done commercial refrigeration for 30 years and for the price of the parts could have replaced mine, but as long as it worked I didn't see the need.

Z