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Why Is My Refrigerator Running All The Time?
By CHELSEA GREENWOOD
When a refrigerator is running — making an active whirring sound louder than the typical hum — it's the motor trying to lower the temperature inside the appliance to achieve the temperature it's set for. Your fridge might continually run if you have it at the coldest setting possible, which isn't recommended.
Factors that can disturb that temperature setting and cause the fridge to run include opening and closing the door too often, or not closing it all the way, which results in room-temperature air entering the fridge. If you place hot or warm foods inside the fridge, this can also raise the temperature and prompt the motor to start.
No matter how well you maintain your fridge, there are some factors that will cause it to run that are pretty much beyond your control. For example, hot weather can prompt the motor to run more than normal, so it's not unusual for your fridge to be chugging along in the summertime.
Also, power outages can turn off your fridge and allow the temperature inside to increase. Another factor is the gasket — the seal along the outer edge of the door that keeps the fridge tightly shut through magnetism or suction — breaking down over time, drying out, cracking, or breaking.