Why is My Wine or Beverage Cooler Making a Strange Noise?

The beverage and wine coolers use small fans inside the units to circulate the air, force cold air into the unit, and exhaust hot air out of the unit. These fans are small 12v fans that can get a build-up of dust and debris from the environment or become loose and start to wobble over time. More often than not, any sounds that aren’t from the refrigerant system can be traced to one of the fans in the unit. To stop a noisy fan, follow the steps below:

Locating the Noisy Fan

  • The fans in our units are housed under a grated cover.
  • Left - Thermoelectric Based. Right - Compressor Based:

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  • Take a plastic drinking straw and force it into the fan assembly to stop the fan.
  • Stop each fan, 1-by-1, until you locate the fan that is causing the noise.
  • Keep in mind that it could be either an internal fan or an exhausting fan near the condenser in the back of the unit.

Stopping the Noise

  • After the problem fan is located you will have to clean the fan assembly.
  • The best way to clean the fan is with either compressed air or a brush head vacuum extension.
  • After cleaning, the noise should subside.
  • If the noise continues after a cleaning then there is likely debris in the rotor or a damaged fan blade.
  • In the next phase we will remove the fan to thoroughly clean it

Removing the Fan

  • If you’ve cleaned the fan assembly and are still hearing noise from the fan then you will need to remove the fan to clean it
  • Most of our units will need the interior back panel removed in order to access the fan assembly.
  • Thermoelectric Units will require removing the exterior back panel to remove the fans.
  • Left – Compressor Based. Middle – Thermoelectric Based Back Panel. Right – Thermoelectric Back Fan with Back Panel Removed. 2 screws circled will give you access to the smaller Internal/Cooling fan of this assembly ( Not Pictured ).

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  • Once you have access to the fan you will trace the wire connector and disconnect it from the connector that will be near the fan assembly
  • Note the orientation of the fan. You will want to put the fan back facing the same direction. Use the sticker on the front as a reference.
  • You can now safely remove the fan from the unit

Cleaning the Fan

Here is what the fan looks like outside of the assembly. The size may vary but they will all function the same. The sticker will be located on the front of the fan:

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  • The sticker can be peeled back to reveal a screw that holds the fan into the casing. We recommend placing the sticker back on the fan after cleaning as that will help control the wire flow and allow you to easily orient the fan correctly.
  • With the screw removed you can clean the rotor.
  • You’ll want to blow out the hole the rotor fits into on the fan as well.
  • Along with cleaning the rotor you want to make sure there are no cracks on the fan blades as this will also cause noise.
  • Secure the fan back into the casing with the screw once cleaning is complete.