Keep your air conditioner quiet, find out why it’s making so much noise

Are you losing sleep because of AC noises? Are your neighbors losing sleep because of your air conditioner making noise? Excessive noise is a frequent problem among aging air conditioners, and one that becomes increasingly likely once an air conditioner has passed the 10-year mark.

Unfortunately, not much can be done to quiet an old air conditioning unit. Units will simply become noisy with age, this noise commonly starts with the loud ac compressor. A critical part of any air conditioner, the compressor is a mechanical unit that compresses coolant gas within the air conditioning unit as a critical first stage of the cooling cycle. If the compressor is the culprit, the repairs can be prohibitively expensive for older units. Short of replacing the whole compressor, little can be done to fix the cause of the noise.

A noisy air conditioner may also be caused by fan blades that haven’t been cleaned. A buildup of debris on the blades causes them to become unbalanced which is usually where most of the noise, in addition to dirty air, comes from.

For this reason, cleaning your air conditioner thoroughly is a great place to start when trying to decrease the amount of noise it makes. Your friends at TemperaturePro Kentuckiana will be happy to help or take care of this for you. Temperature Pro offers annual cleaning, inspection, and maintenance plans in addition to repair and installation for your AC. Our plans ensure that your air conditioner is running efficiently and clean while at peak performance all year round. Not only does this lower your electric bill but also keeps your air clean and can help reduce the noise your AC unit is making.

While cleaning your AC blades will almost certainly lower the amount of noise, it may not completely eliminate it. If you have an older unit and eliminating noise is not possible, you may have to consider other options. Noise containment is usually the next best step, this way you won’t lose sleep over a noisy AC unit.

Here are a four ways you can contain or lessen the impact of an air conditioner making noise:

1. Install an acoustic barrier blanket

You can install a special sound-dampening blanket on the inside of the air conditioning unit to muffle and contain the noise. The blanket should be carefully installed around the compressor, taking care not to block or come in contact with moving parts, such as the fan. An acoustic barrier blanket can reduce air conditioner noise by as much as 50 percent. As an added bonus, the blanket will act as insulator. This will help the compressor maintain lower, more consistent temperatures, which can greatly increase the lifespan of the compressor and increase the unit’s energy efficiency.

2. Fence it in

Enclosing the unit in a sound-dampening fence – keeping in mind to allow at least three clear feet in all directions around the unit for proper ventilation and air flow – can dramatically reduce noise levels while also making the unit more visually appealing. There are a number of fencing materials available that are especially designed to dampen and contain noise, or you can try a simple wooden fence with overlapping boards to reflect and dampen the noise.

3. Install an acoustic enclosure or barrier

There a number of commercially available products specifically designed to enclose an air conditioning unit and contain the noise. One such product is Quite Fence. Quite Fence is a free-standing ready-made enclosure made of panels of special acoustic dampening materials – much like that used in recording studios – that fit around an air conditioning unit. Similar products are available from a number of other manufacturers.

4. Install acoustic panels

If your unit is near a hard surface, such a concrete wall, a nearby building or home, or a fence, the noise will seem much louder due to reflecting off the nearby surface. One way to control this is to install special acoustic panels to those surfaces. These panels act as buffers disrupting the reflected sound and absorbing much of it. The majority of these panels, such as those offered by Mayfair, can be easily cut and mounted by anyone with basic carpentry or handyman skills. These panels are 1-2″ thick, and are sold in 2′ x 4′ panels that can be easily cut or combined to fit any application.

If you can’t stand the noise anymore, then you should give us a call at 770-988-4822 or schedule an appointment online. Our expert repair technicians have the tools and resources to handle live electrical circuits, harmful chemicals, dangerous heights, extreme heat and replacement fan blades for air conditioners. Let us protect you from injury by handling the heat and dangers associated with AC repair. We look forward to providing you with the highest quality repair services at an affordable rate!