Loud, Annoying Ac?

If your air conditioner is loud - rattling or sending improper air flow to your home - your living space is not comfortable. Loud air conditioning may cause your summer to be less than bearable, but how to fix the problem?

First of all, there are several reasons why your air conditioning may be loud. Look into the options and see why your air system is disturbing you, and then we can start looking for the solution.

Possible Causes for loud or disproportionate air flow:

• Loose duct work joints. If you can hear the air seeping out (like letting air out of a balloon) or other rattling noises in only a specific area of the house, or if there is no air to one bedroom or a similar circumstance, your problem may be that a joint in the duct work has come loose and simply needs to be reattached. This should not be done with duct tape or some other temporary fix. Have your licensed contractor decide on replacing the duct-joint or ensuring a seal. This will allow air to flow more freely throughout the house and cut down on noise and rattling.
• Improperly installed duct work.If the noises in the duct work or air shortages cannot be tracked to one area of the house, it may be that your duct work was not installed properly. This may mean that the lines of the duct work are not 'straight' enough, or that the diameter should have been larger, or even that most connections were not sealed correctly. There are many different problems that can result from improper duct work installation, and the symptoms above are only a few problems. If you think you may be having problems with the duct work, it is a good idea to call in your HVAC professional, or seek advice from another licensed contractor to resolve this problem. If duct work is installed with any of the above mentioned problems, there may be extra vibrations throughout the system, which can be expressed in loud air flow. The best thing to do is have a professional examine your ducts.
• Something has become lodged in your duct work. If you have had recent work on your home, let's say roofers or a pest control issue (something where the contractor may have ventured onto the roof or into the attic), it is possible that the contractor moved something, or lost something down a duct...or tripped and dislocated a duct joint - practically anything can happen. So, if it was working, then work was done, and it is now not working, it is very important to call your HVAC technician. If something is lodged in the ducts, it will make noise until it is removed, or gets caught somewhere else. These things can do very little damage, or substantial damage. So make sure to get this one fixed as soon as possible to mitigate the costs of repair.
• Equipment is improperly installed. If your equipment was not installed properly, if the units are not level or specific installation instructions weren't adhered to, your unit may be overly loud. Most air conditioning (outside, condensing units) can be installed with a "vibration pad" which prevents the condensing unit from rocking and creating excess noise. The same goes for the heating unit. If something has become loose, or the unit was installed at a strange angle etc. It too will vibrate and those 'shakings' will go throughout the air channels and cause extra noise.
• Your unit is too old. If your unit is more than 10 years old, it is likely that there was no sound reduction technology in place on your unit and upgrading to a new unit could drastically reduce the sounds the system makes. Many units are now running at the decibels of a dishwasher. There are also sound reduction jackets and fan motors to ensure that your neighbors don't wake up every time your unit decides to "kick-on." It might be time to look into a new unit for a less-noisy experience.

To find out what more you can do to solve your loud HVAC needs, contact your contractor and discuss noise-reduction techniques with a professional.