When you have to speak louder in your home to be heard over the hum of your AC, your AC is making a lot of noise. Same way, if your sleep is disturbed by the noise emanating from the air conditioner, you have to do something to bring it down to tolerable levels. Arguably cooling your home should never be at the expense of peace and quiet. For a harmonious living, both are equally important. Thanks to modern technology, the newer models of air conditioners are quieter and more energy-efficient. But that does not mean you have to chuck your old AC and buy a new one. There is so much you can do to keep the noise levels down even with an older air conditioner model. Here are 5 ways in which you can reduce the AC noise and make it quieter.
5 Ways To Reduce AC Noise
Before starting, it is imperative to know that all ACs make some noise. It is usually a very low decibel sound, so low that most of the time, you won’t even notice it. Here, when we talk about making AC quieter, we are talking about sounds that are louder than that gentle hum, which the AC makes.
1. Maintenance Is The Key – Time, and again homeowners are reminded to take care of their AC through regular and periodic maintenance. Yet, most people think of it as a wasteful activity that serves no purpose and costs a pretty penny. The truth is that during the course of maintenance, most things that can produce extra noise are taken care of. You don’t even realize, and the problem is solved even before it becomes a full-fledged headache. Maintenance prevents most issues that could affect your AC. If you wait for the problem to rear its ugly head before addressing it, you may land up spending more than what you save avoiding maintenance. All in all, think of maintenance as a key to prevent problems from occurring. One of these problems could actually be a noisy AC.
2. Choose A Relatively Silent AC Model – Some of you already have air conditioners at home. So until you are planning to replace your older model, you can’t make an old but loud AC quiet. Your best option is to start on the right foot and purchase a new AC that makes the least possible sound during operation. When buying a new AC, pay special attention to its size. If you land up buying an oversized AC, it will frequently switch on and off, and every time it runs, it will do so on full speed. The difference in sound when it cycles on at full blast and switches off can become extremely distracting, especially when everything else is calm and quiet.
3. Choose Location With Care – When installing your central air conditioner, choose its location only after due consideration. Ideally, you should install your AC away from the rooms that you frequently use, for example, bedroom and living room. This will limit the amount of noise getting through. The greater the distance, the lesser the noise. Secondly, ducts should not open into narrow corridors. It is because the sound that travels down the ducts will resonate in the small space and become louder. Similarly, do not install the unit in corners with multiple surfaces. These surfaces will reflect the sound and amplify it. Also, try to install it away from doors and windows. This small care will prevent your AC from cycling on and off frequently, thereby reducing noisy interruptions.
4. Use Noise Barriers – Have you ever felt that the noise level in an area full of plants and vegetation is relatively low as compared to one which is sparsely green? It is because plants act as a natural noise barrier. You can place beautiful ornamental and aesthetically pleasing plants inside your home for the same outcome. This doesn’t mean you have to make your home a green potted jungle. A few plants strategically placed will render the same service. Wood is also known to absorb sound. You can build a suitable tall wooden fence around the AC unit to reduce sound. There are two key elements in reducing the sound level. First, the sound barrier should be as tall as the AC unit. Second, it needs to be placed strategically placed. If care is not taken while placing the sound barrier, it may land up amplifying the sound.
5. Install A Sound Blanket – Also known as sound curtains, the sound blankets are used to absorb the sound or noise produced from a piece of outdoor machinery or AC equipment. Usually, it is made up of fiberglass with a vinyl facing. These blankets are wrapped around the machinery to keep the noise level low. A sound blanket can be installed around the air conditioner’s compressor. The good thing is that it leads to effective noise reduction without compromising the efficiency of the AC and that too at a suitable price.
Noise Troubleshooting In AC
The sound coming from AC should be a bearable hum. If until now your AC was relatively quiet but has now suddenly started being loud, it means there is something wrong. Anything louder is an indication of a problem in the machinery. At such times, the above ways to reduce AC noise will not be effective. Until and unless the issue is appropriately addressed, the noise is there to stay. It may even increase further. To prevent that from happening, call a qualified AC technician to have a look and rectify the occurrence. Once the problem is solved, you can apply the above methods for further noise reduction.
Conclusion
Modern air conditioners are made to operate almost silently. If you have an old AC, it would be better to replace it instead of applying noise reduction tactics. If your AC is new, it should not produce much sound until there is something wrong with the machinery, or it is installed incorrectly. Both of these things are not in your control. All you can do at your end is buy an AC of a trusted brand and get it installed by qualified technicians only. If you still face any problem, feel free to contact the elite professional team of Aztil AC.
