The best air conditioning units are the strong, silent types. The fewer air conditioner sounds you hear, the better -- aside from the standard sounds associated with start-up, air circulation and shutdown. If you're hearing any of the following sounds coming from your air conditioner, it's a good idea to cease using it and schedule a service visit.
What Do These Air Conditioner Sounds Mean?
- Screeches and squeals - These noises come from bad belts or friction within the blower motor that needs to be oiled. Fan belts are easy and inexpensive to replace, but a blower motor can be a costly repair.
- Rattles, thumps, clanks and bangs - These are usually caused by the blower assembly or the motor itself. These sounds often indicate that something has broken loose and is being shaken about. The sooner you take care of this, the better; continuing to use the air conditioner can cause the unit to fail.
- Thwapping - This sound, similar to a card stuck in a bicycle spoke, often indicates that something is stuck within the blower blades. This could be a child's toy, a twig, or any number of things. It may be easy to visually determine what the offending object may be and remove it. If not, contact an HVAC pro.
- Clicks - A click when the unit turns on or turns off is normal, but clicks while the unit is in operation may indicate a faulty relay within the control panel or compressor.
- Rattles - Rattles can come from faulty compressors, loose hardware or a motor that's starting to fail. If you hear a humming with the rattle, it's a sign the starting capacitor or motor is going bad. If you hear a screaming sound, it's mostly likely a compressor issue.
Strange air conditioner sounds are our specialty at Hartman Brothers. If the A/C unit in your New Haven home is making noises it shouldn't be, contact us to schedule an inspection by one of our HVAC experts.
Our goal is to help educate our customers in New Haven, Indiana and surrounding Fort Wayne area about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information about air conditioners and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.
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