Asked on Jun 20, 2013

Loud Air Conditioner Unit Disturbing the Peace of My Patio

Ruth LaMarr
by Ruth LaMarr
I'm trying to find an effective but inexpensive solution to baffling the noise from our air conditioner unit so that we can enjoy the patio in peace. Does anyone have suggestions, please.
  13 answers
  • A small four foot high fence will do the trick. Just keep it a few feet away from the unit and place it between the patio and the ac unit. Also planting shrubs around will lower the noise level. Ideally you should consider in the future to purchase a higher efficiency unit. They are made now so you can hardly hear them.
  • The noise can signal a problem with your AC system such as a condenser fan motor going bad or a compressor low on oil. Instead of hiding the noise I recommend calling a HVAC Pro and have them look into the problem.
  • Miles Enterprises Inc. Miles Enterprises Inc. on Jun 21, 2013
    CALL IN A PRO MAYBE THE CONDERSER CAN BE RELOCATED.
  • A1tec service A1tec service on Jun 21, 2013
    it depen on the age of the unit. .if unit five year older and back they are louder than the ones that are being sold today the only way is moving it .putting up a fence is waste of money and time and you will still have the noise in your ear and drinking crown royal & coke
  • Ruth LaMarr Ruth LaMarr on Jun 21, 2013
    My A/C Pro is supposed to come and work on some other issues in the house and when he gets here, I'll get him to check it out. My Dad owns the home and I know he's discussed replacing the unit before. This unit is older than 16 years, as it was here when my parents bought the home.
  • Ruth LaMarr Ruth LaMarr on Jun 21, 2013
    Thank you for your suggestions.
  • Age related noise. New units are very quite. But your AC guy/girl should be able to help you out with some solutions. It is really their decision on why the unit is noisy, but I would bet its kinda small, which requires the fan in the unit to run faster. Plus older fan blades were not designed to run silent. While the new ones have computer designed fan blades that move air without making any real noise at the same time.
    • Jay Taylor Jay Taylor on Aug 06, 2014
      @Woodbridge Environmental Tiptophouse.com Those who are aggravated from AC noise canreduce with the help of AC repair specialists. I do agree with you that thebest way to improve this situation is to get a new unit. The fans on new unitsare much quieter and are designed to be more energy efficient. You may savemoney on your electric bill by getting a new unit altogether which will giveyou an amazing performance.
  • Woodbridge, the condenser fan RPMs haven't changed if at all in 20 years, this I know with 27 years in the field. And most technicians know and understand the real noise comes from noisy valves in the compressor and she has a reciprocating compressor not a scroll. Noisy valves is very likely here due to a lack of oil circulation or simply worn out and old. We do air conditioning here 8 months out of the year in 100F temps and have seen and heard this scenario before.
  • A1tec service A1tec service on Jun 22, 2013
    woodbridge were did you learn a/c at sear robuck i been i this busneiss for 40 year just as a/c were start to be put in people home . the fan blade are the same as 40 years ago the only thing as change is compressor and putting cover over compressor to cut down on the noise and having a twospeed compressor and a larger coil
  • Been in the AC business for over 40 years myself. Both in engineering and in installation as well at the instructional side. Your entitled to your opinion, however you need to do some research. The fan designs of the blades are totally different from just a few years ago. Both on an efficiency standpoint and on the ability to move air. They may look the same to you, but there not. Coil size and compressor covers do fall into a more quite unit, but so does the fan, it was done to reduce the air friction so lower HP motors could be used to push the same amount of air. And I am not in disagreement that the old recip units are noisy by their very design. But the poster wanted a way to reduce the noise and installing a fence will do just that.
  • Ruth LaMarr Ruth LaMarr on Jun 24, 2013
    Thank you for all the helpful suggestions...we did find out the problem...my grandson leaned on the unit and the awful noise quieted down...when my daughter and I checked it, the housing was missing some screws...sounds like a simple fix but I'm still calling my A/C guy in, just to be sure.
  • Mike Lee Mike Lee on Jul 08, 2013
    If it 16 years old time for new coil & outdoor unit , which will lower your energy cost per-mouth by about 25-30%..So, pay high electric bills or invest in efficient unit. They are much quieter now also.Carrier,Trane,Lennox are some better brands, but if you find a quality HVAC contractor any brand can lower your cost of operation.Installation of equipment and design is key to long life of your next system.
  • John White John White on May 16, 2018

    If your air conditioner unit making loud noise and disturbing a lot. Then it might happen due to several reasons. To get rid of the noisy ac unit sounds you should follow the given steps ;


    • You should locate your ac equipment as far as possible from office, home, and dining rooms.
    • Try to create a buffer zones between the noisy equipment and the are you want to stay quiet.
    • Design a smooth and clear duct ways so that the air can travel smoothly.
    • Use duct air returns instead of air return louvers.


    If you still facing the existing problem then you should contact ac repair services near you to resolve this issue soon.