What You Can Do When Your A/C is Making Strange Noises

When you visit the doctor’s office, the first thing the doctor does after listening to your body. It’s telling you things about what might be wrong.  Your air condition talks to you when things are beginning to break, and we’ll try to help you understand what is going wrong, and what you can do.

Normal Sounds Made By My Air Conditioner

All air conditioners make various types of noises – and at various sound levels.  It’s important to familiarize yourself with those normal sounds.  When the air conditioner turns on, you’ll generally hear the blower fan within the air handler (located in a closet, attic or garage) and the outdoor compressor unit.  The compressor unit consists of a large fan, which circulates air over the coils to remove heat, the compressor unit and its heavy duty motor, and a variety of electrical components.

When cold air is called for, the blower fan will turn on, as well as the exterior fan and compressor unit.  Often, the compressor motor will sound a bit louder on startup, and then mellow out in tone.  More modern units may even cut the compressor unit speed to half speed, which will make it quieter.

Troubling Sounds Your Air Conditioner May Make:

Your A/C Makes Clanking, Rattling, or other “Metallic” Sounds

Fixing a clanking, rattling, or metallic sound could be as easy as tightening several screws or bolts, or replacing a piece of hardware.  Excessive vibration may be caused from a fan blade that has been damaged and out of balance, or a bearing that is wearing out.  Generally, metallic sounds are the cheapest and easiest problems to solve – however, it can result in more serious problems in the future if gone unchecked.

The A/C is Making a Buzzing Sound

Buzzing sounds generally indicate that there is a problem with an electrical component on your air conditioning unit.  Electrical shorts in the compressor can create a buzzing or popping, which, if left unattended, can be a serious fire danger.

Another common buzzing problem is found in the outside A/C compressor unit’s “Electrical Relay”, sometimes referred to as the “Contactor Relay”.  Over time, the contact points can become burned, causing a poor electrical connection which causes the unit to vibrate at high speed, and thus the buzzing sound.  Over time, the relay will fail, and cause the unit not to get the power it needs, as shown in the video below.

The Copper Tubing Makes Bubbling, Gurgling, or Hissing Sounds

More often than not, bubbling, gurgling, or hissing sounds are caused by a refrigerant leak somewhere in the compressor. A leaking compressor means your air conditioning isn’t getting as cold as it should, and less refrigerant not only makes you overwork the unit to cool a room (which leads to a higher energy bill), but also is toxic to the environment. If you hear any of these noises, call an A/C repairman to take a look immediately.

The Exterior Air Conditioning Unit is Making a Clicking Sound

If your A/C unit is not functioning properly, and you hear a rapid and repeating clicking sound, then you may have a faulty relay or control unit in the compressor. Your system will not work correctly until it is fixed.

The Air Handler in the Closet or Garage is Making a Loud Screeching Noise

While more common in older air conditioning systems, particularly in the air handler, a loud screeching sound is often associated with a loose and slipping fan belt.  This is easily corrected by either tightening up the fan belt, or replacing the fan belt completely.  Newer systems have done away with fan belt drives completely as newer fan units are connected directly to the fan itself.

If your air conditioner is making one of these sounds, we urge you to contact an authorized  Palm Beach County Air Conditioning Repairman.  It may be a cheap and simple fix, but if left undiagnosed, there can be more costly repairs down the road.

Jeff Berkun - Owner, Berkun Air

Founded in 1992, Jeff Berkun has run his  business based on providing customers with outstanding service and expert advise.  Berkun Air of West Palm Beach, FL is one of the few air conditioning companies to be awarded an A+ Rating from the Palm Beach County Consumer Affairs Division.  Check us on Angie’s List.  We’re rated very highly.