Air Conditioner Noises that Should Raise Red Flags

Hey You, What’s that Sound?

Ahhh, the soothing sounds of your AC. It keeps you cool at night and the sound of it blowing cold air on you probably helps you sleep better too. That is until it starts making noises. Strange noises. LOUD NOISES! And that’s when you know there’s a problem.

It must be nice when you’re dreaming of unicorns and gummy bears and cotton candy clouds and drooling on your pillow when the AC is functioning properly. But when those odd air conditioner noises hit, your sweet dreams and your heavenly sleep can become a nightmare! Unusual air conditioner noises usually mean there’s a problem. Pretty much any strange sounds coming from your AC should alarm you. And while you might be tempted to block it out with ear plugs, ignoring persistent air conditioner noises could lead to some serious damage to your system if not addressed quickly.

Here are some air conditioning noises to look out for that should raise some red flags:

Buzzing

If your air conditioner is humming a bit, you probably have nothing to worry about. A little humming from an air conditioner is mostly a normal thing. If that humming turns into a loud buzzing noise, however, then Houston you have a problem! A loud buzzing is an indication of motor problems or other issues like loose parts, so don’t ignore it!

Clanking

“CLANK-CLANK-CLANK-CLANK-CLANK!” Try sleeping through that! If you hear a clanking or rattling noise coming from your AC, it could be something as simple as a loose bolt or screw. If the noise is coming from your outdoor condenser unit, it could be debris such as a twig or pebbles stuck in it. Before you “do-it-yourself” and try to find and fix the problem, make sure you turn your AC off first. However, if you can’t locate and remove the source of the rattling noise, you may be looking at something more than a loose screw. If the source of the clanking or rattling is due to a bad compressor, well then: you’re screwed! …

Not really. If you have a compressor problem, you call Super Heat & Air! Compressors are not cheap to fix, but we’ll take care of the problem for you and make sure you’re not paying more than you should!

Ok, now that we got our shameless plug out of the way, back to the noises:

Clicking

When you fire up the AC, it’s normal for it to click. But if you hear any other clicking aside from the one you usually hear when you turn your AC on, then something else should click: the realization that you may have an electrical problem! Clicking noises usually point to electrical problems such as bad circuits or wiring. So if you hear clicking coming from your AC unit, you should schedule an inspection immediately.

Grinding

Like buzzing, grinding can be an indication of loose parts or emerging motor problems. You don’t see nothing wrong with a little buzz and grind?Well, you should! Your AC is trying to tell you something and you need to listen to it!

Hissing

If you have a pet cat or snake or a child with a bad temper, that’s the only hissing you should be hearing at home. If the hissing noise is coming from your air conditioner, you likely have a ductwork problem. Hissing could be an indication of leaky ductwork, in which air or refrigerant can be escaping through your ducts. Leaky ducts can also expose you or your family to dangerous chemicals, so if you hear a hissing noise coming from your air conditioning unit, you need to call us!

Screeching, Squeaking or Squealing

“SQUEEEEEE!!!” Oh crap, if you hear a squealing noise and you don’t have a pet pig or a tea kettle and you’re not boiling a live lobster, you should be alarmed! If that ear-aching squealing noise is coming from your air conditioning unit, it usually means the fan belt needs to be readjusted. Blower motors will squeal when a belt or the bearings have gone bad.

A compressor will also screech if there’s high pressure building up in the system. Or maybe the squeaking or screeching means you have a possum or a screech owl dwelling in your ducts, but really it’s probably just the belt. It’s an easy fix that needs to be taken care of immediately. And if you somehow do happen to have a wild animal in your air ducts, don’t try to remove it yourself: call animal control!

When your air conditioner starts making strange noises, it’s trying to tell you something: listen to it! It’s telling you, “Hey, I need help. Call Super Heat & Air and schedule an inspection so that I may live!” …

Ok, that was a bit much, but you get the idea. If you hear strange air conditioner noises, give us a call 24/7 and we’ll check it out and fix it for you!