As the weather warms up through the spring, and with summer just over the horizon in June, you’ll begin to run your residential air conditioning system more and more often. It’s important to pay attention during this time to any warning signs that the AC isn’t performing as well as it should, or that it may need immediate repairs so that it won’t fail when temperatures rise even higher.
If you’ve noticed that your air conditioner has started to make a lot more noise than usual—rattling, clanging, grinding, etc.—to the point that it is disrupting your usually peaceful home environment, you should call for HVAC technicians to investigate it. Below are some of the reasons you may have a noise-polluting AC:
- Loose bolts and other parts: An air conditioner is bolted into place so that it won’t move around much as the fans and motors operate. But bolts and other components, such as fan belts and fan blades, can come loose and start making rattling and banging sounds. This needs to be reapired soon, otherwise the shaking of the system will lead to more serious damage.
- Motors are wearing down: The bearings in motors will start to give off shrieking sounds as they wear down, and they’ll need to be replaced before the motor itself sustains damage. Grinding sounds usually mean that the motors’ mechanical parts are suffering from excess wear due to dust and a lack of lubrication. Professionals will need to clean and lubricate the motors before they burn out.
- Age: If your air conditioner is making loud noises all the time that it runs, the problem may be that the system is simply too old to keep working its best: the stress on the components has caught up with it. If you AC is more than 15 or 20 years old, a rise in the noise coming from it usually means it needs a replacement. Ask your HVAC professional for advice on the best course forward.
