A noisy A/C can ruin the peace and quiet in your Calgary home. But, the sound is often scarier than the underlying problem causing it. You can troubleshoot some noises on your own—take a look and see what some of the common noisy A/C problems are:
Your fan rattles and hums:
- Turn off your air conditioner at the thermostat and at the breaker box.
- Open up your air conditioner cabinet and locate the fan and check for debris around the fan blades.
- If you don’t see any debris, grab the fan and see if it’s loose. If so, tighten the screw that holds the fan on the hub.
- Finally, inspect the blades of the fan. It’s possible one is bent and hitting the inside of your A/C. They’re made out of thin sheet metal, so you can bend them back—if you’re not comfortable bending them, call a professional.
The blower motor hums or makes a grinding noise:
- A lack of lubrication may cause these sounds. Again, cut the power to your A/C and open it up.
- Look for two brightly colored caps on top of the motor and pry them out with a flat head screwdriver.
- Fill the ports with lubricating oil and replace the caps.
- You’ll need to work in tight spaces to do this. If you’re not comfortable, call a licensed technician.
Noisy A/C rattling sounds:
- Rattles are caused by loose screws in the sheet metal housings around your A/C. While the unit is running, examine the ductwork and panels around the unit for missing or loose screws and tighten them.
If the noise is coming from the condenser outside your home:
- After turning off the A/C, take a stiff brush or vacuum and clean the condenser fins. Be careful, don’t bend any of them.
- Then, remove the fan and clean it, along with the inside fins.
- Finish up by rinsing the whole condenser off with a garden hose, then put it back together.
If you still have a noisy A/C after trying to fix it yourself, call a professional at Arpi’s Industries in Calgary for help.
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