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Why is My Air Conditioner Making Noises?

Noises coming from your air conditioner should raise your awareness that something is not working properly. Ignore the noise, and you almost certainly drive up your repair costs or will need a premature AC replacement. However, if you act when you hear the noise and call for a repair technician as quickly as possible, you could avoid the high cost of a repair.

Buzzes and Hums

When you hear a buzzing or humming noise coming from your AC system, you know you likely have an electrical problem. This can be a problem with one of your fan motors, but it likely presents a problem with an electrical component in your condensing unit.

If the loud humming or buzzing noise is coming from outside, your capacitor is likely going bad. This component stores a high-voltage electrical charge to start your compressor when it cycles on.

A humming noise coming from inside your house or the condenser unit could signal a fan motor is going out. These fans are what draw air through the coils to allow them to transfer heat properly.

Rattles, Bangs, and Clangs

As your system ages, you are likely to hear some rattling sounds. This means that something is getting loose, and should be tightened down. Loose components will eventually add strain to your system or possibly break.

Bangs and clangs indicate something has already broken and is now bouncing around in your system. Left untended, this will cause additional damage, and lead to a shortened service life.

Hissing and Screaming

Hissing or screaming noises from your air conditioner likely signifies a refrigerant leak. This is very dangerous for your system and your health. Shut down your system immediately and call for a repair technician. If the sound emanates from inside your home, consider opening some windows to help vent out any refrigerant that may have leaked into your house.

Any odd sound from your air conditioner should prompt quick service to reduce damage to your system. People around Philadelphia have trusted Peters Associates for air conditioning repair since 1945. People have also trusted us with air conditioning installation and maintenance, heating installation, maintenance, and repair, along with water heater and indoor air quality services. Call to schedule your air conditioning repair with one of our technicians today.