Every person is familiar with the various noises his home or office building makes, such as creaking stairs, the rumbling of a hot water heater as it refills or even animals that love to scurry across the roof at night. While you are accustomed to the normal sounds that your AC makes, when it begins to make more unfamiliar noises, you may wonder whether it is time to call for repair or maintenance service.

Troubleshooting a noisy air conditioner is typically a job best left to the experts, such as the talented professionals at David Gray Heating & Air. Our technicians are well qualified to assess the situation of any heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) system in a home or commercial establishment. They have the knowledge that comes from years of experience to assist you with problems that have led to a noisy air conditioner.

Getting Started

Initially, you may simply describe the types of noises your air conditioner is making to an expert HVAC technician over the phone to begin troubleshooting the problem. Be sure to mention whether your AC system is also experiencing strange vibrations or emitting smells that you know are unusual. The more information you can give the technician, the better he or she will be able to help assess the situation.

To begin troubleshooting, you turn the air conditioner on and then listen to it for a while. When you hear a swooshing sound, it is simply caused by refrigerant as it flows through the AC system, and this is no cause for concern.

As you continue listening to the unit over the next few minutes, you may hear the sound level increase a bit. This is also normal, as it is just the sound of the compressor beginning to start up.

The sound of water flowing is also nothing for you to be concerned about, as it is just the air conditioner causing water to evaporate after condensation.

If the noises you are accustomed to hearing have recently grown louder, it is possible that the HVAC system has experienced some wear. Or, it might simply mean that you need to have the system cleaned. When sounds are uneven rather than steady, it's probably best to call and HVAC technician to take a look at your unit.

Debris from Outside

In many cases, the unusual noises you hear could be caused by something as simple as debris, such as leaves and twigs that need to be removed from the condensing unit located outside your building.

An item stuck inside your AC unit, whether because it was blown in during heavy wind or shoved inside by a curious child, can hit the rotating blades and make a strange sound. If this is the case, you can avoid the problem from occurring again in the future by maintaining your yard and keeping it free of weeds and other materials, as well as encouraging your children to play with toys rather than the air conditioning equipment.

At David Gray Heating & Air, we are devoted to providing excellent customer service to our customers throughout the greater Jacksonville area. If your AC system has started to make mysterious noises, we encourage you to contact us as soon as possible so we can answer your questions and set up an appointment to come and evaluate your situation as soon as possible.

During the hot days of summer, it's especially important to make sure that your HVAC system is running at peak efficiency. If it's been a while since your last maintenance call, you have another reason to call us for service and remember, the best way to avoid problems like this is to schedule preventative maintenance regularly.