Over the years, air conditioners have become increasingly more popular. Almost every household has an air conditioner. Air Conditioners provide you with the cool, calming air you seek so desperately.
Nowadays the most popular type of air conditioner is the window Air-Conditioner. Window air conditioners are the simplest types of air conditioners. They are small, inexpensive, and easy to use.
Even though there are many pros when it comes to window air conditioners, there’s also a massive con. Sometimes window air conditioners make a loud humming noise.
You asked, “why is my window air conditioner making a loud humming noise?” so in this article, we are going to discuss it, and your queries are going to be answered.
Why Is My Window Air Conditioner Making A Loud Humming Noise?
Sometimes window air conditioners make a humming noise. The humming noise isn’t something to get terrified of. The humming sound signals that there’s something wrong inside your air conditioner.
Sometimes there are loose parts; these loose parts and refrigerant piping can cause vibration. If left unchecked, it can cause a more serious maintenance issue. The humming or buzzing noises point to electrical problems.
Here are two YouTube videos explaining “Why Is My Window Air Conditioner Making A Loud Humming Noise?”. Hopefully, after watching these videos and reading this article, all of your questions and queries are going to be answered.
Reasons To Why Window Air Conditioners Might Be Making Loud Noises.
If anyone has ever been dependent on a window air conditioning unit to cool their home, they are incredibly familiar with the noise the air conditioning unit can produce.
However, if the window air conditioning unit is louder than usual or making an unusual noise, there may be a reason to be concerned.
Here are a few reasons why window Air-Conditioners might be making loud noises:
- The most common reason behind window air conditioners making loud noise is improper installation. Window air conditioning units need to be installed using foam strips placed in proper locations to lessen vibration noises from being transferred to the window and walls.
Also, extra insulation will reduce the noise and keep the warm air out and cool air in.
- Old Window Frames often are often the reason behind vibration noises associated with noisy window air conditioning units. Changing window frames can lessen the noise without any hassle.
- High-Output Window Air Conditioning units have incredibly powerful fans that gush out many cubic feet of air per minute. Periodic buzzing sounds come from the compressor cycling on and off.
When the noise sounds like fan blades hitting something hard, it’s precisely like that. It can be debris, insects, rodents, or an internal part failure that is causing the blower wheel to hit something. Immediately shut off and unplug window Air conditioner units that begin to make sudden unknown noises.
These are the reasons behind window air conditioners might be making loud noises.
Read more: What Does The Dry Setting On An Air Conditioner Do?
Types Of Window Air Conditioner Noise
There are different types of window air conditioner noise. We categorize it because it’s easier to diagnose the problem by noise. So here are six types of window air conditioner noise:
- Pulsating Sounds: When you hear pulsating sound coming from your window air conditioner, it is worth noting. You should try to discover if there’s a high rhythmic sound / low sound / high sound / low sound noise. There’s also a chance that your Air conditioner might even sound like a helicopter because of this Pulsating sound.
- Buzzing Noise: Sometimes, you might hear buzzing sounds coming from your window air conditioners. This buzzing sound is very hard to pinpoint.
- Rattling Noise: detached panels cause a rattling noise. If you can hear a rattling sound coming from your window air conditioner, you don’t have much to worry about. It’s nothing too serious if you hear rattling sounds coming from your window air conditioner.
- Whistling Noise: If there’s a high-pitched whistling noise coming from your window air conditioner, the problem is not something you have to worry about too much.
- Clunk Noise: if you can hear a clunk sound coming from your window air conditioner, it usually means one of the parts is broken.
These six types of window air conditioner noise given above can point to different problems. Each of these problems can be identified if you listen to the noise with a ton of attention. Sometimes, they are so loud that you notice them instantly.
How To Fix Different Types Of Noises Coming From Window Air Conditioner?
Till now we’ve talked about different types of noises that might come from an air conditioner. Now, we’re going to discuss how you can approach fixing those problems.
Pulsating Noise
To get rid of the pulsating sounds, You have to stop the window Air-Conditioner compressor vibrations, which means that it has to get fixed where it’s situated.
You need to examine the platform of the window Air conditioner and check if the compressor is on.
Plastic platforms can break, and the window Air Conditioner compressor starts making pulsating sounds. If you replace the plastic platform with a wooden platform or a rubber platform to lessen the vibrations, it will eliminate the pulsing noise.
You can also ensure additional support that will stop the window Air-Conditioner compressor from shaking. Most of the time, there are tiny rubber isolation feet that are used to lessen the vibrations and suppress the pulsating noise.
Buzzing Noise (Compressor Problems)
- Window air conditioner compressor making a buzzing noise: if the contractor or the contractor switch doesn’t work correctly, the window air conditioner compressor won’t be appropriately powered. The compressor will start every few minutes if the contractor faces an electric jump.
- If the isolating legs that hold the window Air Conditioner compressor in place are damaged in any way, the compressor will be the leading cause of the buzzing sound.
- If there’s a refrigerant/ freon gas leaking from the copper refrigerant lines, the whole window air conditioner unit is going to freeze up, which will cause a whole lot of problems, including a buzzing sound. If you want to put more refrigerant into the window air conditioning unit, you have to close the leak first.
- A capacitor brings power to the fan of a window air conditioner. However, if you own a bad capacitor, the power delivery won’t be frequent as it needs to be. Occasionally the capacitor will send a power surge to the fan, which will create a typical window Air conditioner buzzing sound in the indoor unit.
- If your fan blades are out of balance, it might cause the compressor of your window air conditioner to make a buzzing noise.
These are compressor problems. The best way to get rid of the buzzing sound created by compressor problems is to change the compressor or the contractor, and if a freon leak is causing the problem, you can seal the leak and then get a freon refill.
Rattling Noise
There are four main reasons why there’s a rattling sound coming from within your window air conditioner. They are stated below:
- Broken or loose panel door: broken or loose panel doors are often the main reason behind the rattling noise coming from inside your air conditioner. The panel or cabinet door is covered by a thin metal foil. This foil bangs against the rest of the air conditioner if it doesn’t get screwed incorrectly.
So, in order to fix this problem, All you have to do is screw the panel and secure it properly with precision. The rattling noise usually starts bothering us when there’s a screw loose screw.
- If there’s debris stuck on the filter of your window air conditioner, the air conditioner starts making that rattling noise. To fix the rattling noise, all you have to do is open the panels and remove all the debris you can find; then, you can rerun the window Air conditioner and check and see if that got rid of the rattling noise.
- Another reason behind window air conditioners making rattling noise is if the panel fan isn’t aligned correctly. When the panels are not secured completely, the extra shaking will cause these panels to create an unnecessary rattling noise.
- A damaged motor is one of the main reasons behind the rattling noise coming from your window air conditioner. Air Conditioners use engines to set the fan in motion and provide power to the compressor.
If the motors are damaged, you will hear a rattling noise coming from your window air conditioning unit. You have to be cautious if a damaged motor is the case because using a busted motor will damage your whole Air Conditioning unit. The best solution is if you replace the faulty engine. This way, the rattling noise will go away as well.
These rattling noises can be fixed by just screwing the screws a bit tighter than usual. However, you have to be extra cautious if you are dealing with a damaged motor. You have to replace it as soon as you can.
Whistling Noise
The whistling noise coming from your window air conditioner is mainly because of high air pressure on your window air conditioner. The best way to fix this issue is by following the steps given below:
By cleaning or replacing the filters of your window air conditioner, you can quickly get rid of the whistling noise coming from your window air conditioner.
If the dust is removed from the filters or if the filters on your air conditioner are replaced completely, the airflow will increase a lot. If the air pressure inside the Air conditioner normalizes, you will have effectively eliminated the whistling sound coming from the air vents.
Clunking Noise
If there’s a clunking noise coming from your window air conditioner, then the chances are something inside your air conditioner is broken or something has come loose. The suspected Broken parts might include a failing motor, a damaged indoor fan, or, if you are having an awful day, it will be the compressor itself.
To fix an Air Conditioner clunk noise, you need to open the panel and check all of the parts inside the air conditioner. It will be tough to look at your details as a compressor and diagnose if it’s malfunctioning. Even experienced HVAC technicians use gauges, airflow meters, voltage meters, and so on to check if an Air conditioner part is working correctly.
Read more: What Is The Biggest Air Conditioner? Answer Of 7 Common Questions!
Signs Of A Bad Compressor
A lousy compressor has many signs giving you hints that it’s going bad. Sometimes you won’t be able to ignore these hints; however, you won’t notice them at all at other times. So, here are a few signs that will help you understand that your compressor is going bad:
- Your air conditioner will blow warm air. If the compressor is bad, your air conditioner will not blow cool air.
- You will hear deafening noises when your compressor is running.
- If your air conditioner’s compressor clutch refuses to move, it is a sign of a bad compressor.
- The airflow has gone down.
- If there’s something wrong with your air conditioner compressor, the freon gas starts leaking.
- If there’s something wrong with your air conditioner compressor, the circuit breaker trips often.
- The unit starts vibrating whenever it starts up.
These three signs indicate that you have a bad compressor. Whenever you face these three signs, it’s best to contact an HVAC technician and get your air conditioner’s compressor replaced or fixed.
Conclusion
Your question, “Why Is My Window Air Conditioner Making A Loud Humming Noise?” has been answered. Every other question you might have that relates to the topic has been answered.
However, to make things more straightforward for you, this article has a youtube video that can help you understand how to deal with everything. By watching that YouTube video, you will realize a lot more about window air conditioners and why they make noises. The best way to approach this problem is by finding more information about it and getting a professional technician to help you.
