Are You Hearing A Strange Air Conditioner Noise?
There’s Trouble If Your Air Conditioner Compressor Makes Noises
Is your air conditioner creating weird noise? Are you beginning to notice unusual pings, bangs and buzzing noises coming from your air conditioning compressor outside your Tampa Bay area home? It may be time for an AC repair. A number of problems may be developing within your cooling system associated with these sounds. Here are some common AC compressor sounds and what they may mean:
- Banging, clanking, rattling: May mean a loose internal part like a piston pin or crankshaft – or perhaps a loose mount. The mount may simply need tightening. If the compressor with internal noise is a sealed unit, it may need replacing.
- Rumbling, ticking or clangs and clunks at startup: May mean loose hardware or could signal a more complicated system problem.
- Clicking: Can be caused by relays/controls switching on and off repeatedly in the compressor/condenser. This can mean a defective thermostat or control, which might eventually change to a buzzing noise.
- Bubbling, hissing: A short loud hissing sound could mean a major refrigerant leak, with refrigerant suddenly escaping into the outside air. This is harmful to the environment and deadly to your A/C system. Soft bubbling sounds within refrigerant piping (or visible bubbles seen through the sight glass if your unit has one), may mean a slow leak. Gas bubbles hiss when moving through the refrigerant line. Quiet hissing may also mean leaking internal valves.
- Screaming or loud hissing: May be due to dangerously high internal pressure. The compressor’s high-pressure sensor should shut the system down automatically, but if it keeps running, turn it off immediately for safety reasons.
For skilled cooling system diagnosis and repair, contact your local HVAC contractor. Do this sooner rather than later so you can end that annoying noise coming from your air conditioner, and protect your compressor and other equipment components from more severe damage. Don’t attempt to open the compressor yourself due to dangers of electrical shock or injury while moving parts such as the fan.
To learn more about mysterious noises coming from your A/C compressor, please contact us at Gulf Coast Air Systems. We serve the Brandon, Riverview, Valrico, Lithia, Plant City and Sun City Center areas. Visit us online or give us a call.