Hearing weird noises when your air conditioner is on? There's likely something wrong with your unit. If you don’t pay attention to it, it could lead to extensive—and expensive—issues eventually. We're going to help you find out what’s going on with your air conditioner and what you can do to correct it.
8 Common Air Conditioning Noises
- Gurgling - Gurgling normally indicates a complication with your refrigerant line. If you can't determine where the noise is emanating from, that's alright. An expert can help verify where this noise is occurring. You can learn more information on our gurgling noises guide.
- Crackling - Crackling could result from debris in the unit or aging ductwork. Debris in the outdoor unit will cause a noise outside your house. Aging ductwork can produce noise inside your house. Browse our crackling noise guide for more information.
- Hissing - Hissing can come from a damanged refrigerant line, an internal valve leak or the compressor. Check out our hissing noise guide for more on that.
- Buzzing - Buzzing is likely an electrical issue. Read our buzzing noise guide for additional information.
- Clicking - Clicking can mean you have a loose part or that the fan is misaligned. You can find more information in our clicking noise guide.
- Pulsating - Pulsating can be due to a loose part. Check out our pulsating noise guide for more information.
- Loud Noise - A clear noise from your outdoor unit can signal an issue with your compressor, damper, fan or air handler. Look at our loud noise guide for supplementary information.
- Humming - Humming can arise from fan motor issues or a broken relay switch. Head to our humming noise guide for more information.
You can find further information about frequent air conditioning problems on energy.gov
Should I keep using my system when it’s making a noise?
There are limited cases where you can continue to run your AC, but you do so at your own risk. It's difficult to answer this question without examining your system.
Usually, we recommend shutting off the unit off and contacting a professional.
When should I do something about the noise?
We recommend calling a professional as soon as you suspect there's a problem with your system. While AC repairs can be stressful and an unexpected expense, it's better to get problems fixed right away. Contacting a professional could help lower future expenses and keep your system running longer.
Not sure if your air conditioner is making any of these noises? Please fill out the form below for a free, in-home consultation.