Hearing odd noises when your air conditioner is working? There's likely something wrong with your unit. If you don’t fix it, it could lead to major—and expensive—problems eventually. We're going to help you find out what’s occurring with your air conditioner and what you can do to change it.
8 Common Air Conditioning Noises
- Gurgling - Gurgling usually indicates a complication with your refrigerant line. If you can't determine where the noise is coming from, that's alright. An expert can help determine where this noise is occurring. You can read more information on our gurgling noises guide.
- Crackling - Crackling could come from debris in the unit or aging ductwork. Debris in the outdoor unit will cause a noise outside your house. Mature ductwork can cause noise inside your house. Check out our crackling noise guide for more information.
- Hissing - Hissing can be created by a damanged refrigerant line, an internal valve leak or the compressor. Look through our hissing noise guide for more on that.
- Buzzing - Buzzing is no doubt an electrical issue. See our buzzing noise guide for further information.
- Clicking - Clicking can mean you have a loose part or that the fan is misaligned. You can see more information in our clicking noise guide.
- Pulsating - Pulsating can be caused by a loose part. Check out our pulsating noise guide for more information.
- Loud Noise - A loud noise from your external unit can indicate an issue with your compressor, damper, fan or air handler. Check out our loud noise guide for more information.
- Humming - Humming can arise from fan motor issues or a broken relay switch. Check out our humming noise guide for more information.
You can find further information about frequent air conditioning problems on energy.gov
Should I keep running my AC when it’s making a noise?
There are a few 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 inspecting your system.
Usually, we recommend turning the unit off and bringing in a professional.
When should I do something about the noise?
We recommend calling a professional as soon as you think there's something wrong with your system. While AC repairs can be stressful and an unexpected expense, it's smart to get problems corrected right away. Calling 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.