Noticeably Noisier: Why Is Your Air Conditioner Getting Louder?
You want to be able to feel the effects of your air conditioner. You don't particularly want to hear it as it produces these effects. Some units are louder than others, but when your air conditioner is noticeably noisier than it used to be, you'll need to listen to this warning. What does this escalating noise level mean for your air conditioner?
The Unit's Fans
Your unit uses a number of fans in order to deliver cooled air into your home. There's a fan that takes warm air from inside your home and directs it over the unit's evaporator coil to create a cooling effect. There's another fan in proximity to the condenser coil which moves hot air from inside your home to be released outside. The number, size, and configuration of the unit's fans depend on the exact make and model of your air conditioner.
As these fans rotate at high speeds they produce a whirring or humming noise. This isn't intrusive and is generally considered to be the standard operating noise of your unit. When the unit's operation becomes noisier, the issue can often be traced to one (or more) of the unit's fans.
The fans inside an air conditioner are the unit's primary moving parts, and as such, are more prone to wear and tear. The fan's bearings may be deteriorating and in need of replacement. Depending on the type of fan motor in your unit, the bearings can be located between the motor housing and the unit's armature. The bearings allow high-speed rotation without causing friction, and as they deteriorate, friction in the fan motor increases. This friction can be the cause of the noise.
Alternatively, the belts that spin the unit's fan may be worn. Instead of allowing a seamless rotation, the worn belts can also create friction, which creates noise. It could also be that the belts, bearings, or any other moving part of the fan have become clogged with dust and other debris, but this is only likely to occur if the unit hasn't been used for an extended period of time.
Because the unit's internal components must be accessed, assessed, and probably replaced, an increasingly noisy air conditioner unit isn't something you can handle yourself. It's necessary to contact a qualified contractor who provides air conditioning repair services.
A noisy air conditioner is only going to get noisier, and you risk serious damage to your unit if you allow the problem to worsen.
Contact a local air conditioning repair service to learn more.