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The swept blade has been used on that unit since 2005. What geographical location are you in? If it is a cold climate where you get snow or the chance of the water refreezing after defrost, then you would need pump ups to prevent damage to the coil.Originally Posted by clydesdale
Regular Guest
Ok, I am in the northeast, I get snow and ice. Are the pump-ups vibration isolators as well, or are they made of hard plastic? What about having the unit just placed on rubber isolators, Trane part number BAYISLT101? I imagine that would lift it off a little. The unit is not that loud outside next to it, but one story up and inside, it is annoying.
Professional Member*
Looking at the installation I would level the pad on the ground and put the supports between the pad and unit with rubber isolators.
Second if it is resonating in the wall you need to have the lines lines moved so they are not tight against the any part of the wall structure. They need to float free so they don't carry sound, the wall acts as a sound board which amplifies the sound. I am not saying the lines need to be taken out and moved although that may be the final solution. Usually moving the lines so there is not pressure against the structure is enough. It's just a matter of finding the magic spot and making an adjustment.
Regular Guest
Do they need to evacuate the system and disconnect it in order to lower it down and put it on isolators?
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Depending on your exact location and the code that is adopted when installed will determine what should be done. Elevating the pad above grade as you have it is in 2009 cycle but your jurisdiction may be on 2006 still. The pump up legs would go on top of the pad to separate the bottom of the unit from the pad to create a distance to let the water drain during defrost and snow accumulation.
Regular Guest
Do the pump up legs work as well as the rubber isolators to dampen sound? Almost none of the 306 units in my complex have pump up legs. I see a few have them and some others are on short rubber discs. I would say 80-90% are just flat on the pad. Mine was flat on the pad for 13 years, but it did not make ANY noise in the house. I had to open the window to confirm it was on.
Do they need to disconnect the unit to make any of these adjustments?
Regular Guest
OK, the tech came out and is going to put the condenser on isolators. I would like to run something by you guys. He states that the Trane heat pumps heat better and run at higher pressures and that the trade off is that I may just hear the compressor pumping through the lineset. He also thought that having the lineset secured to a stud in the wall could cause the problems. I thought have the lineset unsecure could cause these resonance issues. Comments?
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Is surging sound in the lineset normal and what are my chances that this will be dampened with isolators? I am not feeling too optimistic since most of the units in my development are mounted directly on pads, not pump ups or isolators.
Professional Member*
My experience with resonance has been that it is worse in heating than cooling.
I had a new house that I told the HO to leave the holes open around where the lines went to the upstairs through the top and bottom plates in the wall. he went around and sealed all the holes for plumbing and electrical with expandafoam, including the hole with the lines. NO problem all summer, switched to heating and the noise started in the wall. He removed as much foam as he could which helped but he couldn't get to all of it.
Vibration isolators in the lines don't seem to work {they are llike a braded hose soldered into the lines}. Something else to try is dampeners. Clamp a vise grip along the lines, you may have to try differents sizes. If you hit the right size at the right spot it can absorb the viration. It's a hit or miss, trial & error thing, and you may never find the right combo.
As far as the other units at the complex, as I understand harmonics it comed down to "tuning" the lines. Vibrations carry at certain frequencies. If the line size, length & mounting match the frequency put out by the compressor or unit, you get noise. So the answer is to de-tune the line set. It works similar to tuning an arrow to the bow to get it to fly true.
Hope this helps.
Regular Guest
The isolators that they are going to put on go under the HP it self. I am hoping that it will absorb some of the resonance, but not sure. Do you think that that may help at all? I do not hear the resonance in the attic, and outside the lines don't seem to vibrate too much, but there is some. Are you suggesting that I use the visegrip outside and or upstairs in the attic?
I wanted the tech to shut the compressor off and just run the compressor fan, but he was not in the mood for that. That would atleast tell me if the fan was the problem and if I should try to move the unit further away.
This thing really annoys me. If they cannot figure it out, I think I may have to request a trane field rep. If they knew for sure it was the lineset, I would not be opposed to opening the wall and padding it, that is how much I hate it.
BTW, I thank everyone for their help. Please keep the ideas coming. I will try and do whatever you suggest. I cannot imagine that people are satisfied living with this drone.
Professional Member*
If you don't hear it outside the chance of it being fan related are slim.
As far s the visegrips go, you just have to put them on any where you can get them and try it, if it doesn't help you move them down the line just a little, a 1/2" or so.
Have you tried touching the wall where you hear it the most to feel for vibrations?
I had one the first year I was in business that carried a hum into the door post on the Master bedroom. When we finally tracked it down it was from the liquid line being pressed by a heavy electrical wire against the basement ceiling sheetrock. The sound carried through the framing to the door post 14' away.
Sound can be so fun.
Regular Guest
Yeah, I can see where it is a pain in the butt. The rubber isolators under the HP does not seem to have helped. I can hear and feel a very light vibration in the wall right where the lineset goes. The pulsing drone is loudest right there.
I am on the second floor of this condo. I imagine my HVAC lineset goes in my neighbors wall and then up through mine. I am afraid to ask what it sounds like down there, but I guess I have to ask.
I would consider removing some sheetrock to get to the line set if necessary. I also have an inspection camera that I think I may shove in the wall. The telephone line outlet is right there in the wall as well and maybe the lines are in that same pocket. I will have to seen where the stud is.
I am getting the impression that the lineset should NOT make contact with the framing and should be padded. I know in the attic, the line set is zip tied to the framing. The larger line has padding around it. But the smaller line, is the one with the pulsing and it is not covered.
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I assuem that the lines go up the outside wall. It is quite possible that the lines were loose when they were installed but when the wall was insulated the insulation pushed the lines tight to the stud, sheetrock, etc. That being said it may or may not be noisy in the lower appartment. It may be at a frequency that they may not hear easily. The place I reffered to earlier, it drove him nuts, she never really noticed it unless she really stopped to listen for it.
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