ReplyWhat is the tonnage of the system? May be short on return air surface area.
Regular Guest
My A/C's air intake vent in the living room is really loud, so much so that it drowns out the TV with the volume way up. A tech came over today and lowered the fan speed but it didn't affect the noise. I also removed the grille which also did not lower the noise.
I'm looking for any ideas out there...I do not have the money or know how to re-route the ducts. The dimensions of the intake area are 18"Wx14"Hx15"Deep (the fan is right on the other side of the filter). Maybe I could try and build some dampeners on the inside?
Thanks
Chris
Professional Member*
What is the tonnage of the system? May be short on return air surface area.
Regular Guest
I think the tech said it was a 2ton...does that make sense? He essentially said the fan is too powerful for our little house.
Banned
Furnace or air handler?
Can you see the fan behind the filter from the grille??
Professional Member
Ok heres a stupid question but its gotta be asked....
Did the tech just turn down the fan speed or did he check and adjust the CFM?
If he just turned it down, then you run the risk of many many problems to come, especially if its down too far.
You need to call your tech back out. Just turnin down the speen is not the solution as it did not solve your problem. The tech needs to take the time and effort to set and adjust CFM, chech the refrigerant charge by Superheat and Sucooling, check static pressures, check the ductwork, fan blades, coil condition, etc.etc...
If I were you, I'd be on the phone with the contractor right now raising hell. They obviously didn't solve your problem. And I'm sure you paid a good amount to have less air????
If the system is oversized, then you need to make the plans to get it replaced. If the ductwork is too small and/or too short, you need to have that recitifed. Turning down blower speed is not how to correct the problem. The problem hasn't been identified, therefore, you shouldn't have paid......but I'm sure you did.
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Regular Guest
Thanks for all the replies. It is a furnace and yes I can see the fan right behind the filter. Also, he turned the fan speed back to where it was normally so that shouldn't be a problem. The tech told me that he is going to research fixes so we'll see what he comes up with, I'm just looking at other maybe less expensive options.
Professional Member
If you can see the fan right behine the filter grille, there isn't much that can be done unless you move the unit.....
so in short, no, there is no cheap way to do it. You should've had the system inspected before you purchased the house...then you may not have been in this situation. But that is the past, learn from it and move on.
Make sure to keep us posted with what the techs research brings up.
I fully support the military and the War on Terrorism.
If you don't know, then don't do. If you don't know and still do, then be prepared to pay someone else a lot to undo what you did and then do it right.
If you do know, then do. But do it right. Otherwise, you may not be doing it long.
Regular Guest
If I put something in front of the grille (2 inches) it cuts down the noise. Is this going to be a problem for the unit? It is still pulling in what seems like plenty of air.
Professional Member
the noise is from..............
you wrote that you had 18X14 grill = 504 CFM for a 2 ton furnace.(needs 800CFM)
1st- unit to close to intake: noise factor .Maybe move unit ?
2nd-you don't have enough intake air going in to Furnace ( the return air ).
3rd -add more R/A like an 12x12 filter grill some place else ,then you will have enough R/A ,with an 10 "flex .
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Regular Guest
A professional should look at the changes in pressures after placing an object to muffle...duct tape over my fiancee's mouth is a good sound proofing too when I want to watch my favorite show, but in the long run it is only making the problem worse.
Professional Member
Originally Posted by tinmantu
ROFLMAO
I fully support the military and the War on Terrorism.
If you don't know, then don't do. If you don't know and still do, then be prepared to pay someone else a lot to undo what you did and then do it right.
If you do know, then do. But do it right. Otherwise, you may not be doing it long.
Professional Member
why dont you just make the return larger or add more returns and tie them in together this would take the noise down a lot its so loud because its the only one and its not that big
Professional Member*
There may be some truth to that, but the fact that the blower is right behind the filter grill doesn't help either. Having ample return surface area for a 2-ton unit, which he doesn't seem to have, is another issue...why dont you just make the return larger or add more returns and tie them in together this would take the noise down a lot its so loud because its the only one and its not that big
Banned
Furnace,as the fan is at the inlet,needs to 90 regree turns between the inlet and the return grille,as sound travels in a srihght line.
Alternate 1 turn,with Quieturn vanes from, www.durodyne.com ,will do the trick.
If you can't have them make a 90 degree turn as is,move the furnace,or change the return duct.
Professional Member*
One of the better hvac companies locally did something in a return air that I had never seen. A piece of sheetmetal attached from the platform to a 2x on the return floor.
something like this: --
/
--
the top of the z was screwed to the platform and the bottom of the z screwed to the
2x that was cut to fit tightly on r/a flooring. the sheetmetal had 2" duct insulation on
both sides.
the hvac owner explained to me that it was to deaden sound. they also caulked and sealed the platform, caulked the corners of the r/a, for air tightness and cleaned it really well. he told me that if that didn't make it quiet enough that they would come back and install 2" duct insulaton on surfaces of r/a and mastic seal all the seams.
worked well for them, customer was happy & no problems with job.
Not to say that it may not be some other issue, but could this
be a place to start?
best of luck.
The cure of the part should not be attempted without the cure of the whole. ~Plato
Banned
I've done the same with duct board,in a large return stand/plenum,just don't raise the static too high.
Quieturn is better and will reduce the turbulence noise,and static.
Last edited by dash; 08-04-2008 at 09:42 PM.
Professional Member*
imo you can almost always add return and it usually solves alot of problems not just noise.why dont you just make the return larger or add more returns and tie them in together this would take the noise down a lot its so loud because its the only one and its not that big
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Regular Guest
I agree. Other than moving the whole unitit may be better to drywall and seal off that whole register and just run a couple return duct with new registers in a further more remote location, I'd say atleast 10 feet away from blower
Regular Guest
Guys, thanks for all the replies. I couldn't find those quieturn vanes on the Duro Dyne website.
Also, I know it is tough but does anybody have a guesstimate as to how much adding a return vent would cost? Just roughly?
Thanks
Chris
Professional Member*
Pricing goes against the rules here. Best thing to do is call local companies. It's hard to estimate the price without actually seeing the job and knowing what is involved. Ample return is important, and in your case, sounds like you need more of it for a 2-ton unit. Don't count on it quieting it down that much. You still have the blower right behind that one grill. That's likely the major source of the noise. In my opinion, move the return away from the blower, with elbow bends as mentioned, and add another return in a central location. Good luck.
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