Why Is My Portable Air Conditioner So Loud?

Portable air conditioners can be a fantastic and comparatively inexpensive way to cool a home down when it doesn’t have a permanent unit installed. In fact, with the right portable air conditioner, you can benefit from a number of different features it may have such as a dehumidifier or timer.

However, they can suffer from a few common machinery problems, but luckily the majority of which can be rectified quickly, easily, and inexpensively. Here, we look at solving one of the biggest bugbears that portable air conditioner owners have with their units: The noise.

You may be wondering, “Why is my portable air conditioner so loud?”. For some, it comes down to the brand and poor design. However for others, it will be down to a solvable problem that only takes a few tweaks to resolve.

Reasons why a portable air conditioner is loud

1. Its compressor

One of the reasons a portable air conditioner can be so noisy is because it will include a compressor. A compressor has many moving parts and the friction that this causes results in sound.

2. Loose fans

On occasion, parts become loose within portable air conditioner units, particularly the fans due to their motoring. For this reason, those looser movements make for noisier units which is why they can become louder over a period of time.

3. Vibrations

All the moving parts of a portable air conditioner unit is why it makes so much noise when it’s on. The better quality units will be able to minimize those vibrations through clever design and quality manufacturing processes. Vibrations are made worse in homes with less soft furnishings around to soak up the noise. Hard surfaces will amplify the noise.

Ways to minimize portable air conditioner noise

1. Fan speeds

As mentioned above, one of the reasons why portable air conditioners can make so much noise is when they’re on a higher fan speed. Turn the fan down on your unit when you’re in the room to help minimize the noise, and turn it up when you leave so that the room is cool when you re-enter it.

2. Location

Look at where your portable air conditioner is. If the unit is in the kitchen on a hard floor, in the living room on tiles, or anywhere on a wooden base, it’s likely to be far louder than it needs to be. Try putting it on top of a rug or carpet instead and you will find that the vibrations that cause so much of its noise are quietened down. If carpets or rugs are not possible, you can try putting your portable air conditioner unit on a folded up blanket instead. The softer surface helps absorb vibrations.

3. Check before you buy

Perhaps the best cure to a noisy portable air conditioner is prevention. Do your homework before you purchase one. Some models will simply not provide the quiet experience that its packaging promises. Make use of review websites to find out just how loud it is as well as finding numbers on the decibel level of the noise produced. Anything below 55dB will be quiet enough for the biggest insomniacs to sleep at night.

Conclusion

Noise becoming louder over time is a persistent problem for any air conditioning unit — portable or permanent. Good maintenance and upkeep should help minimize any noise coming from a unit as well as good positioning. Doing so ensures that you get the most value out of your investment in a portable air conditioner to help you through the increasingly hotter and longer summers we are all experiencing thanks to climate change around the globe.