Kids. Your snoring spouse. Barking dogs. Lawn mowers. Car stereos. Thelocal air conditioning contractorsat H & H, we know you have enough noise in your life, and your quest for peace and quiet is often ongoing, starting with where you can control things: In your home. In today’s spotlight: Choosing a quiet air conditioner.
Which Type of Air Conditioner is Quietest?
- Window Unit
Windowcooling unitsare known for their noisy operation, coming in at about 50-70 decibels. The bigger the unit, the more noise they tend to make. Improper installation, with the unit touching the sides of the window frame, can worsen this issue, resulting in excessive vibration. Lackluster maintenance can also elevate sound levels, including bent or dirty fan blades and coil fins, loose parts, insufficient lubrication, and foreign objects. - Split & Packaged Central Air Conditioner
Split and packaged air conditioners usually aren’t too noisy within the home, save for the sound of air distribution through ductwork and vents. Any sound outside of this norm indicates the need for rapidemergency HVAC service. Designed for quiet operation, system components are housed outdoors to help reduce noise levels within the home. At the outdoor unit, sound levels reach 69-72 decibels when the unit is operating. Older systems are notoriously noisier than newer units. Homeowners replacing systems just 10-years old tend to be pleasantly surprised at how much more quietly newer split or packaged air conditioning systems operate. What are the quietest models this year?- Bryant Evolution
- Lennox XC25
- Carrier Infinity
- York Affinity
- Trane XV20i TruComfort
- Ductless Mini Split
Ductless ‘mini split’ systems likeMitsubishi home air conditioningsystems are the quietest air conditioners on the market today. With an average noise level of 32 decibels, ductless systems are not only whisper quiet, they offer some of the highest SEER ratings and most efficient performance on the market. Top-of-the line ductless options reaching nearly 30 SEER, versus SEER ratings of 16-21 on traditional split systems. What makes ductless systems so quiet and efficient? Using only small tubes to connect wall-mount units to the condenser unit outside and distributing conditioned air via wall-mount units rather than (whooshing) ductwork and registers greatly reduces noise levels. Eliminating ductwork also eliminates heat loss. As with split systems, noisier components are located outside. In ductless systems, even these are outfitted with sound-dampening technology to reduce noise. Which systems offer the quietest operation?- Single Zone:
- Mitsubishi MUZ-FH Series
- Fujitsu General Halycon RLF/RLX Series
- Gree Crown+
- LG Art Cool
- Multi-Zone:
- Mitsubishi MXZ Series
- Fujitsu General Halycon
- LG Multi VS
- Daikin MXS
- Freidrich J Series
- Single Zone:
Have a headache? Put it on ice with a new air conditioner. Uncover the best model for your home with the help ofH & H Heating & Air Conditioningtoday.
