Riffing off the earlier post about heat pumps in cold weather (https://lemmy.world/post/10270502), how much noise does your heat pump make?
We’re sandwiched between houses with traditional AC units and in the summer the noise level from each is oppressive. Would I be producing the same amount of noise, year round, if I install a heat pump?
EDIT: the AC units to either side of us are old (at least 10 years) and probably cheaper models. Maybe newer/better ones are quieter?
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It’s as noisy as an air conditioner. Because it is an air conditioner — just run in reverse. Some AC compressors are noisier than others depending on manufacturer and quality.
Just replaced a couple of 25 yr old ACs with heat pumps and this is the answer.
That said, the two noisy parts are in my basement and outside, so meh, whatever. It’s never bothered me. Every now and then I’ll be in the basement when it kicks on, and it’s mostly just reassuring, like at least that things still working fine.
13 year old heat pump owner here. It sounds like a normal AC running outside. It gets a bit loud in certain moments when it runs some exhaust cycle - not sure of the term for it - but that just happen sporadically here and there and lasts no longer than a few seconds.
The “exhaust cycle” is defrost. When running in winter heat pump mode the outside coils will freeze over and must be periodically defrosted by warming them back up, else the system will stop moving heat effectively.
Varies by heat pump but some simply have a valve that self recirculates the refrigerant without entering the house, as all the compressor power turns into heat work to melt the ice, and is also why they get noisier.
Yes yes! Thank you for filling in that info gap.
Watching units defrost is a nice soothing rabbit hole on YT to go down.
I moved into a place with a heat pump for the first time recently and mine is definitely noisy, or more noisy than I would prefer. It’s not terrible when you’re inside near where it is but it is noticeable. It’s also around 10 years old and I believe newer ones are supposed to be quieter.
Heat pumps only last about 15 years so yours may be noisier due to wear and age. I just had a really old one replaced and my new one is a lot quieter.
That’s what I’m thinking, it also may not be installed very well which could be a factor. It’s not quite level, which is supposedly not good for them. I’m planning on replacing it within the next year or three depending on budget and how well it holds out. It seems to work great otherwise, it definitely is much more efficient than anything I’ve had previously.
Also depends on whether you get air source or ground source. Ground source lasts a lot longer, and is way more efficient, but costs more to install up front.
I had a heat pump and you could barely hear it outside. I had to be within 10ft to hear it running. It could be an age thing too. Mine was installed within the past 3 years, so that probably helps too.
We just got 2 new Carrier Infinity 24 heat pumps and I don’t think I’ve ever heard them running (except for the fan pushing air through the ducts, but that’s part of a traditional furnace too). It’s an expensive system that is advertised as being particularly quiet, and I think they deliver - I haven’t noticed any change in noise levels. One of them had an issue for a while so we ran the backup gas furnace instead, and I couldn’t tell the difference between the one that was using the heat pump and the one that was using gas.
So it’s possible to get a quiet heat pump, depending on the model.
I can’t hear the outside unit running from inside if that’s what you’re wondering
Like with AC units, there are quiet heat pumps and loud heat pumps.
I would look online for reviews that talk about sound. Look for information about decibels and or sones. A lot of manufacturers publish that info.
You might also want to see if anyone has published anything about the sound your models put out. That way you have a baseline number to compare new unit specs to.
My downstairs is heated by a cold weather heat pump, my upstairs by a furnace. In extreme cold snaps, I noticed the heat pump sound when I’m directly on the other side of the wall to it. But I can still easily tune it out and sleep with it going full blast.
We have used heat pump for A/C and heat in Florida for, well, I don’t know how long but the house I bought in the early 90s had one, and it was old enough we had to replace it, and the replacement lasted 20 years, so it’s not a new technology.
Yes they make noise, especially when starting up, but as someone else noted, your windows are closed when you run it, it’s not that loud. Not as loud as window units were.
We have two buildings on our property with mini split heat pumps. Both are very quiet. They can be a bit noisy indoors if you turn the fan above the medium setting. It’s basically silent on the low fan setting. Low is plenty for both heating and cooling.
My heatpump in my old apartment was much quieter than my new apartment with resistive heating. This one is fucking loud :(
Also, damn my power bills are way more pricy per square foot with resistive. Huge bummer.
You might be able to reduce the noise with some fencing or plants. Some bushes, placed where they won’t disrupt airflow, will definitely reduce the noise.
Typically when your AC/heat pump are running your windows are closed.
If those AC units are old then they can be noisy because of their original design, bearings wearing out, or rubber dampers deterioration.
New units aren’t what I’d consider really noisy. More of a rushing of air (from the fan) instead of mechanical noise (from the compressor).
Mine is not hearable from the inside and only hearable on the same side of the house, but I guess it depends heavily on the model. I. The summer it only runs for hot water - maybe 4 times a day.
