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Posted on Jul 14, 2009
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Noisy indoor air conditioning units

I have 3 indoor air conditioning units which are 2.5 years old. 2 of them are constantly noisy, sounds a bit like a fan that's not been looked after. The noise is gradually getting worse over time. However, the 3rd indoor unit is almost whisper quiet. The only difference in day-to-day usage is that the 3rd unit is almost always left on air circulation mode (i.e. not cooling or heating). In case it's useful, the outdoor unit is pretty quiet and hasn't changed in noise level. The 2 noisy indoor units continue to make the same noise whatever mode they are on, e.g. ciculation / cooling / heating.

We regularly clean the air filters and the units are serviced twice a year. I've gone through the manuals and I couldn't find anything that might help explain the problem. The people that service the units (and originally installed them) have dodged the question of noise. Whist the units were under warranty, 2 motors were replaced and one of the motherboards.

We bought LG units on the basis of their excellent reputation and in the case of these particular indoor units, LG emphasised how whisper quiet they are.

Also, the installers fitted a pump to each of the indoor units . Last year, these pumps were replaced with quieter ones but they are still quite noisy. In particular, 2 of the indoor units are upstairs and therefore have the advantage of gravity (relative to the outdoor unit).

My questions are:

1. What is making the noise?

2. What can be done to fix it?

3. If it can be fixed, can anything be done to stop it happening again?

4. Are the pumps really necessary on the upstairs units? It seems odd that LG didn't include them with (or even as part of) the indoor units. If they are necessary, is there a quieter alternative?

I couldn't find the product on the drop down list. It's the LG Art Cool Mirror Inverter Air Conditioning System, Single Split Wall Mounted. I think the original product codes would be one of C09AW, C12AW, C18AW or C24AW. The downstairs unit is larger than the 2 upstairs units.

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earlston2004

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  • Posted on Mar 30, 2014
earlston2004
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The noise you are describing ..if the indoor coil is clean and the fan blade are clean..i would say you have a charging issue with your unit thats causing the noise..most ac units come with a preset amount of refrigerant in them... say a unit has come charged with 25 feet per run..if your run is longer than this u would have to add gas..i think its .22 per foot needed.. e.g...if your run is 45 feet and its recharged for 25 feet you would do this 45 - 25 = 20 * .22 and add the extra charge to the unit... this will stop the noise which i believe is not enough liquid getting to the coil, causing that swooshing sound..not just lg units do it but all units do it if not evacuated and charged properly...i hope this helps..

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  • Posted on Jul 16, 2009
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Ok. So first things first. LG have a reputation with all their products. THEY ARE ALL BAD! If you remember GoldStar, they are now LG. GoldStar had horrible products. Now this is what LG has. The fact that the filters are cleaned and the units are serviced is an abosulte plus and will provide the units with extra longevity. Now are these drains are they used for water drainage. If so the upstairs units shouldn't need them unless there is some sort of rise in the drain pipe.

Now to the noise. It seems like there is something which is causing the fan to make a noise. It could be loose bearing or a piece of the fan which has broken away causing it to hit the inside of the unit. Since it is on both units, it would be a generic problem with this series and unfortunately is what you are stuck with now.

To combat this problem, I would: ring LG and the company who installed them and demand that they be repaired and have a warranty on the repairs. Just a heads up, LG are really bad to contact should you have a complaint, so keep persisting that they be repaired free of charge since that they are still under warranty.

If you are not happy with LG or your installers response, I would remove the units and have another brand put in. I recommend Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and Panasonic. Both units are whisper quiet. In fact they are quieter that the LG.

Oh and that only reason why LG boast about their "whisper quiet-ness" is because that is probably the only good going for them - and thats' not even right!

I hope that I have helped you in some way. Good Luck!
Mat

  • Anonymous Aug 07, 2013

    I tried calling them and complaint about the noise issue iwth no avail. Now I know not to get LG products.

  • earlston2004
    earlston2004 Mar 30, 2014

    also i further believe the noise is definitely a charge issue because u only run the 3rd unit in fan only... meaning no gas is going through the pipes..i'm pretty sure u have a charging issue..

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