Install A Quiet HVAC System In Your Home

Does it sound like a jet engine every time your furnace turns on? Do you use portable heaters to avoid turning on your furnace when you’re trying to enjoy some quiet time?

Maybe it’s time to install a quiet HVAC system into your home and improve your quality of life. The right HVAC shouldn’t keep you up at night. It should keep you warm while letting you enjoy your lifestyle at the same time.

HVAC equipment has decibel ratings

Many HVAC contractors will talk to you about load levels and energy ratings. They’re important; but so is decibel ratings. The lower the decibel rating, the quieter the system.

When you think you’ve found the perfect furnace for your home, stop and compare the decibels of each make and model you are considering. The human ear perceives a sound to be double on another when they are about 10 decibels apart.

For most, quiet conversation in a home environment runs at about 50 decibels. Conversation in a restaurant runs at about 60 decibels. A home vacuum cleaner runs at about 70 decibels. A food blender operates at about 80 decibels.

This should help you judge between different HVAC systems. If a furnace is rated 50 to 60 decibels, it won’t interrupt your lifestyle. If it creeps into the 70 or 80 decibel range, it will be considerably louder, and more noticeable, especially when you’re attempting to do quiet tasks.

What makes HVAC equipment loud?

An HVAC system has a lot of internal parts that can vibrate, shake, rattle, and cause high pitched noises. Most of these jump into action when the furnace turns on and off – when the fan turns on and stops at the end of the cycle.

The colder it gets, the more your furnace will cycle, the more noise you’ll notice.

To lower the decibels, you can look for better built equipment. Things like:

• Variable speed fans
• Insulated compressor mounts
• Noise reducing fan blades

These can all impact how much noise your system makes throughout the cycles.

Maintenance is also a part of noise reduction. If your equipment is working effectively, it will be as quiet as possible. If parts wear down, they are more likely to shake and jiggle with movement every time the furnace turns on.

Ready to make your house a quieter place? We can help evaluate your current furnace and make recommendations on how to install a quieter HVAC system for your home.