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?
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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 a heat pump. It’s a little louder in the winter, but not by much. It’s very quiet other than the odd hissing sound it makes when defrosting the unit.
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.
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.
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.
Typically when your AC/heat pump are running your windows are closed.
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.
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.
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).
Visited family for new years and slept next to one. It made about as much noise as their fridge. It’s most likely a newer model.
