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tharri04 · Mar 12, 2008, 09:41 PM

Ok - I have a situation where I live in a community of side by side 2-story townhomes and noise is a major concern for our HOA. We've been allowed to explore A/C options because last year we had many weeks over 100 degrees... While an A/C unit would be noisy to the rooms above the garage it wouldn't be as noisy to the neighbors.

I'm wondering if there is a way to install an A/C unit in the garage that is powerful enough to cool the whole home. I believe we need a 4 Ton unit based on quotes we've received for external units. Creating venting holes to the outside shouldn't be a problem

The installers we talked to look at us cross-eyed when we pose the question.

IF this can't be done... is there a website that compares the decibel level & cooling efficiency for outdoor units? I am also open to specific product recommendations.

hvac1000 · Mar 12, 2008, 10:33 PM

A garage is not a good place to install a condensing outside style unit. Take that off your list of things to check out.

All very high efficiency units are relatively quiet as compared to there cheaper counterpart. The better units have isolated insulated compressor compartments or compressor blankets to make them super quiet.

Note

Sound Levels

Few people think about how loud an air conditioner or heat pump will be - at least until the unit is installed and running in their back yard. With some units, the noise created by the condensing unit outside can even interfere with indoor peace and quiet. That's why you should compare the sound levels produced by different models when you are shopping for a new unit.

The sound level of outdoor units is measured in bels (a term similar to decibels). The rating scale goes from 0 - the rating for a barely perceptible sound - to 13 - the threshold of pain. Most air conditioners and heat pumps operate in the range of 8 to 9 bels, although some are quiet enough to rate as 6.8 bels. (While that may not sound like a wide range, consider this: the noise output at 9 bels is 10 times louder than 8 bels. That means one 9-bel air conditioner is as loud as 10 units rated at 8 bels!)

The ratings are published by the Air-Conditioning and Refrigeration Institute (ARI), 4301 North Fairfax Drive, Arlington, Virginia, 22203 U.S.A.

wmproop · Mar 13, 2008, 08:34 AM

Only way I would consider, if the garage was open on both ends with no doors to close,, then it wouldn`t be a garage anymore

razor96 · Mar 13, 2008, 08:43 AM

Sound like a crazy idea to me. There are a few newer unit ot there that are pretty much whisper quiet and that would solve a lot of noise problems. Believe it or not most of the noise come from the fan not the compressor look for plastic fans that the blades are straight, not curved. The straight blade units have the blades tilted down slightly and are pretty much totally quiet. More money though.

T-Top · Mar 13, 2008, 07:37 PM

I have seen a few that have tried the garage or attic or even the crawl space installation of a condenser, only to find out it did not work and it cost them more in the long run. You will find some one to install it that way, but they will run to the bank with your check and you will never see them again.