We've come to accept that air conditioners are naturally noisy, but that doesn't have to be the case any more. At some point, if you own a decade-old air conditioner, you would already have many types of noises that your system makes: clanking, rattling, banging, buzzing, hissing, chattering, clicking, squealing humming, thumping, bubbling, screeching, vibrating, and screaming sounds. You can’t imagine how many kinds of noise an air conditioner can make; it’s pretty crazy. But we just shrug off this noise like we don’t hear it all. We get used to it. But here’s the truth: air conditioners, when in operation, naturally make sounds; but they’re definitely not supposed to make noise. Noise is an unwanted sound, and abnormal noise often means that a unit has a problem. It doesn’t matter how loud. Because something, for sure, is wrong somewhere. But while you can do something about the noise, you can never control the sound.

All window air conditioners generate different levels of sound—from loud to moderate to dull and low. Now, at what point would you be able to say that the sound that your air conditioner makes is actually a noise. A noisy air conditioner or even a system that you can say runs a little bit loud has serious implications to your experience of comfort. A noisy air conditioner affects your peace of mind; it ruins your experience of a good rest; and to some, it has serious impact on health. In many occasions, this noise also creates conflict among neighbors. In a nutshell, the level of sound that your air conditioner makes should be one of the things that you should consider when purchasing a new air conditioner.

Unlike air conditioners of the past, the new generation of air conditioners today are much better in terms of the sound that they emit or generate when being used. The continuous advancement in compressor technology and the upgrade of ventilation system—where most of the noise in air conditioners comes from—has paved way for the introduction of many ultra-quiet window air conditioning models. If you are looking for a replacement to your clunky air conditioner, one of the very first questions that you should ask is this: How quiet the air conditioner that you will choose should be?

To help guide you in your decision, this article discusses about the essential things that you need know with regard to this issue. Specifically, it answers the following important questions:

1. What is the best level of sound that an air conditioner should make?
2. What example of a quiet air conditioner should you choose?

In line with these questions, we start by discussing about air conditioning sounds, their different levels, and the unit of measurement that is used for the sound of air conditioners.

How is the Sound of an Air Conditioner Measured?

Just like the way other sounds are measured, the level of sound that air conditioner make is determined in terms of decibels. To understand the decibel, it is important to know that one of the two characteristics of sound is amplitude; the other one is frequency. But let’s focus on amplitude.

Basically, amplitude pertains to how high or low the sound is. The other way to put is, it helps us know how loud or intense a particular sound. Decibel, which is abbreviated as dB, expresses the amplitude of a sound. Typically, the sound of air conditioners is measured based on “A” weighted decibel or dBA. We’ll avoid being too technical here, but just imagine it as a scale for sounds that is estimated as the same as the way we hear sounds. In other words, each level of sound in the dBA scale reads just like the way we perceive the loudness of a sound. Remember this: the lowest the level of sound in the decibel scale, the quietest that sound is. Conversely, the higher the level in decibel means it is louder.

To give you an example, let us say that you are presented with two window air conditioning choices: the first one operates with an estimated level of sound of 26 dBA; the other one runs with an estimated level of sound of 52 dBA. Going by what we previously explained, it is quite obvious that the unit with a sound level of 26 dBA is quieter than the other unit with a sound level of 52 dBA. Because the sound level is difficult to explain, you will find that manufacturers of air conditioners use the different sounds that we hear every day as examples. For instance, 10dBA sounds like the rustle of leaves; or the 50 dBA sounds similar to the noise that you’ll hear when two people converse a little louder than normal. So, when you choose any air conditioner, always go for the unit with the lowest level in decibels.

Go for the Whisper-quiet

Currently, most of the air conditioners in the market have a sound level between 30 dBA to 70 dBA. That’s almost like the sound that ranges from a human conversation to a loud noise of people that are simultaneously talking inside a room. Naturally, going for zero decibel is impossible because machines make sounds and air conditioners are no exception. Ideally, the best sound level for an air conditioner is 10 decibels. But you can scour all stores in the world and you’ll never an air conditioner that is as quiet as this one. The best choice, which is most realistic, are air conditioners with a sound level that ranges somewhere between 20 dBA to 50 dBA. Currently, there are systems that have this sound levels and they are considered as some of the quietest air conditioners today. Take note that 20 dBA sounds like the ticking of a clock. But guess, what? You can go for a system that’s even more quiet—whisper-quiet. And here are two of your best choices.

Quiet Comfort with LG Wall Air Conditioners

Designed as powerful cooling and heating systems, are among the quietest or conditioning solutions that you can ever find in the market. For its indoor units, LG offers models with a sound level of 19 dBA to 64 dBA. For its outdoor units, LG provides models with a sound level of 45 dBA to 69 dBA. 

With 19 dBA for indoor unit and 45 dBA for outdoor unit, it is clear from the given data that the models LG LS120HSV4 and LG LS090HSV4 appear to have the lowest noise or sound levels in terms of decibel, while the model LG LS180HSV4, which boasts of 29 dBA for indoor unit and 53 dBA for outdoor unit comes close second. If you’re looking into a quiet system for your home, these will be among your excellent choices. 

 

Ductless Mini Split Systems Are Among the Quietest Cooling and Heating Solutions

Ductless mini split system is one the most advanced models today. Not surprisingly, this type of system is considered as among the quietest air conditioning solutions. For your whisper-quiet ductless mini split choices, the high-performance and high-efficiency Gree ductless mini split systems are also worth considering. Check out the table below to see how each of the Gree series of mini split air conditioners fare in terms of sound level.

Gree Ductless Mini Split Cooling and Heating Systems A-weighted Decibels

Whisper-quiet Gree ductless mini split systems are also available Here.  For your other choices, manufacturers like LG, Panasonic, and Mitsubishi Electric also boast of ultra-quiet air conditioning solutions.

 

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