Joshua that's an excellent tip for your customers; years ago we found out the problem to be more severe with furnaces/air handles installed in closets; sometimes we had to build a baffle made out of duct board with the foil side taped inside the "triangle". Worked very well.
Good points in this video, thank you Joshua. Although I would add more things that have to be taken into consideration. Let's take the case of a 3T unit. If you measure the size of the duct for the return, it has to be 16" for sheet metal duct or 18" for flex duct. You will need a 30 * 20 grill to provide the 200 sq.in/ton. If your duct is adequately sized, chances are that changing the regular grill against a T-Bar grill will help eliminate the noise. Also, high MERV filters and/or dirty filters may impaired the airflow and contribute to the noise. Best is to use either fiberglass or pleated Merv 3 filters. Another way to mitigate the noise is to add another return to let the system breathe better. As stated, ducts are often undersized, straining the HVAC system and reducing its lifespan. Those systems are not cheap. Getting an energy audit is a good idea to know what's up with your HVAC system.
Definitely. There’s probably 10 different things that would cause noises like we are describing. I thought I would hit the main one and folks would know to call a pro if they need to.
Thanks for the info. It's time to have my hvac replaced and I'm getting my current intake doubled. It's really a strong air current going thru there and with an filter on there the suction is super strong. I always figured the blower was working very hard.
Is there a better grill than the louvered type? My system is 3 tons and I only have an 18*24 filter, if I remove the grill even with the filter place the system quiets down. The design of the plenum will not allow a size upgrade unless I want to do framing and drywall, so my only option is no grill or a better grill.
I have a separate problem with mine.. I have just a little bit of blower noise I guess. No sure how to fix that but its not bad, just slightly louder then the older unit. I will also add that most energy efficiency or HVAC 2.0 guys like to use 2 square feet per ton. The lower you get the velocity of air through the filters the better the filters filter! Plus that will be low enough to allow using MERV13 filters without significant pressure drops. I'm using 2 20x25 filters for 2.5 tons. Another pro tip is to seal around the filter with painters tape if your placing the filter in a filter grille.
I just had new HVAC installed yesterday, and the interior unit is louder than the exterior unit! It sounds like the blower is way too strong, or something. I complained about it today, and the guy switched two cords that made the blower no longer on the highest setting. I think he said he changed it to medium, or medium high, or something. It changed nothing, and is still WAY too loud. I asked if he would just TRY the absolute lowest setting, and he flat out told me no. He said we need to sit with it for the weekend, and see if we adjust to the sound. Adjust to a jet engine? Yeah, no thanks. All of this is going to cost us thousands, too, so we are really upset, and don't know what to do. He said it sounds normal. You can't even hear people while you're on the phone, have to have the TV volume jacked up, and your phone speakers at the highest setting just to hear a video. Someone knocked on the front door, and I didn't even hear them. That's how loud this thing is. You can walk out to the exterior unit, and the thing is practically undetectable, it is SO quiet. Makes absolutely no sense why ANYONE would want to live with a barely detectable decibel level outside, but then inside, be driven to insanity by the loudest intake known to man. PLEASE, any advice, or tips? I've been crying over all of this. It's insufferable.
Get some framing and drywall done so you can move the intake to a different location. Preferably a room nearby where you don't spend as much time? Drywall and 2x4s are cheap. For the whistling, you can bend the louvers with needle nosed pliers to adjust the air turbulence making the whistle go away.
Turns out my new 3 ton OXBOX split system should have a 18” return , it currently has a 16”. Is it OK to run like this while I gather enough money to have it redone?
My house was built in 2013. I am the first and only owner of the house. Very soon after moving in, I removed the first floor and second floor return grills precisely because they were whistling. How do I figure out how many tons my HVA system is? Is it possible that despite my house being built in 2013 the return ducts are undersized?
@@NewHVACGuide no the unit is in my basement and a booklet/manual is attached to the outside of the unit. The booklet says the model number that I gave above. There is also a sticker that has a longer model number prefixed with what I gave above plus the serial number.
I just had hvac installed in my house and I’m new to it I’ve had window units pretty much all my life. What is the reason there would not be a filter on the return side vent?
It should have a filter. Filter prevents dust from blowing thru your duct-work and blowing into different rooms. Dust also accumulates in the vents reducing airflow and aggravates allergies if you're sensitive to dust. Measure your louver and buy the correct size at your home improvement store.
Yeah my new system install drove me nuts in the beginning 5 ton downflow system in a manufactured home thing has very small cabinet so biggest return that would fit in the wall above the air handler was a 25x30 thing made a hissing sound like crazy i wound up cutting another 25x30 hole for another return filter grille around the other side of the wall made it quieter instantly. I have 500 square inches more than what I need at 1500 don't know what effect it may have but it no longer sounds like a jet engine when it's running.
@@Brad.W ah. Gotcha, I was gonna say that’s a huge unit. If you don’t have jumper ducts or return vents then you should have some. Doors that you keep closed are going to affect your airflow with that many CFMs. They make door vents and I’ve used them. They are awesome.
Excellent info. I have a 4 ton unit and the return grill is around 20"x26". It's def. undersized. I always noticed that it's loud.... But also just noticed today that it whistles. I just changed my filter last week so I know it's not the filter. Any other possible causes of the whistle? Btw, maybe it always whistles and I just never noticed until today lol.
Try bending the louver slots angle with needle nose pliers to "tune" out the whistle. Also, a different type filter, like fiberglass instead of HEPA will quiet it down.
I just got my Daikin Fit installed. My house is 1650 square feet. I signed up for a 3.5 ton system for both outside and inside units. But on install day, I found out that they gave me a 4 ton air handler along with the 3.5 ton compressor. One return grill is 14x24 inches. The other is 14x14 inches. That is a total of 532 square inches. Did they undersize my returns? I am getting that whistling noise through the grill and the intake is very noisy with the filter in place. When I take out the filter, it is almost silent. What are my options?
How bad is it to have a 12x24 =288 on a 2 ton suction is hard on 15 year old unit in replacing soon makes me worried never talked about resizing it also is on the ceiling.
Ours never made the whistling/sucking sound until the attic insulation was replaced. We had all the loose fill removed and the roof decking spray foamed. Any correlation to the change in insulation? Like I said it never did it prior to the new spray foam application
That would be a new one lol. I wonder if they somehow restricted the airflow when they were adding the insulation? It’s hard to tell without seeing your home. Have you had a pro take a look?
Maybe one of the installers stepped on/crushed the supply duct in your attic. I'd check for damage to the duct-work leading to that room. I was missing 2 support pieces on 2 separate trusses that was removed to install my ac ducts that I ended up fixing it myself. Lazy contractors do stuff like that because they figure that the homeowner isn't ever going to climb up there and see it.
I'm not sure if my issue is about the return grill. The air itself is really loud. The hvac guy put a brand new 'top of the line' but it is soooooo loud. He said it's normal but it's to the point my boyfriend turns the ac off when it's 75 degrees in the house. I can't handle being hot
Hello, so maybe someone could help me out here. I had a HVAC guy my brother uses to check out my system that was put in last year. I just wanted him to once over the system to make sure all was good, plus i was not only hearing a loud whistling when system is on, but when it turns on, the duct bangs, and when it goes off, its even a bigger bang. He told me that it is undersized. I have 2- 14"x14" Return Grilles, one on top and one on blottom of a hallway wall. I see and understand after this video the whistling sound, but dont know about that metal indenting and expanding, if thats what it is doing. He told me that he would put in a 14"30" Return Grille which doesn't seem like it would be enough for a 3T system if you need 200SI" per Ton. So so besides explaining the reason for the banging sounds, could someone help me out with how many Return Grilles i would need and what size Please, thanks.
@@NewHVACGuide So on that note, a 2"x2" air handler inlet restrictor might be acceptable? Of course length of ductwork must be considered, air is fluid flow.
Joshua that's an excellent tip for your customers; years ago we found out the problem to be more severe with furnaces/air handles installed in closets; sometimes we had to build a baffle made out of duct board with the foil side taped inside the "triangle". Worked very well.
Nice. Tricks of the trade sir
@@NewHVACGuidewhy does my vent make a slight humming sound when the ac is off? Can this be a big problem?
Good points in this video, thank you Joshua. Although I would add more things that have to be taken into consideration.
Let's take the case of a 3T unit. If you measure the size of the duct for the return, it has to be 16" for sheet metal duct or 18" for flex duct.
You will need a 30 * 20 grill to provide the 200 sq.in/ton.
If your duct is adequately sized, chances are that changing the regular grill against a T-Bar grill will help eliminate the noise.
Also, high MERV filters and/or dirty filters may impaired the airflow and contribute to the noise. Best is to use either fiberglass or pleated Merv 3 filters.
Another way to mitigate the noise is to add another return to let the system breathe better.
As stated, ducts are often undersized, straining the HVAC system and reducing its lifespan. Those systems are not cheap. Getting an energy audit is a good idea to know what's up with your HVAC system.
Definitely. There’s probably 10 different things that would cause noises like we are describing. I thought I would hit the main one and folks would know to call a pro if they need to.
Thanks for the info. It's time to have my hvac replaced and I'm getting my current intake doubled. It's really a strong air current going thru there and with an filter on there the suction is super strong. I always figured the blower was working very hard.
Let me know what happens!
Is there a better grill than the louvered type? My system is 3 tons and I only have an 18*24 filter, if I remove the grill even with the filter place the system quiets down. The design of the plenum will not allow a size upgrade unless I want to do framing and drywall, so my only option is no grill or a better grill.
Just got a new 3 ton a/c unit return grill is 20x20 = 400 sq.inch in condo hallway can I put a 12×12 or 14×14 return grill in living room?
Can you also just add an additional duct to increase the return air flow? Can you add a return in the basement?
Very informative, my humidifier makes a loud whistle when I close the tamper flap and when opened the noise goes away, Thanks
I have a separate problem with mine.. I have just a little bit of blower noise I guess. No sure how to fix that but its not bad, just slightly louder then the older unit.
I will also add that most energy efficiency or HVAC 2.0 guys like to use 2 square feet per ton. The lower you get the velocity of air through the filters the better the filters filter! Plus that will be low enough to allow using MERV13 filters without significant pressure drops. I'm using 2 20x25 filters for 2.5 tons.
Another pro tip is to seal around the filter with painters tape if your placing the filter in a filter grille.
Why would my return only making the whistling while the ac is running, but its not when the heater is running?
I just had new HVAC installed yesterday, and the interior unit is louder than the exterior unit! It sounds like the blower is way too strong, or something. I complained about it today, and the guy switched two cords that made the blower no longer on the highest setting. I think he said he changed it to medium, or medium high, or something. It changed nothing, and is still WAY too loud. I asked if he would just TRY the absolute lowest setting, and he flat out told me no. He said we need to sit with it for the weekend, and see if we adjust to the sound. Adjust to a jet engine? Yeah, no thanks. All of this is going to cost us thousands, too, so we are really upset, and don't know what to do. He said it sounds normal. You can't even hear people while you're on the phone, have to have the TV volume jacked up, and your phone speakers at the highest setting just to hear a video. Someone knocked on the front door, and I didn't even hear them. That's how loud this thing is. You can walk out to the exterior unit, and the thing is practically undetectable, it is SO quiet. Makes absolutely no sense why ANYONE would want to live with a barely detectable decibel level outside, but then inside, be driven to insanity by the loudest intake known to man. PLEASE, any advice, or tips? I've been crying over all of this. It's insufferable.
Get some framing and drywall done so you can move the intake to a different location. Preferably a room nearby where you don't spend as much time? Drywall and 2x4s are cheap.
For the whistling, you can bend the louvers with needle nosed pliers to adjust the air turbulence making the whistle go away.
I have a 2 ton air filter is 14x14
Do transfer grilles above a door count toward your square inches?
Do. we add the returns on every Room? My supplies are very Loud. The return is Ok.
Turns out my new 3 ton OXBOX split system should have a 18” return , it currently has a 16”. Is it OK to run like this while I gather enough money to have it redone?
How much surface area is added by the pleats on a 1" filter?
I have a 6 ton geonthermal and my returns are for a 3 ton. They also do not have filters at the returns. Any advice?
My house was built in 2013. I am the first and only owner of the house. Very soon after moving in, I removed the first floor and second floor return grills precisely because they were whistling.
How do I figure out how many tons my HVA system is? Is it possible that despite my house being built in 2013 the return ducts are undersized?
Because builders are cheap, most new construction is undersized ductwork. What is the model number of your HVAC system
@@NewHVACGuide Bryant 912SB
@@randomdude3066 That’s the model number of the outdoor unit?
@@NewHVACGuide no the unit is in my basement and a booklet/manual is attached to the outside of the unit. The booklet says the model number that I gave above. There is also a sticker that has a longer model number prefixed with what I gave above plus the serial number.
@@randomdude3066 I would need the model number on the label of the outdoor unit to be able to tell you the tonnage
I just had hvac installed in my house and I’m new to it I’ve had window units pretty much all my life. What is the reason there would not be a filter on the return side vent?
It should have a filter. Filter prevents dust from blowing thru your duct-work and blowing into different rooms. Dust also accumulates in the vents reducing airflow and aggravates allergies if you're sensitive to dust. Measure your louver and buy the correct size at your home improvement store.
Yeah my new system install drove me nuts in the beginning 5 ton downflow system in a manufactured home thing has very small cabinet so biggest return that would fit in the wall above the air handler was a 25x30 thing made a hissing sound like crazy i wound up cutting another 25x30 hole for another return filter grille around the other side of the wall made it quieter instantly. I have 500 square inches more than what I need at 1500 don't know what effect it may have but it no longer sounds like a jet engine when it's running.
Uh, how big is your house? You did good with adding more area though.
@@tekjunkie28 4600sqft give or take including a finished attic.
@@Brad.W ah. Gotcha, I was gonna say that’s a huge unit. If you don’t have jumper ducts or return vents then you should have some. Doors that you keep closed are going to affect your airflow with that many CFMs. They make door vents and I’ve used them. They are awesome.
Excellent info. I have a 4 ton unit and the return grill is around 20"x26". It's def. undersized. I always noticed that it's loud.... But also just noticed today that it whistles. I just changed my filter last week so I know it's not the filter. Any other possible causes of the whistle? Btw, maybe it always whistles and I just never noticed until today lol.
Try bending the louver slots angle with needle nose pliers to "tune" out the whistle. Also, a different type filter, like fiberglass instead of HEPA will quiet it down.
I just got my Daikin Fit installed. My house is 1650 square feet. I signed up for a 3.5 ton system for both outside and inside units. But on install day, I found out that they gave me a 4 ton air handler along with the 3.5 ton compressor.
One return grill is 14x24 inches. The other is 14x14 inches. That is a total of 532 square inches.
Did they undersize my returns? I am getting that whistling noise through the grill and the intake is very noisy with the filter in place. When I take out the filter, it is almost silent. What are my options?
Definitely sounds undersized.
How bad is it to have a 12x24 =288 on a 2 ton suction is hard on 15 year old unit in replacing soon makes me worried never talked about resizing it also is on the ceiling.
Also it’s just straight ac. So it’s just going to air handler.
Ours never made the whistling/sucking sound until the attic insulation was replaced. We had all the loose fill removed and the roof decking spray foamed. Any correlation to the change in insulation? Like I said it never did it prior to the new spray foam application
That would be a new one lol. I wonder if they somehow restricted the airflow when they were adding the insulation? It’s hard to tell without seeing your home. Have you had a pro take a look?
Maybe one of the installers stepped on/crushed the supply duct in your attic. I'd check for damage to the duct-work leading to that room. I was missing 2 support pieces on 2 separate trusses that was removed to install my ac ducts that I ended up fixing it myself. Lazy contractors do stuff like that because they figure that the homeowner isn't ever going to climb up there and see it.
I'm not sure if my issue is about the return grill. The air itself is really loud. The hvac guy put a brand new 'top of the line' but it is soooooo loud. He said it's normal but it's to the point my boyfriend turns the ac off when it's 75 degrees in the house. I can't handle being hot
Are you a subscriber at our Guide? If so, send me the dimensions of your ductwork and the model numbers of your equipment
Hello, so maybe someone could help me out here. I had a HVAC guy my brother uses to check out my system that was put in last year. I just wanted him to once over the system to make sure all was good, plus i was not only hearing a loud whistling when system is on, but when it turns on, the duct bangs, and when it goes off, its even a bigger bang. He told me that it is undersized. I have 2- 14"x14" Return Grilles, one on top and one on blottom of a hallway wall. I see and understand after this video the whistling sound, but dont know about that metal indenting and expanding, if thats what it is doing. He told me that he would put in a 14"30" Return Grille which doesn't seem like it would be enough for a 3T system if you need 200SI" per Ton. So so besides explaining the reason for the banging sounds, could someone help me out with how many Return Grilles i would need and what size Please, thanks.
In my case, mine is loud because its an all metal round pipe return to the package unit. My grille is 25X25 and I hear a lot of air.
The duct could be undersized?
@@NewHVACGuide it’s a 3 ton with 16” all metal round pipe on a 20’ run.
In the case of a 3.5 ton air handler, the filter itself is just 20x20
At the air handler? That’s a totally different animal
@@NewHVACGuide So on that note, a 2"x2" air handler inlet restrictor might be acceptable?
Of course length of ductwork must be considered, air is fluid flow.