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?
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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.
Just replaced a couple of 25 yr old ACs with heart pumps and this is the answer.
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.
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.
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.
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.
13 year old heat pump owner here. It sounds like a normal AC running outside. It gets a bit loud in certain moments when it runs some exhaust cycle - not sure of the term for it - but that just happen sporadically here and there and lasts no longer than a few seconds.
The “exhaust cycle” is defrost. When running in winter heat pump mode the outside coils will freeze over and must be periodically defrosted by warming them back up, else the system will stop moving heat effectively.
Varies by heat pump but some simply have a valve that self recirculates the refrigerant without entering the house, as all the compressor power turns into heat work to melt the ice, and is also why they get noisier.
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 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.
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.
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.
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.
I have one a drinking water one in the basement. When I’m in the basement, it’s fairly audible, otherwise can’t hear it at all.
Heatpumps are in par with AC. I’m noise sensitive dye to poor hearing and sometimes turn it off to help me hear better.
At my mom’s place — air-source heat pump, double-paned windows — I can’t hear the thing at all from inside the house, and can only hear it if I go on the side of the house where it’s operating, which doesn’t get a lot of foot traffic. You can hear the fan there.
Generally, I haven’t heard people complaining about it in the US. I have seen some people talk about it recently in the UK, which is in the middle of a push to transition to them, and I’m wondering if that’s because townhouses are more-common there, with houses packed closely together.
I understand that you can get noise-reducing enclosures:
https://www.silent-mode.net/domestic-equipment.html#/
There are also water-source heat pumps. I don’t know how the noise differs, but I’d bet that it’s quieter, because you’re moving water through a pipe rather than a lot of air. However, their installation cost is considerably higher (though their energy efficiency is also higher).
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.
You might be able to reduce the noise with some fencing or plants. Some bushes, placed where they won’t disrupt airflow, will definitely reduce the noise.
