Without hearing it, I can't say what it might be. I would politely talk to the bulding owner and ask him to have the unit evaluated as it's noise is intrusive. Could be as simple as tightening a panel screw or installing rubber isolation feet.

Yes, it is quite difficult to diagnose a problem like this without hearing it. The problem is that I don't know the building owner, though I am trying to determine who it is. If I knock on the building door, I don't expect that a renter to supply me with information. As long as his/her A/C is keeping the place cool, why start any trouble? It is a uniquely irritating sound.

The local county clerk's office has public records of real estate ownership.

What you describe is to be expected while living in that city. No sane person could sleep well among those daily going ons.

why not ask your building owner to intervene on your behalf?...you always have the option to move if this problem is as bad as you say it is...your landlord should be asked to come listen to this issue...

IMO

I could ask my building owner but they probably wouldn't do anything. They replace light bulbs and fix toilets but when I asked if the duct work could be cleaned and I even offered to pay for it, they never got back to me. It's clear the duct work hasn't been cleaned in about 25 years.

Thanks to everyone who has responded. I will admit that I'm more sensitive to noise than most but I've lived in the city for ten years and most sounds like sirens, trucks or construction don't bother me. Most loud air conditioners or fans don't bother me; there's just something about this particular one that burrows into my brain. It even comes through the floor of my kitchen. I suspect something is off balance, causing a really strong vibration like a powerful bass speaker.

I've tried looking up the building owner on the Count Tax Assessor's website but wasn't successful so I'll make a trip to the office downtown to speak to someone in person.

If you make a video said-humming air conditioner, and post it to the YouTube, you can then post it in this convo. Try to get up close, without getting shot, of course. :)

Here’s a thought on how to get the owner to take action...possibly...without becoming personally involved: Check the city’s noise ordinances online. You might be surprised at what constitutes a violation.

btw, if you give me the address of the building in question, I’ll try to see if I can locate the owner’s contact information.

Sammy, thank you for your response. I believe the apartment resident with the loud air conditioner has been out of town because I haven't heard it run in awhile. I hear the A/C compressors for the other units in the building and while they are bigger the sound they make doesn't bother me. The problem with using an smartphone to record noise is that smartphones filter out a lot of ambient sound and can't capture how irritating this sound is. The sound is similar to that of large truck idling in front of your place.

Join the club. I'm very sensitive to noise as well. I'm lucky in that I live in a very quiet condo complex in upstate NY. I can't even stand it when I'm driving in my car and some people think everyone wants to listen to their music! So inconsiderate.

Tell em to buy a new one). But seriously good air conditioner should not produce any bad and noisy sound, so they have to repair it, and better to do it as fast as possible, because sound may be caused by rubbing between some important parts, and if it continues working like this it can break much more, and of course the cost of repairment ould increase. So I recommend suggesting to him contacting air conditioner repair servicing and to fix it.

Hello. There could be a mechanical or electrical breakdown with the contractor relay switch, which is responsible for starting the outside unit when the indoor temperature rises to the level where cooling is needed. When the contractor fails, it can create a humming sound. personally, i prefer portable air conditioners. It's quite and handy - you're always can move it to the desired spot. It's easy to clean. For example, this portable ACs will be good for small flats of rooms.

Noise can come from an assortment of places in HVAC equipment.

This video below covers pretty much all of them.....

I service the Katy, Texas area.

Upstairs neighbor runs a fan at night timeit doesn't sound like a fan it sounds like a generator it's very loud it prevents me from sleeping I met my ends with with it. I have been over backwards asking them please to take care of it but nothing has been done. Evidently some people need that noise to sleep this prevents me from sleeping it's going to get worsebecause the air conditioners will be out of the two bedrooms above me and two fans will be running I swear to God I feel like I'm living under a machine shop. This has been going on since March. I'm reluctant to call my landlordbecause they would have to come here and lay in bed and hear what I'm hearing how awful it is. I can't afford to move it's machinery that's running I have addressed this to the woman many times and she don't listen. Response oh I need my fan. Star cat 11:00 p.m. then till 7:00 now all of a sudden they're putting their cereal on at 11:00 I think maybe it's retaliation because they can't keep the dog hereand has to go to doggie daycare which is very expensive..$4,000 a month I'm not listening to any dog bark all day long which is not right to do anyway. Should I write my letter landlord a letter when I paid my rent this month I did give a note one of the owners and asked if I can make an appointment with them at their convenience. That was a couple of days ago.they have a really big business and are busy people millionaires actually but it doesn't matter I am renting here and I'm having sleep problems because of this awful generator that's running should I write a formal letter or call I don't want to call I need to sit down and talk

Air Conditioner Humming Sound.

https://www.heatair.org/

A humming sound generally isn’t serious, but it still signals that something inside your air conditioner is off. Loose parts and refrigerant piping can cause vibration and, if left unchecked, can lead to a more serious maintenance issue.

Sometimes humming or buzzing noises point to electrical problems. If the compressor hums and refuses to start, there may be an issue with the motor, though loose wiring could trigger this noise, too.

Did you find a solution? Is the sound a low constant hum/ringing sound that resonates through all your windows - but not in a windowless room? I have that issue from the outside ductless system about 30 feet away, heat too. Some nights I wake up and it is annoying enough that I cannot get back to sleep. I like my neighbor and have just been living with it.

Ear plugs...there are kinds which construction workers use that blocks out noise for construction sites. Also, think of buying a pair of headphones, which you can also place over the ear plugs and watch nice videos on Netflex. It took me some months but I found a way to make peace with this sound. I hope your situation resolves to where you are back to a sense of calm.

I submit that loosing sleep due to a neighbors noise is often in one's head. If it were your air conditioner squeeking,you would hardly notice. Snoring keep's me awake except when my dog does it I laugh and go right to sleep. A neighbor once complained that another nieghbor's clanging flagpole chain was driving him bonkers. When he figured out the noise was from his wife's wind chime,he was ok.

Yes! Indeed .... I have the same problem. I mentioned to the so call people who thing they know what they are doing and they think I'm lying about the horrible sound. It sounds like the building is going to get in frames one day, but no one cares to pay attention. Lazy people. Lazy managment. Lazy period.

Silvia are you sure they are lazy ? Could be they simply don't like you and are doing it intentionally. Almost ever night CNN has stories of upright and virtous citizens being harrassed or harmed because they are too tall,too short,too light,too dark,worship incorrectly,work for wrong employer,born in a bad place and countless other reasons.

Duane - I'm sorry you had or perhaps still are having such a trying challenge with the exceptionally irritating AC sound. I do hope by now you've found some way to resolve it. I am having almost the exact same problem with a low intense droning sound which goes through my entire body. I hear it as well as feel it. I think it's from my neighbor's AC. If you found a way to resolve your issue and if you have time, would you please share about what you did? Thank you.

I moved into another apartment recently and started having this issue. One particular unit is far more annoying than the rest with a very low grating tone. I think I figured out why when I was running a sweep with a calibrated measurment microphone. In addition to the low tone it gave off, there was an extremely strong subsonic resonance created when the unit was running. Probably because of the mounting method. This resonance is so low frequency that humans can't hear it, but it is very powerful and will affect us like any other extremely loud sound would.

Jake some people are like that,even when not saying a word they are still annoying. Could it be their belly growling at low frequency?

This just happened to me. The sound is blaringly loud and low, and it woke me up around 6am and lasted for about 10 minutes.

It sounds like it's coming from the apartment above, and it's loudest in the bathroom (no windows, it's in the center of my apartment).

When it shuts off it sounds like a switch is flipped and it powers down quickly. It basically permeates my entire little apartment, but the sound is also really loud by the front door so it's hard to even say where it is coming from.

I thought it might be a blender or something but it's not as loud in the kitchen. It drives me insane, only happens early morning so I assume my upstairs neighbor is using something that causes it. I thought maybe a shaver?!?! But nobody's shaver is THAT loud.

Everyone talks about "the hum" and electronics, but this sound is so LOUD and coming from within the building. It's not coming from the windows.

Everyone talks about "the hum" and electronics, but this sound is so LOUD and coming from within the building. It's not coming from the windows.

Rebecca, you'll need to put a trouble call into the apt. complex. While noises such as these can come from HVAC it greatly depends on the structure you're referencing.

In apartment complexes there's commercial grade water heaters, plumbing water pumps.

Given the timing of it (6am), maybe an irrigation pump feeding a sprinkler system. When pumps fail sometimes they don't fail all at once... during that process, before complete failure they can make some good earth shattering sounds.

Does it only happen at 6am?

Yes I think that's the only time I've heard the sound, is right around 6am. We had the snow storm here this past winter and I know it caused damage to a lot of the water system.

It doesn't happen every morning, though. If I put in a trouble call, I doubt I would know what to point them towards if I couldn't show them the sound right away.

It doesn't happen every morning, though. If I put in a trouble call, I doubt I would know what to point them towards if I couldn't show them the sound right away.

Does this apt complex have a sprinker system? Realize sprinkler systems are on timers so the sprinklers may not run every day.

--- It's up to the maintenace staff of the complex to investigate it, you just provide some clues as to where the problem may be coming from.

You'll find out really quick how good the maintenance staff is at resolving issues. You pay for this indirectly via the rent you pay to the complex.

Put 1/4 to 1/2 inch sorbethane pads under the airconditioner's feet. - these will diminish the vibrations but you may still hear the resonance if you are sensitive to low frequencies (hum).Check that the ac's feet are resting on the roof properly.

Sometimes a temporary solution is to move the bed so that your head lies approx in the centre of the room - thats where the standi g waves null themselves. If you walk around the room you will realise that the hum increases when close to corners and walls and decreased as you approsch the centre. Of the room.