Neighbor's loud air conditioner

[nitram]

It's time for your neighbor to get a newer efficient unit. The costs are cheaper now than ever before and there are substantial rebates for upgrading.
A 20 year old unit is probably an 8 SEER unit operating at 4 SEER today. The newer units go up to 20 SEER and the savings are enormous, especially with the rebates. We put in a 18 SEER Trane unit over a year ago and are realizing a 50% savings in electricity over the old 10 SEER we used to have.

[YAZ]

Yep.

We put in a 16 SEER back in April. Our electric bills are almost the same as our rental property, and we have 600 more sq. ft.

1500 bucks knocked off next year from our taxes, cuz of the high efficiency rating.

Talking to the techs that installed our new unit, and they said you could expect 10 -15 years of service from a new one. Older than that and they cost a lot to run, not to mention the high maintenance. We'll see how it goes....

[rockybird]

Update on the AC problem: I paid to have his unit looked at and isopads put under it. They said his unit is just sitting on a couple blocks on the roof while mine is glued and bolted to the roof which is probably why it is vibrating so badly. They also did some other things to minimize the noise. Although I can still hear it, it seems much better. Apparently, there are even some thicker pads they can use to minimize the vibrations if this doesnt work. I highly recommend these guys, if anyone needs ac work. Very affordable and licensed.

[Bummer]

Originally Posted by rockybird

Update on the AC problem: I paid to have his unit looked at and isopads put under it. They said his unit is just sitting on a couple blocks on the roof while mine is glued and bolted to the roof which is probably why it is vibrating so badly. They also did some other things to minimize the noise. Although I can still hear it, it seems much better. Apparently, there are even some thicker pads they can use to minimize the vibrations if this doesnt work. I highly recommend these guys, if anyone needs ac work. Very affordable and licensed.

Sounds like good news, Rockbird.

[Steerpike]

Originally Posted by rockybird

Update on the AC problem: I paid to have his unit looked at and isopads put under it. They said his unit is just sitting on a couple blocks on the roof while mine is glued and bolted to the roof which is probably why it is vibrating so badly. They also did some other things to minimize the noise. Although I can still hear it, it seems much better. Apparently, there are even some thicker pads they can use to minimize the vibrations if this doesnt work. I highly recommend these guys, if anyone needs ac work. Very affordable and licensed.

Since you share a wall, etc, I presume this is a condo/townhouse; are you the owner or a renter? Is your neighbor the owner or a renter? That may affect willingness to pay for repairs/etc. If it is a condo or townhouse, the owner of each unit is typically responsible for the A/C unit, but - I would expect there would be 'standards' as to how the Condenser is mounted - if it is just 'sitting there on pads' that sounds a bit flakey and probably not appropriate; so if the current 'padding' attempts don't help, you may be able to pursue this through the HOA.

I'm having a similar situation; I'm currently renting a condo in an older development. I'm in the upper unit, and both my and my downstairs neighbor's condensers are, essentially, right above my bedroom! When my unit is off, I can hear his unit cycling on and off, and the room vibrates pretty badly. I've taken to wearing earplugs and - thankfully - they are very effective (silicone 'wax', fwiw). Since I'm only a short-term renter, I'm simply putting up with it until I move.

The portion of my A/C unit inside the apartment (heat exchanger/fan) is very noisy too. I spoke to the owner of the condo about it; the development was built in the 80s and the A/C unit is probably original. She knows it is old and creaky, but said it is covered by an insurance policy and they won't replace it unless it completely fails. It breaks down quite often, she said, and each time, the ins. co. sends someone out who makes a repair. She encouraged me to use it as much as possible in the hope it will speed it's failure

I'm looking to buy a condo myself in a similar (old) development; I'm budgeting a replacement a/c - not only will it be quieter, it will also cost a lot less to run. Also, in the condo I'm looking at buying, the A/C units (condensers) are above the kitchen not the bedroom ...

[black eyed suzanne]

Call the cops??? Thats what my neighbor did to me. He came knocking on my door LATE in the night and demanded I call my landlord about my AC unit being loud. I said sure I'll call him tomorrow. He was not satisfied with my response and my refusal to argue with him so he called the police. The two officers were at my house in 7 minutes. Yes....7 minutes for a loud air conditionerP.S. Next time you've been waiting over an hour for the police to arrive after you called 911 to report that your house has been burglarized-just think 7 minute response time to a loud air conditioner call.

[blisterpeanuts]

Ma'am, sorry to disturb you but we're going to have to take your air conditioner down to the station for questioning. It has the right to remain silent....

[ZonyPony]

Originally Posted by blisterpeanuts

Ma'am, sorry to disturb you but we're going to have to take your air conditioner down to the station for questioning. It has the right to remain silent....

I knew a guy who had his rooster arrested for crowing within the city limits...