OT: Advice on new HVAC

[PSUTENN1]

Hijacking this thread, because I have a noisy furnace and this is one of my biggest pet peeves about my home. My furnace is in a hallway and it can be heard from every room in the house. The hallway is open to the living areas and causes inconveniences like having to increase the TV volume when it's on, for example. What steps can I take to fix this? I have a small 1500 sq. ft. single story home in Texas. I believe existing duct work runs in the attic. My home, like most in central Texas, does not have a basement.

I had one person tell me it's because I have an return vent and cabinet directly under the furnace and there is no ducting between the return and furnace, which causes the noise to come right out of the return vent and into the house. While this is true about how the noise can escape, I don't know if him suggesting moving the return to a different location and putting in some ducting is the proper solution.

Sounds like your friend knows what he’s talking about.

Slowing down the indoor fan might help the noise.

Is there a filter in the grill?

Try going to Home Depot and buy the type of air filter that you have to cut to fit, and you can remove them to clean them. They’re green and they look like a mat you might put outside your door.

That might help. Other than moving that unit to the attic there’s not a lot you can do.

 

[PSUSignore]

Sounds like your friend knows what he’s talking about.

Slowing down the indoor fan might help the noise.

Is there a filter in the grill?

Try going to Home Depot and buy the type of air filter that you have to cut to fit, and you can remove them to clean them. They’re green and they look like a mat you might put outside your door.

That might help. Other than moving that unit to the attic there’s not a lot you can do.

I wasn't sure about that recommended solution because an HVAC guy I had come out for a completely different issue said that would be a bad idea, and that the best way to have the return is the way mine is currently installed. My filter is between the open space under the furnace and the the furnace itself. I think it's a lousy filter, it looks like a thin window screen with a plastic frame and it usually doesn't show much dirt when it's time to clean it. It's a reusable permanent filter. The HVAC guy said it's among the worst types of filters. It came with the furnace and is of a unique size, none of the disposables I tried will fit properly in the same opening which is why I've been using it. Because it's such a thin mesh screen it also obviously does little to block sound. The other thought I had was to put a pad or filter directly on the back of the vent, which would essentially act as another filter. Again my HVAC guy suggested against that because it would reduce air flow through the return.

Is this the filter you're referencing?
https://www.homedepot.com/p/True-Bl...get-FRP-2-Washable-Filter-HD0124361/202195941

 

[PSUTENN1]

Nope. The filter Inwould teccomend is about 1” thick, and looks like a giant green scrubbie.

Moving the unit wouldn’t be cheap.

I assume you have a “grill” on the wall. Try this...take the grill off the wall and run the unit. Is it more quiet? Try it and let me know.

 

[PSUTENN1]

I wasn't sure about that recommended solution because an HVAC guy I had come out for a completely different issue said that would be a bad idea, and that the best way to have the return is the way mine is currently installed. My filter is between the open space under the furnace and the the furnace itself. I think it's a lousy filter, it looks like a thin window screen with a plastic frame and it usually doesn't show much dirt when it's time to clean it. It's a reusable permanent filter. The HVAC guy said it's among the worst types of filters. It came with the furnace and is of a unique size, none of the disposables I tried will fit properly in the same opening which is why I've been using it. Because it's such a thin mesh screen it also obviously does little to block sound. The other thought I had was to put a pad or filter directly on the back of the vent, which would essentially act as another filter. Again my HVAC guy suggested against that because it would reduce air flow through the return.

Is this the filter you're referencing?
https://www.homedepot.com/p/True-Bl...get-FRP-2-Washable-Filter-HD0124361/202195941

Sorry just saw your link. Yes, that’s very close to the filter I would try.

 

[Pinkhippo PeanutButter]

HVAC guys & industry are right up there with mattress stores in terms of obscuring the actual information needed for a customer to make an informed choice.

Generally, reviews are worthless too, because a typical homeowner would have no way of knowing if the sales guy sold the wrong thing, if the installer screwed up, or if the equipment was a lemon.

It's a joke.

 

[PSUSignore]

Nope. The filter Inwould teccomend is about 1” thick, and looks like a giant green scrubbie.

Moving the unit wouldn’t be cheap.

I assume you have a “grill” on the wall. Try this...take the grill off the wall and run the unit. Is it more quiet? Try it and let me know.

Yes I have a grill on the wall with nothing else attached, it's just a metal vent covering the open wall space which is directly below the furnace. The only things between the furnace and the living space are the metal vent cover and the thin mesh screen style filter on the bottom of the furnace, if following the path of the returned air. The furnace is also behind a closet door, but that is way thicker and would block more sound than the open return would. The noise is fan noise, not rattling or anything like that which might come from the vent cover.

 

[SLUPSU]

Yes I have a grill on the wall with nothing else attached, it's just a metal vent covering the open wall space which is directly below the furnace. The only things between the furnace and the living space are the metal vent cover and the thin mesh screen style filter on the bottom of the furnace, if following the path of the returned air. The furnace is also behind a closet door, but that is way thicker and would block more sound than the open return would. The noise is fan noise, not rattling or anything like that which might come from the vent cover.

Here is a product that is used in commercial construction that might help your situation.
http://www.ruskin.com/category/332~Grille-Silencers

 

[PSUTENN1]

So, what you can do is take that grill off the wall and use a pair of pliers and open up the louvers on that grill. That will help the noise problem a lot.

 

[SLUPSU]

Yes I have a grill on the wall with nothing else attached, it's just a metal vent covering the open wall space which is directly below the furnace. The only things between the furnace and the living space are the metal vent cover and the thin mesh screen style filter on the bottom of the furnace, if following the path of the returned air. The furnace is also behind a closet door, but that is way thicker and would block more sound than the open return would. The noise is fan noise, not rattling or anything like that which might come from the vent cover.

some more suggestions..... I am assuming that the majority of noise you're hearing is unit noise and not air noise, if so, the sound has a straight shot from the unit to the grill. Can the grille be raised up toward the ceiling? This would create one additional barrier to deflect the noise within your HVAC closet and you could also install insulation inside the closet to absorb some of the sound.