Air Conditioning - Help Please!!! (A/C Noise)

I am a single woman who knows next to nothing about a/c problems. My outside unit I think it is the compressor) is making a loud clattering noise like there is something loose in there. It did it last year and when the tech charged the freon he made no comment on it. Same last week when it was charged. Guy said no problem other than a small freon leak. Am I making a mountain out of a molehill. I do tend to be a worry wart. The unit is working well and is cooling the house. Anybody out there with some ideas?

beeflat4

The first thing I would check is the condenser fan. This is the fan that sits at the top of the outdoor unit. Frequently, these motors wear out. Sometimes, the blades become loose (not a good situation) or out of balance. It is very easy for a tech to rule out the fan, just disconnect it (but leave the compressor connected) and see if the noise goes away. Alternatively, your compressor could be making noises. This would indicate its days are numbered. One the other hand, it may just be a loose screw or a sheetmetal cover making the noise.

I suggest you get a new tech to look at it.

Worry Wart, your hearing the compressor valves clacking because it was low on refrigerant. Like turning the base way down and treble way up on a charged unit, sounds out of whack.

Same problem last year, same problem this year.

You have an HVAC company counting on a customer not worrying about a customer wondering why the a/c needs to be charged every year. As if it's a gas tank in her car, must have to fill it up every know and again.

The company you have is just waiting, charging you to fix the symptom and not the problem until it kills your compresor. Then the big bill to replace the compressor, and if they don't find and fix the leak then you end up in the same cycle again.

Call a new company and get the leak fixed. Leaks only get bigger.

Chris

Did the noise go away after the unit was charged?