ᐅ Heat pump noise issues – user experiences

Created on: 12 Jan 2024 19:17
N
Nanoneo
N
Nanoneo
12 Jan 2024 19:17
Hello,

We have an air-to-water heat pump from Ochsner (Air Basic 211 C11B ELW8).

Especially when it gets cold, but also at other times, we have a serious noise problem. When the heat pump runs at high power, we hear a humming/buzzing throughout the entire house. Whether in the bathroom and bedroom on the opposite side of the house, the living room, or the basement — it resonates everywhere.

The outdoor unit with the condenser is installed on a concrete base on the roof of the garage attached to the house. The outdoor unit is located directly in front of a 2 x 1.50-meter (6.5 x 5 feet) window as well as in front of a child’s room with a window facing the heat pump.

We’re at a loss right now. Customer service was on-site—technically, the unit is fine. The heat pump is placed on rubber mats to avoid structure-borne noise transmission. However, I suspect this isn’t working very well. The noise is probably a mix of airborne and structure-borne sound.

Either we freeze now or can’t sleep due to the extremely loud humming.

Does anyone have any advice (elevating the unit? Acoustic cover?)? I have turned the heating curve down significantly so the heat pump doesn’t have to work as much, which has improved the situation slightly.

We bought the house, not built it. So far, installers have only suggested relocating the unit, but that would cost up to €10,000.

I hope someone has experience with this.
Thanks a lot for your help.
R
RotorMotor
12 Jan 2024 20:38
How old is the heat pump? Was the issue known to the seller?
N
Nanoneo
12 Jan 2024 23:05
RotorMotor schrieb:

How old is the heat pump? Was the seller aware of the problem?
The house was built in 2019, but I can’t say whether the seller was aware of it.

The heat pump is also located next to a child’s bedroom window. We are expecting our first child this summer, but that’s definitely not something any child should have to deal with in winter. We are grateful for any ideas besides relocating it.
A
aero2016
13 Jan 2024 07:00
That must be structure-borne noise, since airborne sound primarily spreads out in a roughly spherical pattern forward.

With friends, there was a small metal plate inside the casing of the heat pump that was causing the exact same issue. I recall that several installers claimed the system was fine and said the problem was imagined. Only an older technician identified the issue. Since then, there have been no further problems. Maybe you have something similar going on.
OWLer13 Jan 2024 10:17
A photo of the installation situation from the rear or in profile would be helpful.
N
Nanoneo
13 Jan 2024 16:49
OWLer schrieb:

A photo of the unit’s rear side or profile would be helpful.

Attached are the photos of the heat pump
Outdoor condenser of an air conditioning unit with fan grille on a concrete pad outside.

Outdoor air conditioning unit on a flat roof with ice and snow, red excavator in the background