My system was installed in two phases. In April we installed the vertical ground loops for both the house and free standing office; one 270' bore for the office (1 12/ton) and 2-270' bores for the house (3-ton). We installed a "package" unit Climate Master 27 in the crawl space of the house and waited until October (for my money to catch up) to install the office Climate Master 20. We had record heat in Raleigh, NC this summer but my electrical consumption (for air conditioning) was down 49% during the billing period of June to August. And that was while I was still running the old 10 SEER A/C in the office! Winter temperatures have been mild so far this year but my October to December electrical cost has only increased by $20.00 a month (I was heating with propane before). My typical propane consumption has been 800 gallons/per year and this years quote for propane was $3.44/gallon (Amerigas Co). While one does not usually expect to have a "pay back" period for replacing an HVAC system it is clear that I will will and that it will be less than four years. The only mistake was using a packaged unit in the crawl space. Compressor noise transmits through the firewall into the blower compartment and is broadcast through the duct system. It sounds like a washing machine chugging away. An indoor "split" system would have prevented the noise transfer and the compressor cabinet could have been wrapped up in sound deadening foam, ha well, next time.
Always fun to read these success stories, thanks for sharing. I am just over 16 months on my system and could not be happier.... Not for the average person, but I found that my compressor shipping brackets had not been removed. Although not silent it really tamed the unit down, now all I typically hear is the blower on.
Many thanks to tstolze; I had already checked the compressor compartment for anything that might transfer noise, but not the blower compartment. In it I found a piece of styrofoam wedged between the blower and the cabinet. When I removed it my noise levels dropped considerably. What I thought was the compressor was just the blower transferring its vibrations to the air handle cabinet and the cabinet was acting like a drum! Marty
I am not entirely clear about how your system is constructed, but I would add that ductwork can be insulated on the inside as well as outside. Insulation on the INSIDE quiets transmitted noise. In commercial we commonly run a rubber flex section on air handlers to stop vibration from traveling down ductwork and resonating elsewhere, like someone's office. Residential can do the same thing. So an inserted rubber flex section will stop physical vibration from traveling, and internal insulation or possibly the use of fiber ductboard (or a section of it) can attenuate noise levels) . Others have pointed out that sometimes installers do not release the compressor spring mounts that are compressed during shipment. Your compressor needs to float or bounce freely on intact fully compressible springs if so equipped. Sometimes the manufacturer just uses rubber grommets or rubber mounts instead. And one other thing; some manufacturers have an actual sound blanket accessory for compressors and even include them when purchased when they know their compressor is noisy. They do not hurt cooling of the compressor, they just reduce noise.
We put my unit on today and you can hear nothing....if it were not for the curtains moving I would not know when its on. If I am quite I can hear some air noise in the ducts. Our unit is sat on concrete in our home mechanical room. We forgot to put the rubber mat under it and it still is quiet. go figure.
