Moving HVAC unit

[nisryus]

So I have a two stories house which we moved in two years ago. The central HVAC is located right in the middle of the house. Since wife is recovering from radiation and chemo, she is very sensitive to noise and vibration, and will be so for years to come.

How much would be it to move the HVAC from second floor to somewhere else, not too centralize? There are two air intakes, one is on the ceiling of the first floor, and the unit itself is in the closet on the second floor with the second intake below the closet door, right outside the master bedroom. When it is on, especially during Texas summer, the noise is pretty loud, to her, from both the first floor ceiling intake and the unit itself.

I am sure moving it would require a lot of money, and possibly demo a section of wall and a lot of reconnecting of the ducts. Anyone has experienced with this?

 

[Mr.IncrediblyBored]

You said the HVAC unit is on the second floor. Do the supply lines run through the attic? That would make it easier to re-do if you really had to.

IMO, you are better off addressing the noise with sound deadening and isolation than moving the unit. Moving it to another area of the house sounds like a nightmare.

 

[Greenman]

So I have a two stories house which we moved in two years ago. The central HVAC is located right in the middle of the house. Since wife is recovering from radiation and chemo, she is very sensitive to noise and vibration, and will be so for years to come.

How much would be it to move the HVAC from second floor to somewhere else, not too centralize? There are two air intakes, one is on the ceiling of the first floor, and the unit itself is in the closet on the second floor with the second intake below the closet door, right outside the master bedroom. When it is on, especially during Texas summer, the noise is pretty loud, to her, from both the first floor ceiling intake and the unit itself.

I am sure moving it would require a lot of money, and possibly demo a section of wall and a lot of reconnecting of the ducts. Anyone has experienced with this?

It's the furnace or air handler you're talking about, the AC compressor is outside.
Moving it all depends on the layout of the house and where the ducts are. You'll have to make spaces to run the new ducts. It's impossible to tell you what it would take without the plans for the house in front of me. If everything could just be dropped down through the floor in a chase, you might get it done for just two or three thousand bucks. If it requires building chases and tearing up walls all over the house, ten to fifteen thousand wouldn't be out of the question.
Before pursuing any of that, look into a quieter furnace. That would be a one or two day job for an HVAC contractor. If they send out a salesmen to talk to you, don't use them. You want the grumpy old old guy that swears a lot and drives a ten year old truck.

 

[nisryus]

The unit was only 2 years old when we bought the house, so it is fairly new. Thx greenman. I will check to see how much it costs to get a quieter one.

I even thought of covering the ceiling air intake with a piece of board, and it actually did reduced the noise by a lot. The only issue still is the main unit in the closet is outside the bedroom, so operating it is.. noisy. Plus covering one intake might alter/reduce the airflow it requires.

Knight, the unit is in a closet in the center with an opening for air intake directly above the main hallway, so yes moving it requires lot of duct work, and demoing part of the wall and stair, due to how it is positioned. (what was the builder/designer thinking!?) 10 to 15 k would be.. too much..

My in-laws have suggested us to move back to the old house, and rent this one out since the old house they helped us paid for is currently a rental. But i just don't have the heart to terminate the lease and kick the current tenants out, they are nice people.

 

[Micrornd]

My in-laws have suggested us to move back to the old house, and rent this one out since the old house they helped us paid for is currently a rental. But i just don't have the heart to terminate the lease and kick the current tenants out, they are nice people.

What about a swap?
Tenants to the new house, your family to the old house?

 

[nisryus]

The tenant like the area around the old house and don't want to swap. Plus I have been nice to them, as they have financial issue and have never been able to pay rent on time. (usually a week or two after the due date). So yeah, wife was not happy with them at all.

 

[NetWareHead]

It might just be cheaper and actually feasible to get the wife a set of noise canceling headphones or earplugs so she can rest.

Existing ductwork is going to dictate where the air handler can reside unless you want to rip open walls and reduct your house. I remember my parents adding hvac to an old house and we eventually had to deal with ductwork invading our personal spaces. Remember the closet in my room lost a quarter of its space since they used that to run the return between floors.

Look into options for the hvac closet like lining it with insulation or a noise reduction jacket for the air handler.

Another option is to look at mini split systems for hvac which uses small individual units in each room. Very quiet and eliminate the need to run ductwork.

 

[monkeydelmagico]

To be clear are we talking about noise from the HVAC unit(s) themselves or duct noise? OP mentions blocking a duct and greatly reducing the offending noise.

I recently renovated an older house and had an entire forced air system installed in place of steam heat. It was costly ($10k) and destructive. The cleanup, framing in chases, drywall work, etc. I did myself. The house was not occupied at the time and I think it would be difficult to impossible to occupy during such a renovation.

 

[NutBucket]

Just curious but why did you decided to switch from steam? From a heat perspective isn't steam better? Obviously if you want AC it doesn't make sense to have both systems.

 

[monkeydelmagico]

Just curious but why did you decided to switch from steam? From a heat perspective isn't steam better? Obviously if you want AC it doesn't make sense to have both systems.

OT: Sorry OP

Abandoned/Tax Lien/Sheriff sale home. Boiler, piping, and all radiators were removed by scavengers. Basically it would have been a total steam refit. It was more cost effective at that point to put in central air.

Believe me, if the old radiators has still been in place I probably would have gone with a boiler. So warmmmm and Toasty!

 

[NutBucket]

Gotcha. Makes total sense

 

[nisryus]

It might just be cheaper and actually feasible to get the wife a set of noise canceling headphones or earplugs so she can rest.

Existing ductwork is going to dictate where the air handler can reside unless you want to rip open walls and reduct your house. I remember my parents adding hvac to an old house and we eventually had to deal with ductwork invading our personal spaces. Remember the closet in my room lost a quarter of its space since they used that to run the return between floors.

Look into options for the hvac closet like lining it with insulation or a noise reduction jacket for the air handler.

Another option is to look at mini split systems for hvac which uses small individual units in each room. Very quiet and eliminate the need to run ductwork.

She tried noise canceling headphone and earplugs, but didn't help with the vibration and change of air pressure.

To magico, it is more like both. The main air intake for air cycling is open on the ceiling of the first floor, and the opening directly suck air back into the unit itself. The unit itself although is in a closet, but there is a second air intake right below the closet door. This second air intake connects to the first one, so the noisy and vibration also come out of it, not just from the closet itself.

 

[Greenman]

Being only 2 or 3 years old, you might be able to reduce the fan speed, that would reduce noise as well. You'll have to look up the specs for your unit to see if it's possible. It's just moving a few wires. The furnace would also run longer if you do that.

 

[NetWareHead]

She tried noise canceling headphone and earplugs, but didn't help with the vibration and change of air pressure.

Then u might want to reconsider evicting or not renewing the tenant lease. Sucks for them but when renting, any reasonable tenant should expect his stay to always be temporary.

My next door neighbor moved out and installed a tenant. They had some problem with their next place and needed to move out; some sort of problem that made their residence uninhabitable. It coincided with the tenant's next door lease renewal and he told them he needed the place so his own family could live somewhere and didn't offer them a renewal. Sucks for the tenant but you need to look out for your own first and foremost. They made alot or noise and badmouthed the landlord to us. Understandably the tenant was pissy but you can always rent it to someone else later. Good luck to you and your wife.

 

[nisryus]

Thanks Greenman, I will look into the specs and see if i can reduce the fan speed.

I am just too soft so each time things no go right I went out of my way to fix it so the tenant could live safe and happy, because they have kids. I just replaced the gas range and installed new garage door opener, because they said it was a little noisy and woke the kid up when the father goes to work in early morning. The old range and door opener were perfectly fine, just don't look new.

If all else, i will have to muscle up and ask to terminate the lease.

Yeah, wife complains that i am a softie. =/

 

[monkeydelmagico]

She tried noise canceling headphone and earplugs, but didn't help with the vibration and change of air pressure.

To magico, it is more like both. The main air intake for air cycling is open on the ceiling of the first floor, and the opening directly suck air back into the unit itself. The unit itself although is in a closet, but there is a second air intake right below the closet door. This second air intake connects to the first one, so the noisy and vibration also come out of it, not just from the closet itself.

Have you tried running the system with different filters or remove the filter temporarily?

 

[nisryus]

I have tried different brand of filters and even removed them. Noise level remained the same.

 

[monkeydelmagico]

I have tried different brand of filters and even removed them. Noise level remained the same.

Got it. Next step is to evaluate the air handler. The company that did your installation may be able to recommend a repair, replacement unit, or noise isolation tactics. When the company I hired did my installation it was put into the attic. Rather than resting the unit on the floor, which would have been the ceiling for the master bedroom they hung it from the rafters. This GREATLY reduced NVH transfer to the second story as the unit was no longer in direct contact.

For your situation there may be some form of installation insulation or re-engineering of the install room that could help.

 

[nisryus]

I called and spoke with the company and they had send someone to talk to us in person last friday afternoon (after my other post above), and evaluated the house structure for replacement or moving of the unit. What was shocking was that it would costs 8k to replace it, and 13k to move it. I couldn't believe it so I called two other places for a quote and the prices weren't cheap. Other places didn't even wanted to swap, but quoted me for a new unit....

Wife and in-laws are tending toward moving back to the old house. If the tenant agrees to move out before summer, that will be the direct we are heading.

Thanks everyone for the help! now to start another thread on contractors vs homdepot!!!

 

[tynopik]

I called and spoke with the company and they had send someone to talk to us in person last friday afternoon (after my other post above), and evaluated the house structure for replacement or moving of the unit. What was shocking was that it would costs 8k to replace it, and 13k to move it. I couldn't believe it so I called two other places for a quote and the prices weren't cheap. Other places didn't even wanted to swap, but quoted me for a new unit....

Wife and in-laws are tending toward moving back to the old house. If the tenant agrees to move out before summer, that will be the direct we are heading.

Thanks everyone for the help! now to start another thread on contractors vs homdepot!!!

why not just leave the system in place but not run it and add some mini splits?

alternatively, just move to a different bedroom?

 

[NetWareHead]

why not just leave the system in place but not run it and add some mini splits?

alternatively, just move to a different bedroom?

What about a basement bedroom? Might not cost too much to fit out, or if your wife doesnt mind, just a bed and some stuff down there for her to rest when she needs it. Should be cheap to install a mini-split in the basement and keep the loud hvac in place for the rest of the house. The basement will probably be isolated from the noise

 

[tynopik]

you might also want some dedicated consultants to offer opinions

these are 2 guys i've noticed who are into serious air flow management, check out some of their other videos
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xy4OvjEd3IE ( they're starting a tv show and might be interested in featuring you since you have a nice sob story https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dMxfnhDxBrs)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q_1RwEopaYQ

even if they can't help you themselves, they should be able to put you in contact with someone who can

another video on quieting systems: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gr4XaQ8rr9A

 

[nisryus]

There is no basement as the house is built on a concerte slab.

The in-laws (majority owner as they help me buy the houses) and wife have made their minds so we will be moving back to the old house and either sell or lease this one out. =/