Condenser Unit Fan Noise-Solved by replacing fan blade.

[uncreativeranter]

silly Q but if u had a bad neighbor & they water hosed your outdoor fan is it possible that it would damage or is the outdoor unit designed to withstand water? Its an Akai reverse cycle spilt air conditioner. When I turn to heat the outdoor fan works but theirs no air coming from indoor unit and when i switch to cool air then the outdoor fan stops working but the indoor fan works. I hear a click like your thermostat click maybe also the electricity hum turns on & off compressor? or capacitor?

[phbartoli]

Do you have video of replacing the fan?

[AVontheTube]

@phbartoli No, but it is a very simple job. The fan is held in place with a set screw. Just make sure you put the replacement fan at the same location on the shaft.

[skip4309wtf]

Very good info to keep in the back of my brain if this scenario ever happens to me. thanks...experience is the best teacher to have around. Never would have thought of the fan blade and water being culprit.

[BGreenHVAC]

I haven't encountered a problem only when it is wet. I'll remember this in case I ever do.

[MADBALL9991]

I have a question. We have a Goodman unit that just started making the same noise for the very first time in 10 years during an ice storm this morning. Not only is it loud but the entire unit is vibrating and shaking like a washer when it has too big of a load. Could it also be the fan?

[yantur51]

Good for you, interesting.

[mralph69]

I had a similar problem with my condenser fan except it would make noise only when the temperature dropped. In the evening it would make noise once the sun started to go down - about 40% of the time when started. Cycling the power would fix it for a few starts. The hub portion of the 18" 3-blade fan on my Keep-Rite KAC030 was slightly loose. The press-fit between the two pieces allowed a tiny bit of movement that allowed the blade to into resonance. A replacement blade cost me $27 plus tax.

[laterjim]

@mralph69 do you remeber where you bought your replacement blade? i have a ducane, but i would think there should be a generic blade that will do the trick....ducane OEM blades are running about 125...would love to get something for half that.

[AVontheTube]

The problem was solved by replacing the fan blade. It was caused by one of the blades being a bit porous, causing it to soak up water and throw the fan out of balance until the blade dried out. It was not the impact of the water on the blade. Once the blade was wet, the blade would vibrate, even after the fan cycled off and back on. A new blade, Nordyne part #667303, was quite cheap, around $30 as I recall.

[liennto]

mine makes the exact same noise! except ALL the time, dry or wet. all you did was replace the blades?? please let me know i cant stand the noise of my unit

[rbuszka]

Just from the sound, I can tell that the 2-bladed fan is imbalanced. An imbalanced fan will cause the motor bearings to be noisy, and then the bearing noise is transmitted down the shaft of the fan to the blade. The impact of the water on the blade is sending the motor shaft into eccentric rotation; you could cause the same phenomenon by dropping a few marbles on the blade. Units with two-bladed fans are usually subjectively quieter because of the lower bladepass frequency.

[liennto]

My unit makes the same terrible noise! except when totally dry (or wet). did you figure out the problem? the mechanic who installed it has told me to eff off (i unfortunately already paid him for the install so he's not interested in helping me out... crooks! all of em!) please let me know what you did to fix the problem! thanks

[Rueuhy]

@liennto I do HVAC/R for a living and just wanted you to know we are not all crooks. If there is some problem I work with the homeowner until problem is solved. I also know a few companies who won't even answer their phone from customers who they just sold to. So yes there are a few bad installers out there but not all of us are crooks. Some of us are trying to make a honest living. Sorry you were taken advantage of.

[BGreenHVAC]

@liennto Come on "All of them are crooks" That can be falsely claimed on any occupation. Sure crooks find all kinds of places to hide, but they get exposed. In my experience, techs develop a network and talk in part warehouses. They identify the duds and their companies refuse to hire them. There are bad apples in every job in the world. Calling all of us a fraud is very childish. GROW UP! If you feel strongly about it, contact your local BBB.

[EASYASPIE090]

at 0:39, sounds like my washing machine on high speed

[davfritz]

put a cover over it just so the rain doesn't go in. If you put your mind to it, you should be able to make it "blend in" well enough. Failing that, cut one of the blades from the fan. By doing this, the issue of water generated noise will be less on your mind.

[kylebelcher1]

I have a 2 blade fan. Can anyone one answer this? When lightning strikes,the inside unit starts making a weird sound. What part is making that sound. It does the same when the outside unit blades stop turning.

[MIGMONTERO]

could it b that it warps with the cold water due to the fan blades being hot and thin material

[rdr7361]

Did you replace fan blade with Nordyne part #667303?

[AVontheTube]

Yes.

[classifiedinfo]

I'm curious, is this a manufactured home? I read on the Nordyne website that Millers are built for manufactured homes.

[AVontheTube]

No, it is a regular site-built home. These Miller units were commonly used for site-built homes.

[cdculps]

water on blades throws off balance on bearings in motor

[VideyoJunkei]

So most fans use an odd number of blades so no resonance? Never thought of that...

[SuperWax69]

Thank you sir. I have never seen an art film so touching.

[wmlask]

Two blade fans have an inherent engineering problem of excessive vibration in more than one plane. A 3 or more wing blade will be much more stable and subject the motor bearings to much less wear.

[AVontheTube]

I suspect that is why Miller changed the replacement blade to a 3-wing design.

[hdyudu]

the water puts more wight on the blades and can make noise if it not screw on the spin rod right

[hdyudu]

i can tell it some thing do with a lose blade set by seeing how your camera pick

up the spining fan changed from one to a auther display

[AVontheTube]

It was not a loose blade. The blade assembly had no loose parts or fasteners. The blade was tightly secured to the rod. It was an imbalance problem caused by water adhering to one blade more than the other, possibly due to a difference in the blade surfaces.

[hdyudu]

so it was just a defactive blade im glad you got a three blade set adds more cooling to the condenser

[masshred]

Somehow the blade retained the water, throwing it out of balance, thus causing the vibration. Just like a car tire out of balance, although you cant hear it cause of the rubber.

[mboltonjr]

Sounds to me like the hub on the fan blade was separating. Doesn't take much for the fan blade to vibrate from a loose hub.

And you can't tell it's loose just by feeling it...it's just enough for the motor to rattle it while it's spinning. I've ran into several of those situations on Revcor blade assemblies.

[hdyudu]

i don't think revcor sujust two blades no more for condening units for that season

[rhaa73]

in a carrier unit i had the same problem but it was solved and it runs great. also it happened on a trane

[AVontheTube]

Did you also solve the problem with a new fan blade?

[hdyudu]

i remenber seeing those two brands

use two blade sets on thare units but not any more

[Vinylrecordsneverdie]

2-blades sets were very common in Rheem units. However, I seen some with 3 blades.

[AVontheTube]

The problem turned out to be the fan blade. Nordyne had changed the replacement part from a 2-blade fan to a 3-blade fan. Not sure why the original part got noisy when wet, but speculate the slight weight of water on the blade surface made the blades go into resonance. I put a 3-blade fan in and the noise is gone.