What to do
The legislation of the regions independently determines the period of daytime and nighttime. However, the noise standards that must be observed in a given period in the country are the same.
The noise level in the daytime cannot exceed 40 dB, and at night - 30 dB.
As practice shows, the main causes of noise from the air conditioner are:
- malfunction of block parts;
- improper installation of equipment;
- wear of individual parts.
In addition, with improper installation, condensation from the air conditioner may enter the balcony or windows of neighbors. It can also cause dissatisfaction among citizens.
Procedure for conflict resolution:
- Conversation with a neighbor.
- Contacting the police.
- Contacting Rospotrebnadzor.
- Appeal to the court.
The law prohibits citizens from independently dismantling neighbors' equipment that interferes with your peace of mind. The issue should be resolved exclusively within the framework of the law.
Conversation with a neighbor
If you are disturbed by noise and vibration from a neighboring air conditioner, you must inform the owner of the equipment. Maybe he just doesn't know that his air conditioner is bothering you.
In addition, there are situations when, due to installation errors, noise is directed to some rooms and does not get into others. Therefore, it may well be that the noise is only disturbing you.
During the conversation, you do not need to be rude and threaten. It is necessary to calmly explain that the noise from the equipment brings discomfort.
Of course, communication does not guarantee an instant correction of the situation, but this stage should not be underestimated. At least 30% of citizens meet their neighbors halfway without waiting for additional measures.
Contacting the police
If the noise at night exceeds the established norms, you can call the police squad. This situation is popular with inexpensive Chinese models. They make a loud noise even at rest.
You can measure the level yourself. To do this, you can use a household sound level meter or a specialized application on a smartphone.
If the situation repeats itself constantly, write a complaint to the district police officer. He will visit the violator, draw up an administrative protocol and hold a preventive conversation.
More than 50% of neighbors repair or dismantle equipment after talking to police officers.
Contacting Rospotrebnadzor
Self-measurement of the noise level is suitable for informational purposes. To apply to the court, you will need the result of a specialized examination.
It is carried out by employees of Rospotrebnadzor. The specialist will not only measure the noise level, but also issue an administrative protocol if the permissible level is exceeded.
The procedure is carried out on a paid basis. The applicant orders the departure of a specialist and pays for his services.
The main disadvantage of the situation is the impossibility of measuring at night. A Rospotrebnadzor specialist visits citizens' apartments only during working hours.
Going to court
If repeated prosecutions did not give a result and the neighbor did not dismantle or subdue the air conditioner, then it is necessary to defend your rights in court.
In 2019, there is already a judicial practice to force neighbors to dismantle equipment.
In order for the court to satisfy the applicant's requirements for dismantling, it is necessary to prove that the operating equipment creates noise and vibration that interfere with the applicant. A prerequisite is the availability of the results of the examination.
In addition, the outdoor unit of the air conditioner is mounted on a load-bearing wall. In accordance with the law, load-bearing walls are common property. Therefore, for its use for personal purposes, it is necessary to obtain the consent of the owners.
The procedure must be carried out in the form of a vote at a general meeting. Voting can be in-person or absentee.
In the presence of the results of the examination on the excess of noise and vibration levels, the absence of a voting protocol of the meeting of neighbors, the court is guaranteed to satisfy the requirements of the applicant.
The quietest indoor and outdoor units are in inverter air conditioners of the upper price group.
It should be noted that air conditioners can be a source of not only the monotonous noise created by the air flow, but also some other sounds - crackles, hisses, gurgles, clicks. Usually these noises are noticeable only in complete silence, but they can interfere with restful sleep, since sudden sounds are much more annoying than monotonous noise. These sounds are of different nature. Cracks occur when parts of a plastic case expand and contract due to temperature changes. Freon can gurgle and hiss when the compressor is turned on and off. And clicks occur when switching relays that control the operation of the fan, compressor and other components of the air conditioner. Of all these noises, the most annoying is the crackling of the case - such sounds can even wake you up in the middle of the night. You can recognize a “crackling” indoor unit by cheap plastic, which in appearance and feel is significantly different from the plastic from which premium air conditioners are made. Inverter air conditioners generally produce less noise because they don't experience the temperature spikes associated with the compressor switching on and off.
If you really need a "quiet" air conditioner, you can be advised to go around several companies that have showrooms with working samples of air conditioners before buying, touch the indoor units, listen to how they work in various modes. In general, as a rule, the most "advanced" and expensive air conditioners are also the quietest.
A few words about the outdoor unit. With the windows closed, otherwise it is not allowed to operate the air conditioner, the noise of the outdoor unit is practically inaudible. But this noise is clearly audible to your neighbors if they themselves do not have air conditioning installed and all windows are open. Although the noise of the outdoor unit of a serviceable household air conditioner never exceeds the level allowed for a residential area, this noise can still greatly disturb residents, especially at night. Note that the difference in the noise level of the outdoor units of air conditioners of the upper and lower price groups is significantly higher than the difference in the noise level of the indoor units. Some Daikin split systems even have a "Quiet outdoor unit" function, which, when turned on, reduces the noise level of the outdoor unit by half.
Air conditioner noise level
For most household air conditioners, the noise level of the indoor unit lies in the range of 26 - 36 dB. Outdoor unit - 38 - 54 dB. It can be seen that the noise of the operating indoor unit does not exceed the noise level of the office space.
Therefore, it makes sense to pay attention to the noise level of the air conditioner if you plan to install it in a quiet room (bedroom, private office, etc.)
It would seem that now it is enough to choose an air conditioner with the lowest noise level, and comfort is guaranteed. But not everything is so simple: it may turn out that an air conditioner with a noise level of 26 dB in practice will work louder than an air conditioner with a level of 32 dB. Moreover, there is no deception here, and all measurements were carried out correctly. And here's the thing. Any air conditioner can operate in several dozen modes, and each mode has its own noise level. Since the main noise source of the indoor unit is the air flow through the fan, radiator and distribution louvers, it is logical to measure the noise level at the lowest fan speed and keep this speed as low as possible.The problem is that in this mode, the air conditioner will not produce the declared power and in hot weather it will either automatically switch to a higher speed (with increased noise) or will not be able to maintain the set temperature. In a complete description of the air conditioner, as a rule, the noise level is given for all fan operation modes, or at least the maximum and minimum values. At the same time, the typical noise level of the indoor unit of a premium air conditioner is 27 - 31 - 34 dB for a three-speed fan. In the advertising booklet, however, only the lowest figure of 27 dB can be given, and not the more correct maximum noise value of 34 dB.
