I have a Jayco Journey Pop-top, fitted with a Truma Aventa (Comfort) air conditioner and wish to enquire if anyone has experienced noise when the compressor cuts in either on cold or heat setting.
I know a little bit of extra noise is normal, but this extra droning noise i think is excessive. Has anyone had success in quietening the compressor noise down to a acceptable level.
Rassy.
Possum3 said
08:20 AM Oct 5, 2022
Welcome to GN's Rassy,
I don't know how to quieten a A/C other than replacing it with a newer model. I would think a noise is quite normal when compressor cuts in, particularly when on heat setting.
erad said
12:05 PM Oct 5, 2022
Noise from the A/C unit comes mainly from the compressor. It has a piston going up and down, hence some vibration. This vibration transfers to the frame of the unit and thence to the roof of the caravan. Typically, the compressor is mounted on rubber mounts to minimise vibrations, but there is a limit as to how much they can achieve this. Check the mounting of the unit itself onto the roof. You may be able to mount it on some rubber which will form a gasket to keep rainout, but also dampen vibrations.
Caravan air conditioners are typically noisy beasts at the best of times. You have to move lots of air through relatively small outlets, thus the air velocity is relatively high. High velocity means higher noise levels. You cannot do much about it unless you fit a domestic A/C unit.
-- Edited by erad on Wednesday 5th of October 2022 12:09:09 PM
Hetho said
12:40 PM Oct 5, 2022
Good morning Rassy.
I`m sorry to report, but I had the same unit and it does "Drone" at all times, but unfortunately more noticeable at night because all is quiet and for some reason you tend to concentrate on noises.
I removed mine and checked every thing, including an extra rubber seal around the roof mounting. No change.
I purchased a portable oil heater to us during the cooler months to avoid using the aircon at night for heat, but during the hotter months it was either suck it up or open windows.
However, I did hear noisier aircons during our travels.
I eventually eliminated the problem by selling the van.
Regards.
Hetho
Whenarewethere said
12:43 PM Oct 5, 2022
Pretty much highlighted every issue with noise.
You need to isolate, block & absorb noise. So it is a matter mounting things properly. Panels that don't vibrate & soak up noise where possible.
There will be different frequencies, higher frequencies are easier to fix, each frequency range will have to be addressed differently.
There maybe some ideas here you can adapt to your particular noise issues:
You might also find some nodal points where it sounds louder than in other positions. Also nodal points in the caravan's panels. Placing a bit of mass at the right point can reduce noise a bit.
Even simple things like leaving some cupboard doors open can break up noise being reflected around the caravan.
Sit some foam cushions & towels on benchtop might help a bit. It's just trial & error, try with things you have to see if you can narrow down things a bit.
If the ceiling vibrates a bit. Try one night with a tentpole jammed up to the ceiling with a bit of mass against the ceiling. Just experiment.
-- Edited by watsea on Wednesday 5th of October 2022 04:47:45 PM
Whenarewethere said
08:56 AM Oct 6, 2022
If you use industrial ear plugs together with Uvex Xv 36db earmuffs (green not the blue ones) you pretty much have a quiet environment other than in Ukraine, but the Uvex Xv 36db earmuffs on their own are seriously good, they are about $80, nevertheless they are cheaper than stuffing up your hearing in the long run.
I have adapted a portable Dimplex reverse cycle air conditioner for our Unit as we have no where to install a split system around our block of units, on the external side it is so quiet I can run it after 10pm as it is so quiet no one would know it is running. It's been a two decade project, works really well for its 3.5kW capacity. But it has been a challenge reducing noise internally, but I have got it down to a reasonable level.
I have used acoustic batts, acoustic foam, mass loaded vinyl, vibration isolation. The original Dimplex air conditioner was extremely noisy sitting in a room. But I am reasonably happy with the end result installed in the roof space. Actually bought a second hand AC as our first one died from old age. I know the feeling!
If you put in the effort you can turn a crap caravan or home system into something half reasonable.
These blocks I added each side of the roof space AC enclosure made from particle board flooring solved a low frequency resonance problem in our kitchen as a result of a reflected noise of the external wall of our Unit. An acoustic nodal point. Very low tech, but it did the trick.
Inside the styrene foam box is an air filter for the condenser side of the air conditioner, easier than cleaning the AC condenser as I can wash the filter under the shower. I also have an additional 70 watt inline duct fan to increase air pressure to the air conditioner. I can't really measure if this extra 70 watts helps the AC enough to be worthwhile, but my gut feel is that it is worthwhile.
If one puts in a bit of effort you can improve all crap products.
Thanks all for your replies, I thought someone might have had a fix. I will look around for a discarded unit and do some experimenting.
Rassy said
10:09 AM Jan 30, 2023
Hi all, after putting up with the TRUMA AVENTA (COMFORT) Air Conditioner for 4 years, i decided to replace it with a Dometic Harrier Lite and am verry impressed with this new verry quite air conditioner. Hence the old unit is for sale as a going concern ( was working perfectly, just noisy ) or just use it for parts. $400.00 You collect.
Hi All,
I have a Jayco Journey Pop-top, fitted with a Truma Aventa (Comfort) air conditioner and wish to enquire if anyone has experienced noise when the compressor cuts in either on cold or heat setting.
I know a little bit of extra noise is normal, but this extra droning noise i think is excessive. Has anyone had success in quietening the compressor noise down to a acceptable level.
Rassy.
I don't know how to quieten a A/C other than replacing it with a newer model. I would think a noise is quite normal when compressor cuts in, particularly when on heat setting.
Noise from the A/C unit comes mainly from the compressor. It has a piston going up and down, hence some vibration. This vibration transfers to the frame of the unit and thence to the roof of the caravan. Typically, the compressor is mounted on rubber mounts to minimise vibrations, but there is a limit as to how much they can achieve this. Check the mounting of the unit itself onto the roof. You may be able to mount it on some rubber which will form a gasket to keep rainout, but also dampen vibrations.
Caravan air conditioners are typically noisy beasts at the best of times. You have to move lots of air through relatively small outlets, thus the air velocity is relatively high. High velocity means higher noise levels. You cannot do much about it unless you fit a domestic A/C unit.
-- Edited by erad on Wednesday 5th of October 2022 12:09:09 PM
Good morning Rassy.
I`m sorry to report, but I had the same unit and it does "Drone" at all times, but unfortunately more noticeable at night because all is quiet and for some reason you tend to concentrate on noises.
I removed mine and checked every thing, including an extra rubber seal around the roof mounting. No change.
I purchased a portable oil heater to us during the cooler months to avoid using the aircon at night for heat, but during the hotter months it was either suck it up or open windows.
However, I did hear noisier aircons during our travels.
I eventually eliminated the problem by selling the van.
Regards.
Hetho
Pretty much highlighted every issue with noise.
You need to isolate, block & absorb noise. So it is a matter mounting things properly. Panels that don't vibrate & soak up noise where possible.
There will be different frequencies, higher frequencies are easier to fix, each frequency range will have to be addressed differently.
There maybe some ideas here you can adapt to your particular noise issues:
https://thegreynomads.activeboard.com/t65443581/car-acoustic-insulation/
You might also find some nodal points where it sounds louder than in other positions. Also nodal points in the caravan's panels. Placing a bit of mass at the right point can reduce noise a bit.
Even simple things like leaving some cupboard doors open can break up noise being reflected around the caravan.
Sit some foam cushions & towels on benchtop might help a bit. It's just trial & error, try with things you have to see if you can narrow down things a bit.
If the ceiling vibrates a bit. Try one night with a tentpole jammed up to the ceiling with a bit of mass against the ceiling. Just experiment.
If all else fails, how about, www.earjobs.com.au/collections/sleeping-ear-plugs?
Sorry, it was an attempt at humour.
-- Edited by watsea on Wednesday 5th of October 2022 04:47:45 PM
If you use industrial ear plugs together with Uvex Xv 36db earmuffs (green not the blue ones) you pretty much have a quiet environment other than in Ukraine, but the Uvex Xv 36db earmuffs on their own are seriously good, they are about $80, nevertheless they are cheaper than stuffing up your hearing in the long run.
I have adapted a portable Dimplex reverse cycle air conditioner for our Unit as we have no where to install a split system around our block of units, on the external side it is so quiet I can run it after 10pm as it is so quiet no one would know it is running. It's been a two decade project, works really well for its 3.5kW capacity. But it has been a challenge reducing noise internally, but I have got it down to a reasonable level.
I have used acoustic batts, acoustic foam, mass loaded vinyl, vibration isolation. The original Dimplex air conditioner was extremely noisy sitting in a room. But I am reasonably happy with the end result installed in the roof space. Actually bought a second hand AC as our first one died from old age. I know the feeling!
If you put in the effort you can turn a crap caravan or home system into something half reasonable.
(I have done more upgrades since this photo)
These blocks I added each side of the roof space AC enclosure made from particle board flooring solved a low frequency resonance problem in our kitchen as a result of a reflected noise of the external wall of our Unit. An acoustic nodal point. Very low tech, but it did the trick.
Inside the styrene foam box is an air filter for the condenser side of the air conditioner, easier than cleaning the AC condenser as I can wash the filter under the shower. I also have an additional 70 watt inline duct fan to increase air pressure to the air conditioner. I can't really measure if this extra 70 watts helps the AC enough to be worthwhile, but my gut feel is that it is worthwhile.
If one puts in a bit of effort you can improve all crap products.