Summer can bring you and your family a lot of fun. Like going to the beach, the pool, grilling out, and other fun things to do in the sun. But summer also has downfalls, such as being hotter on some days than on others. Luckily, most houses have air conditioning but even those have their downfalls. One of which is being too loud. But we hope to fix that today, right now. In this story we’re going to walk through the steps on how to soundproof your air conditioners so you don’t have to blast your speakers to hear your TV, or yell when you talk.

First thing is first, how old is your air conditioner? If it’s an older model, it might be a lot louder than the newer ones because older models were used to help cool down a house and it didn’t matter how loud it was as long as it got the job done. Newer models have more interest in what the person using the air conditioner thinks. You want your house cool but you also want to be able to hear yourself think.

But when it comes to a window unit air conditioner, it’s usually not the unit making all of the noise. Most of the time with window air conditioners, the noise they make when they are on is loud, we can all agree on that, but even when they are off they are still loud. And it isn’t the unit itself that’s making the noise it’s the gap between your window and the air conditioner that is letting in all of the outside noises.

To try and help you block out all of that extra noise, you can get a fitted air conditioner sound barrier and have it placed on to the outside of the AC unit. This will make the air waves travel at an angle and block out most of the noises from the outside world. You might have to go to a hardware store or a sheet metal place near you so you can get the right pieces but once you do I guarantee your house will be much more quiet and half of your problem will be solved.

If using a type of sheet metal to create your fitted shield then you can always try using a type of styrofoam or PVC to help block out noise. Think of the acoustic foam pieces that singers and musicians have up on their wall when recording. Those help block out access noise so what they are recording doesn’t get disturbed with extra noise, this can also help you.

Put the styrofoam or whatever you are using in to the cracks that peak out from between your house and your air conditioner. This isn’t going to block out a ton of outside noise but it will make things a lot better. And it will also keep a lot of that hot air that is sneaking in, out of your house and it will keep all of your cool air in your house.

There are other ways to create an air conditioner sound barrier, you can use any sort of noise absorbing material. Maybe an old baby blanket around the sides of your unit or even duct tape if you have that and nothing else laying around. Once you block out the outside noises, the inside noise of the air conditioner won’t seem so bad.