Rooftop AC condenser vibrates master bedroom, new construction community

[Lynn Nguyen]

Hi BP Community,

I'm a first time homebuyer and I closed on my first home in Nov. The house is a 3 story single family home and the condenser is on the roof above the master bedroom. I've noticed that when it kicks on, it vibrates the master bedroom and the sound is very evident. I talked to 2 other neighbors who also have rooftop units and they aren't experiencing vibration/sound as bad as I am. I am the only one in the community that has made this complaint to the builder.

HVAC techs have come out multiple times to try to remedy the issue by adding vibration pads, padding wiring, changing the air filter and they will be coming again in a couple weeks to install a hard start. I'm not sure how much the hard start can help because the vibration/sound is present the entire time the system is on.

From my understanding, the coolant line doesn't run though the master bedroom's external wall where the vibration is most prominent. 

They builder did have to rip out all of the drywall, insulation and flooring in the room  to replace it 2 weeks before closing due to a pipe leak. I am wondering if when putting everything back up, something may have been missed or done incorrectly. Would this be possible? I don't know enough about this topic. 

I bought a sound meter so I could measure the sound in the room and compare to my neighbors' who have the same exact floor plan as quantifiable evidence that what I'm experiencing is not the norm.

I have a 1 year warranty on the house but I'm concerned that the builder will tell me I'm SOL and it is what it is, which I do not want to accept, especially if my neighbors do not have this problem. 

Looking for insight, information, and advice on how to handle this situation to ensure it gets fixed by the builder. 

Thank you in advance!

[Chris Seveney]

Quote from @Lynn Nguyen:

Hi BP Community,

I'm a first time homebuyer and I closed on my first home in Nov. The house is a 3 story single family home and the condenser is on the roof above the master bedroom. I've noticed that when it kicks on, it vibrates the master bedroom and the sound is very evident. I talked to 2 other neighbors who also have rooftop units and they aren't experiencing vibration/sound as bad as I am. I am the only one in the community that has made this complaint to the builder.

HVAC techs have come out multiple times to try to remedy the issue by adding vibration pads, padding wiring, changing the air filter and they will be coming again in a couple weeks to install a hard start. I'm not sure how much the hard start can help because the vibration/sound is present the entire time the system is on.

From my understanding, the coolant line doesn't run though the master bedroom's external wall where the vibration is most prominent. 

They builder did have to rip out all of the drywall, insulation and flooring in the room  to replace it 2 weeks before closing due to a pipe leak. I am wondering if when putting everything back up, something may have been missed or done incorrectly. Would this be possible? I don't know enough about this topic. 

I bought a sound meter so I could measure the sound in the room and compare to my neighbors' who have the same exact floor plan as quantifiable evidence that what I'm experiencing is not the norm.

I have a 1 year warranty on the house but I'm concerned that the builder will tell me I'm SOL and it is what it is, which I do not want to accept, especially if my neighbors do not have this problem. 

Looking for insight, information, and advice on how to handle this situation to ensure it gets fixed by the builder. 

Thank you in advance!

 Find out the manufacturer of the equipment and ask them for details on how these should be installed on a roof. Absolutely needs to be on spring isolaters or some type of vibration pads. What is happening now is it sounds like vibration is just reverberating through the joists and down the wall. A sound meter really will not help for vibration - two different things.