You can buy sound blankets for the compressors - about $50 each. But they are old and old tends to be noisy. At 20+ years old, start preparing to replace them.. I have a 12 year old Rheem Prestige AC condenser (RASL-024JEZ) and its very quiet.

Cant open the youtube links

If they only made the sound when coming on I would suggest one of these

It won't hurt to try one to see if it helps,,,,,,,,unless there's already one installed..

The kind of quiet you are looking for exists, but it doesn't come cheap.

AC units like yours will make noise. You can try to muffle it... but noise is noise. They weren't really made to be quiet in that era.

Most AC noise recorded is running noise. The manufacturers omit start up noises out of the mix, so the most quiet, those that you can't even hear start up / shut off except for maybe the whisper of the fan spin up if you are sitting near the unit.

The other benefit of these quiet providers of comfort is they can cut your electric bill by up to 50% and in a more humid climate give you comfort beyond your years.

Quiet. This doesn't mean there is no noise at all. It doesn't mean you won't be able to hear it at all , just that compared to what you have now it will go unnoticed 99% of the time.

If you are trying to get your current units noise to this level? uh, no. You're more likely to be disappointed with those efforts.

This is the level of quiet that quiet is measured from (Inverter)... there are other levels of quiet that are cheaper, but you will hear start up noises and quite possibly shut off noises as well. The inverter doesn't have those kinds of noises to contend with.

The lower cost level of quiet (start up / shut off noises not included) I compare more than one brand here. Noise typically isn't a specific brand problem. They all make noise and some are worse than others.

I service the Katy, Texas area.

I think your units are nearing the end of their useful life expectancy and will need to be replaced in the near future. When you choose replacement units, compare the noise levels of different models and different manufacturers. I've found the more efficient units to be really quiet compared with units from 20 years ago.

In the interim, one thing you can do to make it more pleasant on your patio is to construct a sound wall to direct sounds away from folks on the patio. The wall will also provide visual screening of the units which is a plus. Keep in mind you'll need to maintain the required clearances for air circulation. There is a product on the market specifically for your application that's worth a look:

https://quietfence.com/

Nothing short of replacement with newer quieter units will solve your problem. They are old and noisy, it's the nature of your beast.

@User we've been in this house a little over a year and did maintenance last year and this year... although I'm thinking now that 2x a year probably is better.

@sktn77a that's what I was thinking of doing just in the interim, until we need to replace them...the ones I saw on Amazon wer e $70+ but shipping was a couple of weeks Wondering where I could get these quicker... my google search pulled up a bunch of stores/sites I'm not at all familiar with. Do you have any you'd recommend? Also, how to determine which would fit my AC unit?

@klem1 hmmm I wouldn't even begin to know what to do with that or where to look in our existing units...I suppose I should hire an HVAC person to install something like that?

" @klem1 hmmm I wouldn't even begin to know what to do with that or where to look in our existing units...I suppose I should hire an HVAC person to install something like that?"

That's a shame Linda because from the standpoint of skill and time required for installation there's nothing quicker and simpler than hard start kits. No,I'm not suggesting you hire an HVAC person to install it. I naturally assumed you could preform tasks we suggest, otherwise I would have recommended you have "an HVAC person" diagnois the noise. Do you believe it's better asking poeple on a forum what to do then hire it done or hiring someone to decide what needs done then doing it?

hard start kits don't fix noise.

They aid the compressor in starting up... as in a mildly stuck "hard to start up" compressor. That is why they call them "hard start kit" not noisy start kit.

Waste of money for only a noise related concern.

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sound blankets.

The units in my video I posted above "listen to my ac run" the amana has a factory installed compressor blanket.

Yet the noise difference between those two (new units) is negligable. You can still hear them.

This is what I mean about being disappointed.

@klem1 I asked a reasonable question considering all I was given was a link to a product I've never heard about, with not much else. I've had plenty of people on this forum suggest things that I could do myself, and plenty that suggested work they were adamant be done by a professional. I try not to make assumptions about anything, especially when dealing with an HVAC system for the first time. But thanks for the vote of confidence on the install, good to know.

@Austin Air Companie I hear you on having realistic expectations...I had a feeling there might not be much that would make a significant difference, given how old the units are. I guess whenever we do replace them we'll be sure to research and compare options, and consider getting an inverter AC. Also, thank you for sharing your take on hard start kits and for the youtube links!

@Charles Ross Homes thanks for the recommendation! I was thinking about buying something like that or maybe even constructing one myself. As you said, it would help make the space look better even if it doesn't truly solve my noise problem. :)