Low clicking sound w. DS220+ and Seagate IronWolf drives

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Low clicking sound w. DS220+ and Seagate IronWolf drives

6
0
NAS
DS220+
Operating system
  1. Windows
Newbie here.
I bought my first Synology NAS, DS220+ and set it up with 2 8TB Seagate IronWolf drives.
Fan is in quiet mode, HDD hibernation set for 15min, Advanced HDD hibernation to minimize power consumption enabled.
Ran IronWolf Tests on both drives and they are normal.
I didn't create any shared volumes as I am still checking it.

When NAS is idle (not accessed for a while), I see the Disk LED indicators are off telling me that HDs are in hibernation. However I hear a very low periodic noise. It is not loud but can be heard when there is no other noise; NAS is under my desk. I can't figure out if it is the fan or drives or issue with my NAS. Do you hear this with your systems? I have audio clips but not sure how to share them.

BTW my old Dlink NAS is still operational and literally shuts down (i.e. fan stops running unless in summer when it gets hot) when there is no activity; it is completely quiet.
 
Following up on my own post for others benefit. I am fairly convinced it is the fan making this noise in "quiet mode". I read a few posts elsewhere that some replaced their fans with different brands (Noctua and Arctic) for this reason. I will first contact Synology.

Can anyone here confirm this fan noise after HDDs hibernated?
 
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Difficult to say what it is. DSM is installed on its own partition on all HDD and it will do housekeeping activities during quiet times. I've never looked at the drive activity LEDs, are they pool/volume related or any activity (e.g. DSM)?

I'm running packages that stop hibernation working, so can't test what noises happen in this situation. But the Ironwolf 8TB (which I run) are noisier/clackier than my smaller WD Red (CMR).

The fan may be switching on and off as it will vary activity based on temperature.
 
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Drives are idle, LEDS are off. There is absolutely no NAS activity. Apparently the fan never switches off even when temp is low/within limits.

I am fairly certain it is the constant whirring noise from the fan. The only confirmation I would like is if it is specific to this unit or fairly normal but others ignore it/never noticed it.

I can hear it when there is not too much noise in the room. You can say I have sensitive ears. Moving to a different location is not an option as I have all my gear in the vicinity. Disappointed that Synology didn't use a quieter fan; or even have the fan shut off completely when the temperature is within limits. As I mentioned earlier my old, not so expensive 2 bay Dlink NAS turns off the fan and automatically turns it when it detects that the temperature crossed a threshold.
 
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Actually you’re right. I was forgetting my plus models don’t have Low-Power Mode like the low-end NAS, which does switch off the fan.

I use Quiet Mode on my DS218+ and it’s not silent mode. Can’t help for clicks. Have you tried attaching an audio file of it?
 
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Here you go; it is a video clip as I just used my phone to record it :). I uploaded it as a zip file as that's what is allowed in this forum.
Play it at a little higher volume. You will hear the breeze from the fan along with the periodic clicking.
 

Attachments

  • video2.zip
    2.1 MB · Views: 211
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I hear the normal constant whoosh of air but there's the constant dah-dah-dah frequency sound too. I do have variable volumes of tinnitus, in case this wasn't the sound you were saying about

The dah-dah-dah sound isn't something I recognise from my NAS. Have you tried reseating your drives and caddies? There could be a loose cable or something. Check the NAS is on a stable shelf/table. As a small attempt to reduce the wooden shelf being a sounding board, I've use bits of old neoprene-backed mouse mat to isolated the NAS from the shelf.
 
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I checked - no loose cables or something stuck. NAS is not vibrating either.
That clicking noise is there even when HDs are active; they drone out the clicking noise. I really cannot move it elsewhere as all my equipment is nearby, including my router.

My office room is usually quiet otherwise. Even my laptop fan is running but doesn't make this noise and I can hear it over my laptop.
 
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Here's what my DS1520+ sounds like with the DS218+ next to it, probably doing nothing. There's no periodic sound element but it's by no means quiet. The drives clack along, asynchronously, all day and I'm sat a couple of foot from it. I have a strong personal monologue to drown it out.

The DS1520+ has five 8TB Ironwolf in it and usually needs the fan's Cool Mode, but the less used DS218+ uses Quiet Mode.

I would raise the noise you hear with the store where you got the NAS. Maybe a replacement can be made? Failing that you can take it up with Synology's tech support, via DSM's Support Center.

BTW my first time ever using iOS's Voice Memos.
 

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  • DS1520+ noises.m4a.zip
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Last edited:
Here's what my DS1520+ sounds like with the DS218+ next to it, probably doing nothing. There's no periodic sound element but it's by no means quiet. The drives clack along, asynchronously, all day and I'm sat a couple of foot from it. I have a strong personal monologue to drown it out.

The DS1520+ has five 8TB Ironwolf in it and usually needs the fan's Cool Mode, but the less used DS218+ uses Quiet Mode.

I would raise the noise you hear with the store where you got the NAS. Maybe a replacement can be made? Failing that you can take it up with Synology's tech support, via DSM's Support Center.

BTW my first time ever using iOS's Voice Memos.
Thank you for taking the time to record and post the audio clip.
That's hardly any noise other than disk access! This proves my NAS has a bad fan, probably a matter of time before it conks out.
I will see if I can get a replacement or work with tech support. It would be a pain to replace the fan if that's what I have to do.
BTW do you know how I can seamlessly transfer my current NAS settings to a replacement unit without having to go thru full setup? This is assuming I can replace my current NAS. I am sure there are articles out there but checking with you in case you already know.

iOS voice memo did a good job :).
-- post merged: --

Never mind, I found the info:
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Thank you for taking the time to record and post the audio clip.
You're welcome.

Ways to migrate (esp. if the same model NAS):
  1. Take disks from old NAS and insert into new NAS.
  2. Use Migration Assistant (will set up the exact same on the new hardware).
  3. Hyper Backup:
    1. On old NAS: backup to Hyper Backup vault on other media (e.g. USB 3 drive).
    2. On new NAS: restore from the Hyper Backup vault.
Option 1 would be the easiest if you are happy with your set up and are swapping out one DS220+ with another.
 
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HI,
I'm also a new Synology DS220+ owner and also noticed this incessant dah-dah-dah noise, especially when the HDD are hibernated and the fan on 'quite' mode. I believed it to be some excitation of the fan casing as by firmly pressing down on top of the case near the fan, the noise attenuates. I opened up the unit and noticed that there is a fan support that is merely loosely clipped into the fan casing and depending on the assembly/manufacturing tolerances could exacerbate a noise. A carefully placed piece of felt tape has subjectively reduced the dah-dah-dah noise by 90% to an almost imperceptible level. If I listen carefully, I can still hear it as I'm now 'tuned' into the noise, however those who are not originally aware of the noise cannot hear it.
 

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  • Screenshot 2022-01-01 at 11.39.14.png
    Screenshot 2022-01-01 at 11.39.14.png
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